COMAH training, built around your site and your people

Most COMAH training is off the shelf: a fixed course, pitched at a general level, that everyone from the boardroom to the control room sits through in the same way. It ticks a box. It rarely changes how people actually carry their COMAH responsibilities.

I do it differently. I build the training around your organisation: your hazards, your arrangements, and above all the roles of the people in the room, because what COMAH means for a director is not what it means for an operator, and the training shouldn’t pretend otherwise.

I’m Kris Ellenthorpe. I’ve spent 25 years carrying out COMAH risk assessments and process safety consultancy on high-hazard sites. This training is grounded in doing the work, and in real interactions with the regulator, not in a slide pack written by someone who never has.

Pitched by role, because COMAH means something different at every level

This isn’t expert-level technical training. Your specialists already know that material. It’s for the people who have to understand, own and live with COMAH without being process-safety experts themselves: the leaders accountable for it, the managers running it, and the operators working within it. The aim is genuine, working understanding at the right level for each, not depth for its own sake.

For senior leaders and directors

Typically, after a leadership session you’ll be able to:

• Explain what your legal duty as a duty holder actually is, and where accountability sits.
• Judge whether your COMAH arrangements are genuinely sound, rather than taking it on trust.
• Know what to resource and what to challenge, and ask the questions that surface a weak position before an inspector does.
• Understand what MHHHRA changes, and what it means for the assurance you give and receive.

For site, SHEQ and engineering managers

Typically, you’ll be able to:

• See how the parts of COMAH fit together, and recognise what “good” looks like across them.
• Be an intelligent customer for specialist work: commission it well, manage it, and genuinely understand and challenge what you get back, rather than taking a consultant’s report on faith.
• Spot where sites commonly fall short, so you can find your own gaps early.
• Understand how MHHHRA reshapes the risk assessment you own, and what to do about it.

For operators, front-line and maintenance teams

Typically, your people will be able to:

• Recognise what a major accident hazard on your site actually is, in plain terms.
• Understand the controls they rely on every day, and why those controls matter.
• See their own part in preventing a major accident, and why the procedures and paperwork connect to the job in front of them.

These are examples of what a session might cover. The actual content is built around your site and the people in the room, which is the point.

Future-proofed for MHHHRA

COMAH isn’t standing still. The MHHHRA approach to assessing major accident risk to people is finalised and at sign-off, and it’s already reshaping what the regulator expects, which means a lot of existing training is out of date the moment it lands. I sat on the CDOIF working group behind that guidance, so the training doesn’t just teach where COMAH is today; it prepares your people for where it’s heading. (What is MHHHRA? explains the change in plain English.)

Off the shelf or fully tailored? Let’s work that out together

Some organisations want something close to a standard programme; others need it built from the ground up around their site. Rather than push you toward one or the other, I’d rather have a short conversation first and work out what genuinely fits: your hazards, your audience, your timescales, and whether remote or in-person delivery suits you better. Both are on the table.

Why me, rather than an off-the-shelf provider

• I do this work, I don’t just teach it. 25 years of actually carrying out COMAH assessments on real sites, so the training is grounded in practice and in how the regulator really responds.
• It’s me in the room. Independent and founder-led, not a rotating associate working from a fixed script.
• I sat on the CDOIF working group behind MHHHRA as it was finalised, so the future-proofing is real, not a bolt-on.
• It’s built around your organisation and pitched by role, not a generic course your people sit through and forget.

Let’s scope the right training for your site. Request a free 30-minute conversation and we’ll work out what your people need and the best way to deliver it. No charge, no obligation.

Not ready to talk yet? If MHHHRA is on your radar, start with my free readiness self-assessment to see where your site stands.

Common questions

Is your COMAH training off the shelf or tailored?

Either, and we work out which fits in a short conversation first. Some organisations want something close to a standard programme; others need it built around their specific site and hazards. The content is always pitched by role, so it’s relevant to the people in the room.

Who is COMAH training for?

The people who have to understand, own and live with COMAH without being process-safety specialists: senior leaders and duty holders, site, SHEQ and engineering managers, and operators and front-line teams. Each gets the training pitched at the right level for their role.

Do you deliver COMAH training remotely or on site?

Both. Delivery is one of the things we agree up front, based on what suits your organisation. Remote works well for leadership sessions; on-site often suits operational teams.

Does the training cover MHHHRA?

Yes. MHHHRA runs through the training, taught by someone who sat on the CDOIF working group behind it, so your people are prepared for where COMAH is heading, not just where it is today.