How to Institute a Safety Training Program
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires employers to "instruct each employee in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions and the regulations applicable to his work environment to control or eliminate any hazards or other exposure to illness or injury." By reducing or eliminating accidents and injuries with a safety training program, employers will save money, increase employee morale and loyalty, and improve their reputation with customers and vendors.
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Things You'll Need
- Safety, accident and injury data from the previous 24 months
- Safety training materials resources
Instructions
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Meet with top management to discuss authorization and an agreement about implementing a safety training program. Communicate with all parties to ensure managers and executives agree about the need for safety training, who will implement the safety training program, what the budget for the program is, what the key objectives of the program are, and what the main time lines for implementation are. Get this information in writing and use it to establish the program and to keep everyone informed of the safety training program development.
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Study the company's safety, accident and injury data from the previous 24 months by looking at the company's OSHA logs, worker's compensation and business insurance claims, and any other accident and injury records. Meet with the company's insurance brokers or agents to discuss claims and safety issues and get their input on the need for safety training. Insurance plans may also have training plans and safety resources available for the company to use. Determine what the top three issues are that require focused safety training.
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3
Research training methods and decide which will be most effective for the employees who are to be trained. Training methods to be considered are classroom instruction, seminars and workshops, or self-study with online courses and training materials. Depending on the available budget, training can be done within the company by managers and human resources, or it can be conducted using third-party trainers.
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Outline a plan for training with a training schedule, a list of training topics and who will receive the training. The schedule should be reviewed with department heads, managers and supervisors, as well as with human resources, to avoid any conflicts with production, meetings or seasonal events. Safety training should enhance business operations, not interfere with them.
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Source and prepare safety training materials to be used in the program. There's a lot of safety information available from OSHA and the National Safety Council. There are many prepared business training programs and packages available for subscription and purchase. The materials used may depend on your available budget.
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When the safety training program is authorized, researched and developed, and all training materials are prepared, announce the program to the whole company. Communicate this information in easy-to-understand term; post the schedule in public areas to make sure everyone is informed and confirm details of the training program.
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Start presenting safety training in the format prepared, ensuring all employees receive the appropriate training. Document the training presented and have attendees sign to acknowledge they received the training. Keep comprehensive records about the safety training and continue to promote and educate about safety.
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Tips & Warnings
A three-step approach to safety training ensures success: train, document, follow up. Present the training, document the training, and follow up with testing or handouts for employees to reference so they'll remember the training.
Use the safety training program for marketing with customers and vendors. Customers will feel more comfortable with companies that take safety seriously, and insurance brokers may have discounts available for businesses with safety training programs in place.
Communicate the results of safety training by tracking reductions in costs from accidents and injuries, the number of accidents and injuries, and the number of employees who receive safety training.
Work with human resources for the best outcomes with safety training.
