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This material is for training purposes only. Its purpose is to inform employers and employees of best practices in occupational safety and health and general OSHA compliance requirements. This material is not a substitute for any provision of the Occupational Safety and Health Act or any standards issued by OSHA.
 MODULE SEVEN: SAFETY EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Introduction
This module will introduce you to general OSHA requirements for education and training. However, I will emphasize "getting beyond compliance" by addressing best practices in effective safety and health education programs. To learn more about safety education and training, be sure to complete OSTN Course 703, Train the Safety Trainer.
The Big Picture
| Safety education and training is extremely important to ensure all processes in your company's safety and health management system are effective. If this critical element is missing, none of the other system elements can, or will be effective. But, this element is often neglected or managed ineffectively because the benefits may not be immediate, tangible, and directly related to profits. Managers may find it difficult to see the long-term improvements in process and product quality that result from an effective safety education and training program. It's hard to see the big picture: to see the accidents that don't happen. |
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What are the OSHA training requirements?
It's outside the scope of this training module to cover all OSHA training requirements, but I'll point you to some good references that will help you determine those requirements specifically for your company. These references are in Adobe Acrobat format and require the free Acrobat Reader software.
Be Trained. OSHA's Training Requirements Guide. Here's a great booklet that covers many OSHA training requirements and also gives you some ideas on training strategies.
Assessing Occupational Safety and Health Training: A Literature Review. (621K) This NIOSH sponsored report reviews data found in the literature reflecting the significance of training in meeting these kinds of objectives and outcomes. An analysis to identify factors underlying a successful training experience is also presented .
Ok...now let's get beyond compliance
I want to make sure you firmly understand that, to be effective, your program must include safety education and safety training. But, how do the objectives differ between education and training?
Education and Training: What's the difference?
We educate to show why. There are many definitions for education. Within the context of occupational safety and health, education describes who, what, where, when, and most importantly, why safety procedure and practice are necessary. Education informs, persuades, and motivates to affect attitude.
To make sure safety education and training is effective, it's necessary to tie it to accountability. One of the most effective ways to do this is to emphasize the natural and system consequences that result from the appropriate application of what's being learned. Natural consequences describe the type of injury/illness that might result if we don't follow procedures. The system consequences describe the disciplinary process if we fail to comply, and the recognition and possible reward we will receive if we meet or exceed expectations. Remember, we do what we do in the workplace because of consequences. Safety education and training must make consequences clear.
Safety education is effective in saving lives by primarily increasing our knowledge. Increased knowledge will improve attitudes and skills. For example, Gary, a recent student wrote:
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"I stress to my co-workers that a life jacket is mandatory on deck. We hired a young guy who was a swimmer in college. He felt his swimming skills were such that he did not need the jacket. We educated him on hypothermia and that he could not save himself if he fell over in 35 degree water. Once he understood the hazard, he wore the jacket at all times, because he wanted to, not because he had to."
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| We train to show how. Training, as a form of education, has a slightly different definition . Safety training is primarily concerned with affecting attitude through improving skills. This is generally accomplished through demonstration -- showing how to safely accomplish the steps of a particular task or procedure. For instance, I might train someone how to accomplish the procedures for lockout/tagout, or clean up an incidental chemical spill. |
Why is education so important?
Earlier I said that education tells the "why" in a learning process. In safety and health, the why can save a person's life. By far the most common reason workers do not follow safety rules (or any rule) is that they don't understand why doing so is important. They don't understand the consequences.
For instance, I'll bet your company has a list of safety rules that they asked you to read when you were first hired. Did anyone discuss with you at that time each rule, and why that rule was important to follow? Likely not. (There's always an exception to this, and if you are one...congratulations!) If you only have a list of rules, you may want to suggest incorporating a short paragraph explaining why the rules are important.
If your company attempts to institute change in any part of the safety and health program (or any other program), the effort will fail if the company only trains people how to change without educating in such a way that not only informs, but also motivates and persuades workers that the change is necessary and in everyone's' best interest.
It's all about "Show and Tell"
Safety education and training doesn't have to be difficult or expensive: it's not rocket science. So, what is probably the best and most common method to train specific safety procedures? On-the-job show and tell.
A Simple Six-Step On-The-Job (OJT) Training Process
Safety training should be simple training. Hopefully, it's done where the task is performed. Hopefully the supervisor - the person responsible for the worker's safety - is conducting the training. Why...? Well, if a supervisor isn't knowledgeable enough to train safe procedures, how can he or she properly supervise, discipline, or recognize safety behaviors adequately? (Sorry...got on my soap box again.)
Below is a simple six-step OJT training process that helps to ensure new employees don't get hurt while being trained. Now I know that might sound funny, but it's happened. Especially notice in step 3 that the employee must get permission to proceed. That's a critical component of the safe procedure.
Step 1. Introduction. The instructor tells the trainee about the training. At this time, the instructor emphasizes the importance of the procedure to the success of the production/service goals, invites questions, and emphasizes accountability.
Step 2. Instructor show and tell. The instructor demonstrates the process. The instructor first explains and demonstrates safe work procedures associated with the task. In this step the trainee becomes familiar with each work practice and why it is important.
| Trainer: Demonstrates and Explains
Trainee: Observes and Questions |
Step 3. Instructor show and ask. The trainee tells the instructor how to do the procedure, while the instructor does it. This step is actually optional. It's important to include this step if injury is possible. There is an opportunity for the instructor to discover whether there were any misunderstandings, but protects the trainee because the instructor still performs the procedure.
| Instructor: Demonstrates and Questions
Trainee: Explains and Observes |
Step 4. Trainee tell and show. Now it's the trainee's turn. The Instructor has the trainee accomplish the procedure. The trainee carries out the procedure but remains protected because the he or she explains the process before actually performing the procedure.
| Trainer: Observes and Questions
Trainee: Explains and then Demonstrates |
Step 5. Conclusion. The instructor recognizes accomplishment, reemphasizes the importance of the procedure, and how it fits into the overall process. The instructor also reviews the natural consequences (the injury/illness) and system consequences (reward/discipline) related to performance.
Step 6. Document. The trainee certifies (1) training accomplished, (2) questions were answered, (3) opportunities provided to do procedure, (4) accountabilities understood, and (5) intent to comply. The instructor certifies that the trainee has (6) demonstrated adequate knowledge and skill to complete the procedure.
If it isn't in writing...it didn't happen
OSHA requires that training be documented, and in some cases certified. You can tell a compliance officer training occurred until your ears turn blue, but if it isn't documented, you may be hard pressed to adequately demonstrate that it actually occurred. So, as a last word, be sure you document that safety training took place. In your documentation both worker and trainer should certify at least:
- worker name, date, subject
- certification that the worker demonstrated adequate knowledge and skills
- all questions were answered to worker's satisfaction
- worker intends to comply with safe procedures
Take a look at this sample training certification.
There it is. You are ready to go out there and train the world. No, not really. You've received a few of the technical concepts and ideas for training in this module, but in reality there is an art as well as a science to training. Like any artistic endeavor, only practice and long-suffering will produce excellent work. So, go forth and train! Oh, but before you do, it's time to...you guessed it, take the quiz.
Take the review Quiz Questions from the final exam come directly from module quizzes. Study the answers to each quiz, and you should easily pass the final exam!
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