Each year, thousands of industrial deaths are caused by one major issue: a lack of sufficient safety training. Safety training is more than simply a good idea; OSHA requirements mandate that your employees be trained.
Training is frequently stated to be unneeded because the individual at issue has several years of expertise with the particular work.
Years of experience will imply that they know how to accomplish a task, but do they know how to do so safely?
What is compliant safety training?
To become compliant and assist in keeping your employees safe, your organization should first create a training matrix.
Determine which sections of the OSHA regulations apply to you, then go to the training section of each subpart to learn about the requirements. In addition, adopt any applicable training course that isn’t mandated by OSHA (for example, First Aid/CPR/AED).
OSHA’s website tools, such as the OSHA’s Training Requirements PDF, are a wonderful place to uncover critical areas of safety training in your company.
Remember to divide the list by role inside your organization. Your administrative employees may still be required to receive annual Hazard Communication training, but they are unlikely to require Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) courses.
Other advantages of proper safety training include
Aside from compliance, safety training is simply a good idea. Proper training helps workers understand their rights, provides an overview of specific hazards to which they may be exposed, and assists them in protecting themselves against those hazards. However, in many circumstances, it will not suffice for special essential training.
Your personnel should demonstrate and continue to demonstrate their knowledge of the subject. For example, if your staff do not know how to correctly don and adjust a harness, do not understand fall clearance, connect to insufficient anchor points, and/or do not complete satisfactory inspections of the equipment, the training will be regarded as ineffective.
This also applies to you, the instructor, manager, or owner of a business. For those of you who have never worn a fall prevention harness before, go grab one and put it on without any training. You’d be surprised at how much practical knowledge you may gain by becoming acquainted with the equipment that your employees utilize on a regular basis.
Put yourself in the position of your employees, answer their questions before they arise, and provide realistic advice and actionable information.
The cost of failure to provide safety training
A few hours of downtime for safety training will save you and your firm money and time. Medical expenditures, insurance premium hikes, training a replacement for an injured employee, equipment damage, OSHA citations, and lawsuits can cost a lot of money. But, more importantly, safety training has the potential to save the life of one of your employees.