Prevention passport: how to make it an HR/HSE lever (rather than just another constraint)?

The traceability of health and safety training is an old issue… and a still fragile one. Many companies have scattered data: local spreadsheets, paper certificates, poorly documented internal training, and unharmonized certifications. The Prevention Passport arrives in this context with a clear promise: to become a key digital tool for cataloging health and safety training and facilitating the flow of information.

The risk, of course, is that it will be perceived as just another administrative burden. However, if approached intelligently, it presents an opportunity to bring order to a critical pillar: who is trained in what, with what validity, and how are renewals managed.

In terms of timing, the deployment is gradual: training organisations are already declaring some SST training courses, and employers will have access to their space from March 16, 2026 to declare in particular eligible training courses provided internally and to check the declarations.

To turn this into an opportunity, the first step is to clarify internal governance: who owns the training data? HR? HSE? Both? Who validates the reference data (list of training courses, categories, validity rules)? Who is responsible for the quality of the declarations for internal training? Without governance, the Passport will not correct the fragmentation: it will simply make it more visible.

The second step is to streamline the reference framework. In many companies, training courses, awareness sessions, certifications, authorizations, and briefings are all mixed together. The Passport encourages a clearer distinction between what truly constitutes eligible occupational health and safety training and a structured approach to what needs to be documented. This work, when done properly, is already beneficial: it reduces confusion and improves the ability to demonstrate compliance.

The third step is managerial: using traceability for oversight. Once we know which occupational health and safety (OHS) skills exist and when they expire, we can plan better, avoid gaps in certification, secure subcontracting and concurrent activities, and reduce the risk of exposure. Here, the Health and Safety Passport becomes a prevention tool, not a paper-based HR tool.

Finally, acceptability must not be overlooked: training data affects people. Therefore, its deployment must be supported, explained, and integrated into simple processes. A company that announces "you have to declare it" without explaining "what it's for" creates resistance. A company that says "we secure your skills, we prevent training gaps, we reduce risks, and we simplify proof" generates buy-in.

Conclusion

The opening of the employer portal on March 16, 2026 is a milestone. Companies that take advantage of this to structure their governance, standards, and management will transform an obligation into a lever for HSE control — and a time-saver during audits and inspections.