One Stop Safety for Mid and East Antrim Town Centres
Wednesday 24 September 2025
Over 50 members of staff from a range of businesses within Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s town centres recently came together to take part in One Stop Safety training in the borough.
Businesses were offered the opportunity to avail of a full 1-day course either ‘Emergency First Aid at work’ or ‘Food Safety Training’ and attain nationally recognised qualifications.
The ‘Emergency First Aid at Work’ training is a regulated qualification, QA Level 3 Award, and is designed to equip individuals with the practical skills and knowledge to be an emergency first aider in their workplace. The qualification ensures that employers have met their legal responsibilities for first aid training and that their employees can receive immediate attention if they are injured or taken ill at work.
The provision of the Food Safety Training’ ensures that businesses received appropriate training in food safety practices, a requirement under both UK and EU regulations. The training included essential knowledge and practical skills in food safety for individuals working or planning to work in food-related environments and involved the understanding of the legislation, preventing contamination, food storage and handling, ensuring proper hygiene and effective pest control. Having a good understanding of food safety practices is not only a legal requirement, but also essential in protecting the health of both consumers and food handlers.
Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Jackson Minford, said: “This initiative of delivering important training directly to our town centre businesses, not only benefits their staff development but also the safety and wellbeing of those who visit their establishments.
“The skills and learning from the One Stop Safety training are life skills that extend outside the remits of businesses – empowering staff to respond confidently in emergency situations both at work and in the wider community.
“Ultimately, this training helps create a safe, healthy environment for everyone, fostering greater public confidence and supporting the wellbeing of our entire community.
The qualification certificates are valid for 3 years, and it is anticipated that such courses will be run again to help ensure businesses can continue to renew their qualifications and adapt to staff changes and business developments.
Town centre businesses can be kept informed on future training opportunities by registering to join the Town Centre database by contacting: TownCentres@midandeastantrim.gov.uk