Procedure for the accreditation of additional training courses for prevention advisors (levels I and II)

Application procedure

Application for accreditation

Providers of additional training for prevention advisor at levels I and II preferably send an application for accreditation regarding additional training by email to hua@werk.belgie.be (or by post: FOD Werkgelegenheid, Arbeid en Sociaal Overleg, Algemene Directie Humanisering van de Arbeid, Ernest Blerotstraat 1, 1070 Brussel).

The application must be signed (electronically or otherwise) by a person responsible for the management and organisation of the institution and/or the training course.

The application is free of charge.

The application procedure is available in Dutch, French and English.

This application must be made at least 6 months before the start of the cycle for which accreditation is requested.

Processing of the application

If the application for accreditation is complete, it will be assessed within a reasonable period of time by the official charged with supervision, who will carry out an investigation and draw up a report.

The file and the report are submitted to the social partners on the Permanent Operational Commission of the High Council of Prevention and Protection at Work, which provides advice to the Minister of Employment. It is the Minister of Employment who decides whether or not to grant accreditation. An accreditation is valid for a maximum of 5 years.

The General Directorate HUA will inform the applicant about the outcome of their application.

The time between the submission of an application for accreditation and the decision whether or not to grant accreditation is on average 6 months. This processing time is an estimate and depends on the completeness and complexity of the application.

All (accredited) providers of additional training for prevention advisors are listed on the website of FPS Employment (see accreditations: additional training courses for prevention advisors at levels I and II).

Appeal against the decision taken

If the decision is contested, an appeal for annulment (and a request for suspension) may be lodged with the Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Council of State, in accordance with the procedure laid down in the Decree of the Regent of 23 August 1948, regulating the proceedings before the Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Council of State.

Content of the application for accreditation

The application for accreditation must contain the following information:

• identity of the provider:
  • name of the institution,
  • CBE number (Crossroads Bank for Enterprises) of the institution,
  • name, telephone number, email address and capacity of the person representing the institution and making the application on behalf of the institution;
• presentation of the institution:
  • which course(s) are being organised?
  • brief description,
  • resources available to the institution (premises, materials, etc.),
  • If additional admission criteria apply, what are they?
  • name of the certificate issued upon completion of the course;
• list of teachers: name, position, profession and the field in which they will teach plus relevant practical experience;
• programme of the course modules:
  • The following information must be provided for each course subject:
    • summary and intended purpose,
    • name of the teacher,
    • number of hours with a breakdown of the theoretical and practical parts,
    • method of organisation of the practical part (seminar, company visit, internship at a company, etc.);
• organisation:
  • number of years over which the courses are spread,
  • division of the theoretical and practical part,
  • the manner in which the steering group is involved in the assessment of the course,
  • the manner in which course participants are involved in the evaluation of the course;
• evaluation:
  • method of testing the acquired knowledge and skills (multiple choice format, written, verbal, group discussion, presentation, at the end of each module, at the end of the course, before a jury, etc.),
  • deadline for submitting and defending the final work (may not exceed 12 months after the end of the theoretical course),
  • composition of the jury or juries;
• registration fee.

Content requirements of the additional training

The additional training consists of at least 400 hours for prevention advisor at level 1 (basic module + specialisation module) and 210 hours for prevention advisor at level 2 (basic module + specialisation module).

The course modules must be sufficiently practice-oriented and interwoven with the principles of the regulations concerning well-being at work. The course participants must have sufficient interaction with the social partners and other actors within the company. The teachers must have practical experience in the subjects taught. In addition, the organisers must have appropriate resources such as classrooms and teaching materials.

The organisation and framework of additional training level I must be at university level.

The additional training courses must be concluded with a thorough evaluation of the course participants. This evaluation includes, on the one hand, testing knowledge and insight into the subject matter and, on the other, writing and defending a final work before a multidisciplinary jury.

Each provider must set up a steering group of a multidisciplinary composition. The steering group meets each time a training cycle has ended and at least once a year. The provider draws up a report of this, which must be sent to the responsible officials of the General Directorate of HUA and the General Directorate of TWW.

The (accredited) providers of additional training courses at level I that meet the conditions referred to in Article II.4‑20 of the Code on Well-being at Work are exempted from setting up a steering group and from applying for accreditation.