This material is for training purposes only. Its purpose is to inform Oregon employers of best practices in occupational safety and health and general Oregon OSHA compliance requirements. This material is not a substitute for any provision of the Oregon Safety Employment Act or any standards issued by Oregon OSHA. For more information on this online course and other OR-OSHA online training, visit the Online Course Catalog.

MODULE TWO: PROVIDING SAFETY TRAINING

Introduction

I don't think you need convincing about the importance of training employees on safe work procedures. You probably wouldn't be taking this course unless you appreciated education and training. In this module we will be covering your safety training responsibilities, the safety topics that need to be trained, and the best way to train them. One of the primary principles stressed in this module is that safety training must be closely tied to accountability or it may likely fail. So, let's get to it.

Safety education and training are both important in improving an employee's ability to work safely. Education is important because it gives a person knowledge about safety and why it is necessary. Training, on the other hand, gives an employee knowledge, and through practice, the skills to actually accomplish safe work procedures. Both are important to safety success.

Why employees don't comply with safety rules

Ferdinand F. Fournies states in his book, Why Employees Don't Do What They're Supposed To Do, that the number one reason employees do not perform to expected standards is that they don't know why they should do them. The second most common reason is that employees do not know how to do the task correctly. Education and training, when applied together strike at both these causes for substandard performance.

Why is safe performance important? Answering this question is one of the most important purposes of safety education. In discussing why safety is important we generally describe the natural and system consequences employees will experience as a result of their performance.

Natural consequences - These consequences occur as a direct result of employee performance. If you do not work using safe procedures and practices, you're likely to get hurt. If you perform safely, you're not likely to get hurt.

System consequences - Consequences the organization "administers." Appropriate consequences include some form of recognition. If the employee performs safely, recognition of some kind should occur. If the employee fails to meet safety performance standards, disciplinary action (when justified) should occur. Inappropriate system consequences include failing to recognize performance. Unfortunately, ignoring performance is the most common system consequence experienced in the workplace, and it's very effective in extinguishing desired behaviors.

It's crucial to understand that after all is said and done, safety training is ineffective unless the safety culture supports the training with effective consequences.

The supervisor is the key

Although OR-OSHA law does not require it, we want to promote the idea that to best ensure safety education and training is most effectively provided, a formal policy should be developed that requires supervisors to be involved as much as possible in safety training.

Why should supervisors be trainers too?

Here's why: Every educator, trainer, or instructor knows that the very important truth that every time they train, they, themselves, learn more and gain greater understanding of the subject.

As a supervisor trains, he or she gains greater insight and expertise on the safety procedure or practice. Consequently, supervisors are better able to provide resources and administer consequences for performance. Another advantage is that employees will more likely perceive their supervisors are knowledgeable in safety as well as other aspects of operations.

Supervisor responsibilities for safety training

As a supervisor, your employer may assign training responsibilities to you. If you train, or delegate the training to another person in your department, it's important to incorporate safety into the training. Initial safety orientation should occur when a new worker is hired, and more specific safety training must take place prior to the worker starting any job that exposes him or her to a safety hazard.

A case for initial orientation

It's important that your company educate new workers about your safety standards and expectations immediately after being hired. Two primary reasons new employees require initial safety orientation are associated with the concepts of common sense and corporate culture.

Common sense... is nonsense

One mistake a supervisor may make (and we all may be guilty of this) is to assume that a new employee has "common sense," about workplace safety. Webster's states that common sense is the "ability to make sound judgments." Naturally, this ability is developed over time as we gain experience in general and specific workplace settings.

Common sense knowledge is individual; scientific knowledge is universal. The biggest problem with so-called common sense is that it is not really common at all. It’s drawn from personal experience and, as such, is as different as our lives. When someone asks, “Why didn't you use your common sense?” he or she is really asking, “Why didn't you do what I would have done?” The fact is that when you use your common sense, you always do ‘what makes sense to you. Scientific knowledge goes beyond the individual to look for that which is applicable across all situations. (William Bridges, Bringing Out the Best In People, p. 10)

Someone just out of school may "know about" something, but until they gain experience they may not really "know" it. If a person has little or no experience, they may also lack the ability to make sound judgments about specific tasks.

You can overcome this problem by changing the assumption. Assume your new worker has "individual sense," which may or may not be adequate for your workplace.

Every culture is different

Another mistake that a supervisor may make is to assume that the corporate culture (norms, values, stories, expectations) of a new worker's previous employer is similar to their own. Such may not be the case. A new worker may have been exposed to an entirely different set of expectations and standards, and they will bring this "baggage" with them. If you ask a new employee if they know safe work procedures for a task, they may reply positively, but the reply is based on their experience using another company's procedure: One that may be quite different from the procedure used at your company.

Because a new worker may lack experience, and therefore, adequate personal sense, it's important to educate and train every worker at the very beginning, before they actually start work. They need to know why and how to do it your way from the start.

What are important subjects to train?

The answer to that question depends on the nature of the hazards present in your workplace. Let's divide the answer into two categories:

Safety subjects that should be trained in all areas, and
Safety subjects that are specific to your work area.

General safety topics should be introduced to all workers before they start work. Be sure your company has a copy of Be Trained! A guide to OR-OSHA's Safety and Health Training Requirements.

Some Ideas for instruction and training

General instruction

Safety program elements
Accountability
General safety rules - and why each is necessary
Housekeeping
Hazard Communication Program

Specific technical training

Hazard Identification
Hazard reporting procedures
Injury reporting procedures
Using Personal Protective Equipment
Lockout/Tagout Procedures
Confined Space Entry
Chemical Spill procedures
Accident investigation procedures

What is the best training method to use?

OAR 437, Division 2I, Personal Protective Equipment, below, details expectations about safety training that may be applied across all subject areas.

OAR 437, Division 2I - PPE Training

(1) The employer shall provide training to each employee who is required by this section to use PPE. Each such employee shall be trained to know at least the following:

(i) When PPE is necessary;
(ii) What PPE is necessary;
(iii) How to properly don, doff, adjust, and wear PPE;
(iv) The limitations of the PPE; and,
(v) The proper care, maintenance, useful life and disposal of the PPE.

(2) Each affected employee shall demonstrate an understanding of the training specified in paragraph (f)(1) of this section, and the ability to use PPE properly, before being allowed to perform work requiring the use of PPE.

(3) When the employer has reason to believe that any affected employee who has already been trained does not have the understanding and skill required by paragraph (f)(2) of this section, the employer shall retrain each such employee. Circumstances where retraining is required include, but are not limited to, situations where:

(i) Changes in the workplace render previous training obsolete; or
(ii) Changes in the types of PPE to be used render previous training obsolete; or
(iii) Inadequacies in an affected employee's knowledge or use of assigned PPE indicate that the employee has not retained the requisite understanding or skill.

(4) The employer shall verify that each affected employee has received and understood the required training through a written certification that contains the name of each employee trained, the date(s) of training, and that identifies the subject of the certification.

Although this rule pertains only to Personal Protective Equipment, it presents an excellent presentation model to consider for all safety training. Some of the key concepts detailed in this rule are:

Demonstration. Workers should demonstrate that they have both the knowledge and ability to perform a task safely before they are allowed to begin work.

Retraining. Any time the supervisor thinks a worker has inadequate knowledge or ability to perform a task safely, that worker should receive retraining.

Certification. Safety training should be certified. This means the worker and the supervisor/trainer should place their signatures on a document that states:

The nature of the safety training;
The date of the safety training;
The supervisor/trainer has answered all questions to the worker's satisfaction;
The worker has demonstrated adequate safety knowledge; and
The worker has demonstrated proper safety procedures to the supervisor's/trainer's satisfaction.

On-The-Job Training Strategy

On-The-Job (OJT) is probably the most common training strategy used in the workplace and for a good reason. It's can be very effective because it tests both knowledge and skills during the training process. Let's take a look at the OJT steps:

Step 1. Introduction. State and discuss the learning objectives and answer any questions the employee may have. Discuss the acceptable standards of knowledge and performance. Tell the trainee what you're going to train. Emphasize the importance of the procedure to the success of the production/service goals. Invite questions. Emphasize the natural and system consequences of their performance. The natural consequences describe the hurt or health that automatically results. The system consequences are those consequences the organization applies as a result of an employee's performance; discipline or positive recognition.

Step 2. Trainer tells and does. In this step the trainee becomes familiar with each work practice and why it is important. Review the initial conditions for the procedure. Demonstrate the process, carefully explaining each step as you go. Answer questions and continue to demonstrate and explain until the employee understands what to do, when and why to do it, and how to do it.

	Trainer:	EXPLAINS and PERFORMS each step.
	Learner:	OBSERVES each step and QUESTIONS the trainer.

Step 3. Learner tells - Trainer does. This step is necessary when exposure to hazards inherent in the procedure could cause serious harm. It protects the trainee because the trainer performs the procedure. The trainee explains the procedure to the trainer, while the trainer does it. This gives the trainer an opportunity to discover whether there were any misunderstandings in the previous step. The trainee also responds to trainer questions.

	Learner:	EXPLAINS each step and RESPONDS to questions.
	Trainer:	PERFORMS each step and QUESTIONS the trainee.

Step 4. Learner tells and does. The trainer has the trainee do it. The trainee performs the procedure but remains protected because the trainee explains and gets permission to do the step before proceeding to do it.

	Learner:	EXPLAINS, GETS PERMISSION and then PERFORMS each step.
	Trainer:	GIVES PERMISSION, OBSERVES each step and QUESTIONS the trainee.

Step 5. Conclusion. Recognize accomplishment - “Good job!” Reemphasize the importance of the procedure and how it fits into the overall process. Tie the training again to accountability by discussing the natural and system consequences of performance.

Step 6. Document. Training documentation should be more than an attendance sheet. Be sure to include the information below to properly document (certify) training in specific safety procedures and practices. Include all of the following even though OR-OSHA rules tell you all that's required is name, subject, and date.

Trainee’s and trainer’s name.
Date of training.
Subject(s) being trained - procedures, practices, related policies, rules, etc.
Certification - trainee and trainer signatures.
Trainee statement of understanding and intent to comply.
Trainee statement that he/she was provided opportunity to practice.
Trainer statement that testing of knowledge and skills was conducted.
Trainer statement that student demonstrated adequate knowledge and skill.

Step 7. Validate. At some point in time after the conclusion of the OJT session, observe and question the employee to validate that the training has been successful and that the employee has developed a proper attitude related to the work.

Final words

Well, that wraps up this module. Be sure to use on-the-job training whenever you can. Testing both knowledge and skills is inherent in the OJT procedure so it's superior in that respect to general classroom or video training. Remember, safety training can never be effective without a supportive safety culture. Time to complete the quiz questions below. If you find it difficult to answer the questions, just scroll back up the screen, do some review, and come back to the quiz.

Module Review Quiz

11. Safety education primarily tells us ________ and safety training tells us _______:

a. how, why
b. why, how
c. where, why
d. when, where

12. Natural consequences describe:

a. what the organization will do in response to performance
b. what the organization fails to do when employees violate safety rules
c. what automatically happens to the employee as a result of performance
d. what automatically happens to the employee as a result of organizational policy

13. According to Ferdinand F. Fournies, the number one reason employees do not perform to expected standards is that they don't:

a. know why they should do them
b. know how to comply with them
c. exercise common sense
d. want to be told what to do

14. OR-OSHA Rule 760 requires all supervisors to conduct OJT prior to the start of any hazardous task.

a. True
b. False

15. According to the text, the most appropriate strategy for training specific procedures is:

a. classroom
b. videos
c. lecture
d. OJT

16. A system consequence describes:

a. what the organization does to you.
b. what you do to yourself.
c. what automatically happens to you.
d. what policy determines.

17. According to the text, safety training must be closely tied to ______________ or it may likely fail:

a. education
b. accountability
c. recognition
d. retraining

18. This step is necessary when exposure to hazards inherent in the procedure could cause serious harm:

a. Step 1. Trainer tells - Trainer does
b. Step 2. Learner does - Trainer tells
c. Step 3. Learner tells - Trainer does
d. Step 4. Learner tells - Leaner does

19. Employees will more likely perceive their supervisors have expertise in safety if those supervisors ___________________.

a. conduct retraining when an experience worker violates a rule
b. wave the training requirement for new employees
c. assign safety training to staff trainers
d. perform safety training

20. According to the text, OJT is superior to general classroom or video training because it automatically ____________________:

a. does not depend on lecture
b. tests both knowledge and skills
c. includes employee involvement
d. results in practical application

Congratulations on completing module two! Safety training is going to be much more effective when supervisors support that training. So, let's move on to Module 3 to discuss how to provide adequate safety resources and support. Don't forget, if you have any questions or comments, just drop me an email at larry.fipps@state.or.us.

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