What Training and L&D Managers Need to Know About the UK’s COMAH Regulations

Understanding COMAH: Why It Matters for Training and Development Teams

The Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations are central to how the UK manages high-risk industrial operations. They apply to any site storing or using significant quantities of hazardous substances — from chemicals and fuels to gases and explosives.

For learning and development (L&D) and training managers, COMAH isn’t just a technical regulation — it’s a framework that directly influences how your people think, act, and respond in safety-critical environments.

Whether you’re supporting operators in a Tier 1 or Tier 2 COMAH site, understanding the regulations is key to ensuring the workforce is competent, compliant, and confident in preventing and responding to major incidents.

What COMAH Requires

The COMAH Regulations (2015) are designed to prevent major accidents and limit their impact on people and the environment. They place legal duties on operators to:

• Identify major accident hazards.
• Implement control measures and safety management systems.
• Prepare and test emergency plans.
• Notify and liaise with regulators such as the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Environment Agency.

From an L&D perspective, this means training and competence are not optional extras — they’re part of the legal framework underpinning safe operations.

The Role of Training and Competence Under COMAH

COMAH regulation 5 explicitly requires employers to demonstrate that all staff involved in safety-critical activities are competent to perform their roles.

This means:

• Staff must understand the specific hazards of their site.
• They must know how to control, contain, or mitigate risks.
• Competence must be maintained and demonstrable through records, assessments, and refresher training.

For L&D teams, that translates to building structured training programmes around:

• Hazard awareness and process safety
• Emergency response and escalation procedures
• Maintenance and inspection protocols
• Contractor and visitor safety
• Safety leadership and communication skills

COMAH Training Challenges and How to Overcome Them

Many COMAH sites face common challenges that L&D leaders can help resolve:

1. High staff turnover: ensuring new starters are trained quickly and effectively in COMAH awareness training.
2. Knowledge retention: reinforcing complex safety information in accessible formats.
3. Consistency across shifts: making sure everyone receives the same standard of training.
4. Evidence of competence: keeping reliable training records for audits and inspections.

Digital learning platforms can make a huge difference here — especially when paired with on-site practical assessments. A blended approach ensures both compliance documentation and real-world skill application.

Integrating COMAH Into Your Learning Strategy

To align your training plan with COMAH requirements, consider these key steps:

Map training to risk assessments – ensure every major hazard has a corresponding learning module or competency standard.
Include all roles – operators, maintenance staff, contractors, and management all need tailored learning pathways.
Refresh regularly – knowledge fades; schedule periodic refresher courses and scenario-based learning.
Track and evidence compliance – use a health & safety LMS to log completions, assessments, and retraining needs.
Foster a safety culture – combine formal training with leadership messaging and open communication.

This proactive approach not only supports compliance but also strengthens operational resilience — something the HSE often looks for during COMAH inspections.

The Payoff: Safer People, Stronger Compliance

Effective COMAH training isn’t just about meeting legal requirements; it’s about protecting lives, property, and reputation.

For training and L&D professionals, it’s an opportunity to:

• Embed safety leadership across the organisation and improve learner outcomes.
• Align training with risk management goals.
• Demonstrate measurable competence to regulators.

By investing in structured, well-documented learning, you turn compliance into a strategic advantage — one that builds trust with regulators, clients, and employees alike.

Conclusion

COMAH compliance starts with your people. As an L&D or training manager, your role in building competence, confidence, and consistency is vital.

The 2025 workplace demands more than tick-box compliance — it calls for learning-led safety cultures that prevent incidents before they happen.

If your organisation operates under COMAH or supports those who do, now’s the time to review your training programmes, refresh your learning content, and ensure every worker understands their role in keeping operations safe.

Want to strengthen your COMAH compliance training? Explore our interactive e-learning modules and health & safety learning management system (LMS) or contact our team to discuss tailored safety training solutions for your workforce. You can contact us via our contact form, or email us at info@infoaware.com.