For employers / Pricing guide
How much does online health and safety training cost per employee in the UK?
The short answer: with Beagle Learning by Beagle HR, £15 plus VAT per learner for a single course, £149 plus VAT a year for every course for up to 10 learners, or £295 plus VAT a year for up to 30 learners, which is £9.83 per learner a year. The longer answer, with what the rest of the market charges and what you are paying for, is below.
What the UK market charges
Prices for awareness level health and safety training in the UK fall into three bands:
- Off the shelf e-learning: the main UK providers list fire safety awareness at £25 to £30 plus VAT per employee, with 10 to 20 per cent off for ten or more places and bigger cuts at fifty plus. Some sell credits that expire after a year or add a platform fee on top.
- Half day classroom courses: typically £50 to £150 per person, plus the cost of everyone being off the floor for a morning and the travel to get there.
- Subscription learning platforms: a per user monthly fee, often £3 to £8 per user per month, so £36 to £96 per person a year before you have chosen a course, and usually with a minimum number of users.
For a small business the platform and the minimum order are where the money goes. A shop with six staff does not need a learning management system; it needs six people to do fire safety and manual handling this month, and a record that they did.
What Beagle Learning costs
| Option | Price | Per learner |
|---|---|---|
| Single course | £15 + VAT | £15 per course, 10% off 10 or more places, 20% off 25 or more |
| Small team licence, every course, 12 months, up to 10 learners | £149 + VAT | £14.90 a year |
| Team licence, every course, 12 months, up to 30 learners | £295 + VAT | £9.83 a year, or about £0.58 per course if every learner did all 17 |
| Beagle HR clients | Included | Nothing extra |
Prices exclude VAT at 20 per cent. No platform fee, no minimum order, no expiry on unused single course places.
Two worked examples
- A cafe with five staff who each need fire safety this month: five single places, £75 plus VAT. Add manual handling and the induction and fifteen places come to £202.50 plus VAT with the quantity discount, so the small team licence at £149 plus VAT for every course is the better buy.
- A dental practice with ten staff who need five courses each over the year: fifty single places would be £600 plus VAT after the discount, against £149 plus VAT for the small team licence, which also covers new starters and refreshers. Over ten staff, the team licence at £295 plus VAT.
What you are paying for
The course
20 to 30 minutes, written for small businesses by Beagle HR, with knowledge checks, scenarios and interactive exercises rather than slides to click through.
The assessment
Ten questions, 80 per cent to pass, unlimited retakes with the questions reshuffled. Nothing is recorded for a fail.
The record
Every pass is recorded with the learner's name, the course, the score and the date, emailed to the manager as it happens, and exportable when someone asks for it.
The certificate
A PDF certificate for the learner, with the refresher date, and a copy by email if they gave an address.
No admin
One access code for the business. No accounts to create, no passwords to reset, no seats to allocate one by one.
Kept current
Courses are updated as the law and HSE guidance change. The team licence includes any new course added during the year.
Common questions about the cost of training
How much does online health and safety training cost per employee in the UK?
Off the shelf e-learning from the main UK providers is £25 to £30 plus VAT per employee per course at list price, falling to £15 to £20 with volume discounts. A half day classroom course is typically £50 to £150 per person plus the time away from work. Beagle Learning charges £15 plus VAT per learner per course, £149 plus VAT a year for every course for up to 10 learners (£14.90 per learner), or £295 plus VAT a year for up to 30 learners (£9.83 per learner).
Is health and safety training a legal requirement for a small business?
Yes. Every employer must give staff the information, instruction and training they need to do their jobs safely, in proportion to the risks. For a cafe, a shop or a dental practice that normally means an induction plus fire safety, manual handling and whatever the job adds, such as sharps or display screen equipment. The training does not have to be classroom based and it does not have to be expensive, but it does have to happen and you need to be able to show it did.
Is online health and safety training accepted by inspectors and insurers?
For awareness level topics, yes. What they look for is a record showing who was trained, on what, when and with what result, and evidence that the content matched the risks in your workplace. Practical skills such as using a particular machine still need on the job instruction, and the courses say so.
What is included in the price?
The course, a ten question assessment with unlimited retakes, a certificate for the learner, an email to the manager for every pass and a completion record you can export. There are no accounts to set up, no platform fee and no minimum order.
Is VAT charged?
Yes. Prices are shown plus VAT at 20 per cent, so a single course is £18 including VAT and the team licence is £354 including VAT. VAT registered businesses can reclaim it as usual.
Is there a free option for Beagle HR clients?
Beagle HR clients have every Beagle Learning course included in their HR support, for all their staff, along with bespoke courses written for their business.
How often does training need repeating?
Each course states its own refresher period, usually every 12 months and sooner if the job, equipment or workplace changes. The team licence covers refreshers within the year at no extra cost.
Pricing
Beagle HR clients have Beagle Learning included in their support. Everyone else can buy access online and be training within minutes.
Single course
- Any one course from the catalogue
- Buy as many learner places as you need
- 10% off 10 or more places, 20% off 25 or more
- Completion emails, records and certificates
- No expiry on unused places
Small team licence
- Every course, including new ones added during the year
- Up to 10 learners
- One access code for the whole business
- Completion emails, records and certificates
Team licence
- Every course, including new ones added during the year
- Up to 30 learners
- One access code for the whole business
- Completion emails, records and certificates
Beagle HR clients
- All courses for all staff
- Bespoke courses written for your business
- Training that matches your policies and handbook
- Ask for your access code
Prices exclude VAT at 20%, which is added at checkout. Payment is by card through Stripe and a VAT invoice is emailed automatically.