Online Safety Training
Use of computer programs and the Internet to conduct online safety training was first recognized by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the early 1990’s in a series of interpretation letters. In general, “OSHA believes that computer-based training programs can be used as part of an effective safety and health training program to satisfy OSHA training requirements, provided that the program is supplemented by the opportunity for trainees to ask questions of a qualified trainer, and provides trainees with sufficient hands-on experience.”
OSHA's Position on Online Safety Training
Some of the key points from those five OSHA interpretations letters are summarized below. Though the letters are interpretations of HAZWOPER rules, they may be useful for understanding OSHA's general position on online safety training and serve as a guide when reviewing commercial products.
- The employer, not the training provider, is ultimately responsible for ensuring that employees receive the proper training to perform their duties.
- Employers can use the computer-based training programs to help meet the minimum requirements for the course content material of a training course.
- Trainees must have the opportunity to ask questions in order for training to be effective-a telephone hotline or e-mail satisfies OSHA's requirement for trainer access if the employee can ask and receive a response from a qualified trainer.
- Employers that use computer-based training must still meet the minimum duration and type of hands-on or supervised training specified in OSHA requirements.
Since the early 1990s many companies, organizations and commercial groups have developed a range of courses covering legally mandated OSHA training as well as building on performance based best practices for online safety training.
OSHA Online Safety Training Guidelines
OSHA themselves have accepted several organizations’ online safety training programs as a part of their voluntary Outreach Training Program. The OSHA guidelines for inclusion in the program, while not regulations, include a variety of features that are important in developing online training, many of which are a part of BLR’s Employee Training Center. The online safety training guidelines include:
- Testing and reporting test scores for each topic and a final test
- Removal of anyone scoring less than 70% after three tries on any program topic
- Mandatory page views of each content page
- Easy trainer availability built into the system
- Printable online materials for each topic
- The course must be interactive
- Tracking students’ time in the course
- Providing required reports and evaluations
In addition to the many commercially available web based training sites, many online safety training courses can be made available as a part of a company wide Learning Management System (LMS). Courses can be produced in a Shareable Content Object Reusable Model (SCORM) format, and can become a part of a comprehensive company wide training curriculum.
Training Courses
Hazard communication means knowing about the possible dangers of the hazardous chemicals you use in your job and how to protect yourself against those hazards. The main objective of this online safety training course is to teach employees about the hazards of materials in the workplace, and how to find the information they need to protect themselves and be safe at work.
By the end of this safety training course, you will be able to identify slip, trip, and fall hazards at work. You will understand safety specifications and features of walking surfaces and openings and how to use stairs and ladders safely to prevent slip and fall accidents. This course teaches employees how to avoid and eliminate slip and trip hazards while at work.
Training Resources
A successful training program is always a work in progress, and the training cycle isn’t complete without an evaluation of training’s effectiveness, which leads to decision-making and planning for future training. Here are several methodologies for evaluation as well as practical ways to retrieve good results.
Training is a major responsibility. Whether you're a training professional, a veteran of company training, or have just been asked to take over or start up a training program, you have a lot riding on your shoulders. Find out how to create and run an effective learning program that motivates and trains your workforce to be the best in your industry.
Related Training Topics
Safety meetings and safety talks are usually thought of as departmental or crew meetings. These frequent meetings, ranging from weekly to monthly depending upon the situation, allow the supervisor or trainer to review key safety topics and review any accidents incurred by members of the group.
Testing your employee’s understanding of safety benefits everybody. Tests help you assess the effectiveness of your employee safety training. They help you measure employee understanding and retention of safe practices, gauge the competence of each trainee and document compliance with regulations.