Effective safety training
Effective safety training is an unofficial phrase used to describe the training materials designed to teach occupational safety and health standards developed by the United States government labor organization, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA has produced many standards and regulations that affect employers and employees in the United States. United States employers have a legal responsibility to educate employees on all workplace safety standards and the hazards that their employees may face while on the job, and providing effective safety training meets that responsibility.
AS Enterprises
Employers must have an overall safety program including relative site specific safety information where applicable. The safety training program should cover topics such as:
· accident prevention and safety promotion
· safety compliance
· accident and emergency response
· personal protective equipment
· safety practices
· equipment and machinery
· chemical and hazardous materials safety
· workplace hazards
· employee involvement
Employers must document all training. Creating a training matrix will help keep track of who has been trained, when they were trained, the training topic, and when it is time for refresher training. Employees must also sign an official sign-in sheet provided by the employer that can serve as proof that employees received proper training. The sign in sheet must have a broad description of what is being covered in the training. Tests or quizzes on the presented material can help gauge employee understanding of the material and highlight topics that need to be reviewed.
The non-English speaking population is consistently growing in many industries and it is important that employers provide bilingual training for those workers, as OSHA requires that all employees be properly trained.
Most employees display attitudes of disinterest and dread at the thought of attending a safety training, which can leave the trainer feeling frustrated and unappreciated. It is the trainer's duty to make safety training fun and educational, which will help the trainees to retain the information, enjoy the course, and apply the learning to their work and lives .
Benefits of a training program
An effective training program can reduce the number of injuries and deaths, property damage, legal liability, illnesses, workers' compensation claims, and missed time from work. An effective safety training program can also help a trainer keep the required OSHA-mandated safety training courses organized and up-to-date. Safety training classes help establish a safety culture in which employees themselves help promote proper safety procedures while on the job. It is important that new employees be properly trained and embrace the importance of workplace safety as it is easy for seasoned workers to negatively influence the new hires. That negative influence however, can be purged with the establishment of new, hands-on, innovative effective safety training which will ultimately lead to an effective safety culture. A 1998 NIOSH study concluded that the role of training in developing and maintaining effective hazard control activities is a proven and successful method of intervention.
Effective safety training is a must, so why isn't yours working?
Even though you have provided a steady stream of training sessions, your safety culture isn’t changing and your employees aren’t engaged in the process.
The very nature of safety training is for the workers’ health and wellbeing. Why then does training seem like such a painful experience for employees?
Often these issues are caused by one of several errors in the way instruction is delivered to employees. Let’s look at some of these and how they can be overcome.
Video-based formats might be necessary to deliver the essence of the training, but if they are the only method used, information may not be imparted in meaningful ways. Likewise, read-and-agree formats, which only engage workers by clicking a button, may not generate learning, and they can be boring and a chore for employees. Even lecture-style training sessions can offer little interaction, unless the trainer uses demonstrations or offers a way for the trainees to participate. Variety is the spice of life, and effective training should be full of it. Offer variety in training methods and consider interactive ways for employees to become engaged.
Under OSHA, employees must be trained and competent to perform tasks and job duties associated with hazards, which means learning must really resonate with your workers. While it is important that employees have awareness of OSHA standards and the regulations that apply to their duties, too much of that will kill your training intent. Focusing on the legalities, but not applying these areas to the real world of the worker is one way to lose the entire audience. Training delivered this way lacks significance to the worker. There is no “big picture” of how this correlates to their jobs or personal safety. To avoid this, trainers must focus on “real world” problems and emphasize how the learning can be applied. Training then becomes useful, instead of arbitrary facts and details.
Most people learn best incrementally and through repetition. Flooding employees in one long day of training or lengthy sessions can be extreme overload. Even if you provide engaging and relevant training the acquired knowledge can falter without follow up. Learning is a lengthy process of building for retention, not a giant push of information. So include ways to add to the training by integrating core aspects into the workplace, and provide it in small but frequent events that follow instruction. Toolbox talks are beneficial for this, as are employee-led demonstrations that apply the skills learned in training.
Effective safety training should be interactive, easily digestible and given in a way that directly correlates to the workers. It may take time to reformat your training program, but it’s worth the effort. Avoiding these pitfalls can make your safety program robust and engaging, and change even the most reluctant worker’s mind about safety training.