OSHA Training: Unraveling the Mystery.

OSHA Training: Unraveling the Mystery. by Jim Poesl

JCP Technical Service can help you with all of the below training.  Schedule your training today with us.  Contact us at jim@safetywars.com or 201-984-5625

“What training is required for this job?” It seems like a very straight forward question.  But it may not be.  OSHA requires that employees are trained on every aspect of their work.  Either formally, or informally but both must be documented.  Often one of the first five questions during an accident investigation or OSHA audit is “Was the employee trained?”  I hope the answer is yes and it is documented.  There are several levels of training available, this probably isn’t even close to a complete list depending on your industry.

 “My employees don’t need training because they have common sense”,  is a dangerous statement in itself and your company will be put at a huge liability, especially with an inexperienced worker.  In the last several years I have had to do accident investigations involving inexperienced workers who were “good workers” or have a “personal” affiliation with the company but did not realize the risks of the job and how to mitigate them. Some paid the ultimate price.  One of the most memorable was a worker who fell from height because he “didn’t know” about maintaining 3 points-of-contact on a ladder and climbed it with his hands loaded. He fell and had significant head and neck injuries. So don’t assume anything.

Pre-Employment Training: This is what the employee brings. Documentation of training, education, degrees, licenses, etc. Usually the employer has little control over this once the employee is hired so pre-employment vetting is critical.  There needs to be a paper trail.

Onboarding Training:  This is usually handled in the first day of employment.  This is usually when an HR person hands  out a stack of IRS and insurance paperwork. They go over some basic company policies and procedures.  This is probably the first and one of the best opportunities to get basic safety information and some training.

On-the-Job Training:  Usually for new employees, in the first few days of employment. We recommend that this is documented.

Site Specific Training:  Usually this is completed as part of the Process Safety Management (PSM) training which is required by OSHA when working with highly hazardous materials or processes.  This might also be a part of the first day orientation to a specific jobsite, like a construction job. It is intended to educate new workers, review safety and emergency items, and help limit the liability to the Facility. It also makes sure everyone is "on the same page" as far as safety is concerned. Companies also use this as a first step to enforcing safety rules so you could never say "I wasn't told".

Weekly or Daily Safety Meetings:  These are often the backbone of organizations. They are normally presented once a week for 15-30 minutes or five minutes a day.  For the weekly one’s, many of the Standard Requirements for OSHA Training can be met over several weeks.  The daily one’s are meant as reminders to work safe.  These are usually led by co-workers.  JCP TECHNICAL SERVICES has a weekly safety meeting program that can be tailor made for your company.

HAZCOM (Hazardous Communication Training): This normally outlines the chemical hazards of the job.  This consistently is in the Top 10 OSHA violations every year.  Last year (FY 2018) it was #2 behind Fall Protection.

Standards Training:  This is training specific to the job. Fall Protection, Scaffolding, Respiratory Protection, Lockout/tagout, Ladders, Powered Industrial Trucks (forklifts usually), Fall Protection Training, Machine Guarding, and Eye and Face Protection is all included.  Click here for a comprehensive list.  We can assist you in all of your standards training.

Outreach Training:  OSHA has set up 4 (or 6) depending on how you want to count, programs for Outreach Training administered by OSHA Outreach Centers and taught through a list of qualified instructors like JCP Technical Services.  These programs include Construction, General Industry, Disaster Response, and Maritime. Maritime includes Shipyards, Marine Terminals, and Longshoring.  There is no expiration date to this training except for Maritime (every 5 years), or if an employer sets an expiration date.  These courses do not “certify”  in anything because each one is tailor-made for the workplace and is meant as an “Awareness Level” course.  Often these courses are used to reduce liability or as a result of an OSHA inspection to reduce the likelihood or amount of a fine.  Often if State or Federal dollars are involved in funding the project,  these courses are required.  Also, some jurisdictions like New York City, and Philadelphia require an outreach course in construction.

The Outreach Program is a good start to move and organization into compliance because it usually leads to “important conversations” between the workforce and management to improve worker safety.  Classes usually take 1-4 days minimum.

Industry Standard Training:  This training includes training sponsored or modeled after an industry standard like the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards, or American Welding Society.  This type of training is usually in-depth and detailed.  First Aid-CPR Training is included in this.

Profession Certifications/Licenses:  These might include any number of the Accreditations from Safety Groups or other Professional Groups such as NACE or NFPa.

Post Incident/Accident Training, Moments of High Impact Training:  This could be training that is needed as part of an accident investigation resolution, or communicating information.  This could also be about an impending weather hazard or response to an incident in a neighborhood workplace or personal situation.  These usually are the most effective because everyone is at a heightened state of alert.

How do I decide what my organization needs? Get an audit of all of your work activities with the assistance of a safety professional. One of our Safety Professionals can identify the hazards and then come up with a list of training.

JCP TECHNICAL HELPS COMPANIES EVERY DAY WITH ALL OF THEIR TRAINING NEEDS PLEASE GIVE US A CALL TO SCHEDULE YOUR TRAINING.  Call us at 201-984-5625 or email us at  jim@safetywars.com.

Copyright 2019 James Poesl SafetyWars.com