How to Make Safety Training Effective

The employer is obliged to ensure that thethat the trainer can for example observe the
workplace is safe for their employees and toworker in his environment to qualify his training
ensure that the risk of accidents is kept to aneeds.
minimum. He also must have an overall safety3. Next try to define your goals and objectives. It
program.is better to deliver them using action oriented
It should consist of topics like personal protectivewords like: the employee... "will be able to do...".
equipment, safety practices or workplace hazards.This will help listners choose what they should
There are two basic reasons to provide safetyknow by the end of the class. Clearly established
training. One is to teach someone to perform aobjectives also help focus.
task safely and second is to increase safety4. Make sure that learning exercises simulate
awareness. But how do we know if the trainingmost reliable the real job activities. In this case
was effective?trainers can include role-playing or round-table
The Occupational Safety and Health Administrationgroup discussions, this can stimulate employee
(OSHA), an agency of the United Statesparticipation.
Department of Labor, whose mission is to5. At the beginning of the training program the
prevent different types of accident at work thatemployees should know why the material is so
may cause injury, illness or death, has writtenimportant to their jobs. It is common that
voluminous workplace safety standards andstudents pay more attention and apply what
regulations that affect employers and employees.they've learned if they know the benefits of
OSHA says that an effective training program canlectures.
even reduce the amount of property damage,6. Then try to evaluate the training to know the
legal liability and missed time from work. So if youamount of learning achieved. Do it with special
are an employer and don't want to have troublesquestionnaires for students or informal discussions,
with any kind of personal injury claim and makeby the supervisors' observations or formal exams.
workplace a safety place just read this leaflet7. When you review the evaluations it may
based on OSHA's training guidelines for trainers.become clear if the training wasn't adequate and
1. Before you even start the training try to thinkthe employees didn't reach the expected level of
about the problem you have. Consider if aknowledge and skill. As the program is evaluated
situation can be solved by using training. It's atrainer should ask himself few questions related to
good solution to problems such as employeethe points above like: Were objectives presented
unfamiliarity with equipment or lack of motivation.clearly and concretely? Did activities simulate the
Even so, sometimes other methods, may beactual job enough? Were the employees
needed to ensure safety.motivated?
2. You have to also identify training needs. To do