Why the first shifts matter
Good PAPR training starts before a new welder is under pressure to keep up. A powered-air system is not made safe by handing it over on day one: the first few supervised uses establish the habits an apprentice will rely on when the workshop is busy. This article gives employers, colleges and providers a suggested teaching plan for those early uses. It is a practical framework, not an HSE timetable.
Many workshops prepare for a September intake, but apprentices start throughout the year. Whenever your next starter arrives, a practical welding apprentice induction should aim for the same result: they understand the fume risk, use the selected equipment as taught, complete checks under observation and know exactly what to do if something is wrong.
📋 Key takeaways
- Shift one is orientation. Explain the risk, why the shop uses powered air and what each part of the selected system does.
- Shift two is observed practice. Show the pre-use checks and donning sequence, then watch the apprentice complete them.
- Shift three is response and task practice. Rehearse a warning or defect, then check understanding during supervised work.
- This is a suggested teaching plan, not an HSE requirement. HSE requires suitable training and supervision; it does not prescribe three shifts.
- The record is a starting point. Supervision, instruction and the employer’s wider training record continue after induction.
If you are still choosing equipment or planning a roll-out across experienced welders, our 30-day powered-air wear-trial playbook covers that other side of the boundary. Here, the system has already been selected and one new wearer is learning to use it.
Explain the risk, the selected system and its main parts.
Show the checks and donning sequence, then watch the apprentice complete them.
Rehearse a warning or defect, then check understanding during supervised work.
Suggested employer teaching plan — not an HSE requirement
What the law actually asks of you
HSE’s welding-fume training guidance says workers must be trained, especially when they are new to the job. The useful topics include the fume risk, pre-use checks, controls, RPE and PPE use and care, and what to do when something goes wrong. It does not prescribe this suggested teaching plan.
Apprentices do not sit in a lighter-duty category. HSE says employers have the same health-and-safety responsibilities for apprentices of all ages. The employer remains primarily responsible for workplace health and safety, including the assessments and arrangements behind the selected RPE.
For an apprentice under 18, the young-person assessment must be made or reviewed before they start. It must particularly consider inexperience, lack of awareness of risks and immaturity; HSE’s young-worker risk guidance explains the boundary. Regulation 19 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 only permits restricted work where it is necessary for training, supervised by a competent person and the risk is reduced to the lowest level reasonably practicable. Those are conditions to assess carefully, not automatic permission.
Issuing a PAPR does not settle the young-person or COSHH assessment. The Welder apprenticeship standard includes PPE knowledge and use as supporting context, but it does not mandate a PAPR induction or this sequence.
Suggested shift one: make the system understandable
Begin with the reason, not the buttons. Explain welding-fume risk in plain language, why the workplace has selected powered air for the work and how it fits into the employer’s wider controls. Our welding-fume employer guide carries the fuller duty and control context; this conversation should stay specific to the apprentice’s work and your assessment.
Next, tour the selected kit on a clean bench. Ask the apprentice to identify the headtop, breathing tube, blower, filters, battery and indicators, then explain each part back to you. If you use a 3M Speedglas G5-01VC with Adflo as the worked example, keep the teaching tied to that exact configured system and its current manufacturer instructions.
Cover the practical boundaries too: how the workplace expects RPE and other welding apprentice PPE to be used and cared for, what the equipment does not change about the task controls, and who to approach with a concern. The shift-one outcome is not a memory test. It is a new wearer who can describe why the system is used, recognise its main parts and ask for help rather than guessing.
Suggested shift two: show, observe and check
“I was shown once” is not the same as being able to complete a pre-use sequence. This part of PAPR training is deliberately shown and observed. On shift two, the supervisor first demonstrates the current manufacturer’s procedure for the exact system. The apprentice then repeats it under observation, including setup, inspection and donning in the order the manufacturer specifies.
The verified Adflo worked example
For the verified Adflo worked example, show and observe only these mechanics:
- Airflow and alarm: check the airflow before use with airflow indicator 838020 — the ball must be at or above the minimum-flow mark — and test the alarm as the manufacturer’s instructions describe.
- Airflow figures: explain that the minimum design airflow is 160 l/min and nominal airflow is about 170 l/min. These figures help the apprentice understand the check; they do not replace it.
- Loading indicator: identify all five steps — three green and two red — and show the apprentice how to read the current indication.
- Possible filter loading: explain that a motor running faster than normal or unexpectedly short battery duration can point to a loaded filter. It is a reason to stop and report, not an invitation to diagnose or repair the unit.
- Battery care: charge and store the battery as the current instructions require. A flat battery is not, by itself, proof that the battery is worn out.
This is a supervisor’s teaching prompt, not a substitute for the current manufacturer instructions. Demonstrate the exact system your apprentice will use, watch them complete the sequence and correct uncertainty before work begins.
Keep the conversation calm. Ask the apprentice to narrate what they are checking and why. That reveals more than a tick beside “airflow checked”. For the deeper explanation of airflow and filter behaviour, use our Adflo consumables guide; the induction only needs enough detail for safe use, recognition and reporting.
Suggested shift three: practise the safe response
Warnings and defects are easier to handle when the response has already been rehearsed. Give the apprentice a simple scenario: the airflow check fails, an alarm operates, or damage is noticed. They should be able to state and practise the same sequence every time:
- stop work;
- leave the exposure area safely;
- report the warning, failed check or defect; and
- keep the equipment out of use until the employer has arranged repair or replacement.
That sequence reflects regulations 8 and 9 of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002: a discovered defect must be reported, and defective RPE must be repaired or replaced before further use. It does not mean an apprentice should troubleshoot or repair the equipment in the exposure area.
Follow the drill with observed task practice. Keep the checks short and conversational: “What would make you stop?”, “Where do you go?”, “Who do you tell?” and “When can this unit be used again?” The result you want is not a perfect script. It is a reliable response, demonstrated while a competent supervisor is present.
After shift three: PAPR training and supervision continue
The three shifts in this suggested teaching plan are the beginning, not the sign-off point for every future task. HSE says supervision must be adequate and appropriate, and its supervision guidance notes that people who are new or inexperienced may need more. Young workers are also likely to need more supervision than adults.
Adjust that support to the person, work and risk. Repeat an explanation or demonstration when understanding is uncertain, and refresh instruction when the work, equipment or risks change. Record the observed learning from induction, then carry it into the continuing powered-air training log alongside the employer’s wider RPE records.
Colleges and providers: keep the roles clear
The employer has primary responsibility for workplace health and safety and for the assessment behind the new welder RPE arrangement. A college or training provider should take reasonable, proportionate steps to satisfy itself that significant risks are being managed. It would not normally duplicate the employer’s assessment.
That split works best when it is visible. Agree who gives the site-specific orientation, who observes the first checks, who records concerns and who receives the handover. Provider assurance supports the employer’s arrangements; it does not transfer the primary responsibility or make this suggested teaching plan compulsory.
Download: a PAPR training record for the first three shifts
The First Three Shifts — PAPR Induction Sheet turns this suggested teaching plan into one usable page. It captures the apprentice’s name and start date; observed items for shifts one, two and three; short understanding checks; the defect drill; and apprentice and supervisor sign-off with dates.
Use it as a suggested record to support the employer’s own arrangements. It is not certified training, not an HSE form and not a substitute for the employer’s COSHH assessment or young-person assessment. Move the completed induction record into your continuing training log rather than treating it as the end of support.
Frequently asked questions about PAPR training
Does HSE require a three-shift induction?
No. HSE requires suitable information, instruction, training and supervision, but it does not prescribe three shifts. The sequence in this article is a suggested teaching plan that an employer can adapt to its assessment, equipment, work and apprentice.
Are health-and-safety duties different for apprentices?
No. Employers have the same health-and-safety responsibilities for apprentices of all ages. The employer’s assessment and workplace arrangements remain primary; a training provider’s proportionate assurance does not replace them.
What extra applies when an apprentice is under 18?
The employer must make or review the young-person assessment before they start and consider inexperience, lack of awareness of risks and immaturity. Where regulation 19 is relevant, necessary training, competent supervision and reducing risk to the lowest level reasonably practicable are essential conditions. A PAPR alone does not settle that assessment.
Does issuing a PAPR remove the need for training?
No. The wearer still needs to understand the risk, the workplace controls, correct use and care, pre-use checks, equipment limits and the response to a warning or defect. Supervision and refresher instruction continue after induction.
What if the airflow check fails during induction?
Do not begin the exposure task. The apprentice should report the failed check, and the equipment should stay out of use until the employer has arranged resolution. Follow the current manufacturer instructions; do not ask the apprentice to diagnose or repair it.
Ask TFMS for a worked induction example
Ask TFMS for a worked induction example
We can talk you through a genuine 3M Speedglas G5-01VC with Adflo worked example and help you identify the support and prompts needed for your employer-led induction arrangements.
Tell us what your apprentice will be doing and which powered-air system you have selected. Contact TFMS through the website contact form, call 01749 938 160, or email [email protected].
