Tag: safety

Computer-Based Training and HAZWOPER Requirements

Employers are continually seeking the simplest means to meet their employee training requirements under OSHA’s hazardous waste operations and emergency response (HAZWOPER) regulations (29 CFR 1910.120). One method that may ease the burden is computer-based training, whether on CD, DVD, or online, which is increasingly available from commercial software vendors. However, OSHA makes it clear […]

How’s Your HAZWOPER Training?

First, let’s discuss why this training matters: By definition, sites covered by HAZWOPER contain substances that could endanger the health of employees and, potentially, the general public. OSHA cares a lot about HAZWOPER training—its standard covers training requirements extensively with an appendix on training guidelines. In fiscal year (FY) 2004, there were more than 200 […]

Survey Says: Companies Plan to Invest More in Training

In addition to the 51 percent listed above, 35 percent of surveyed executives at companies that are facing a skills shortage acknowledge that they have not made a big enough investment in training in the past. The “Accenture 2013 Skills and Employment Trends Survey: Perspectives on Training” (www.accenture.com/SkillsGap) confirmed that the skills gap remains a […]

Freshen Up Your Refresher Training

Periodic refresher training is required by many Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards as well as by some employment laws. And even when it isn’t, refresher training is essential for keeping skills sharp and preventing a dangerous sense of complacency. Varying your techniques during refresher training will keep learners engaged. The most effective and cost-efficient […]

Are Your Employees ‘Checked In’ to Hotel Safety and Health?

Meeting the needs of overnight guests is big business in the United States. According to the American Hotel and Motel Association (AHMA), lodging is a $134 billion industry. In most U.S. states it is the first- second-, or third-largest employer. Overall, the sector employs about 1.8 million people. Employees who clean guest rooms, serve meals, […]

As GHS Is Implemented, Train Your Workers on Hazardous Chemical Basics

Let’s review some overall basics from yesterday’s Advisor: Who needs to be trained? OSHA’s Hazard Communication (HCS or HazCom) standard requires you to train employees to work safely with the hazardous chemicals in their work area when they are initially assigned to that area and whenever a new hazard is introduced. Why train workers in […]

Do Your Employees Know What a Hazardous Chemical Is?

Do your employees realize that not all hazardous chemicals are liquids or vapors, or that some otherwise harmless chemicals like nitrogen can become very hazardous indeed under certain conditions? Make sure your workers grasp the full range of possibilities that the term “hazardous chemicals” encompasses. Background on chemical safety Who needs to be trained? OSHA’s […]

Clarifying OSHA’s Annual Training Requirements

“Wherever OSHA standards require that employee training be conducted ‘at least annually,’ OSHA interprets that to mean that employees must be provided retraining at least once every 12 months (i.e., within a time period not exceeding 365 days),” says David Galt, managing editor—safety, with BLR®—Business & Legal Resources (www.blr.com). This annual training need not be […]

Make the Best Use of Your Training Tools

Thorough and effective employee training is recognized as a major key to achieving not only compliance with OSHA and other regulations but also the protection of the company’s assets and the workers themselves. Therefore, the managers, supervisors, and safety professionals involved in the training effort should seek to find and use the best tools for […]

Are Your Safety Trainers Effective?

Charlotte Grove and Denise Augustine described the basic delivery methods for effective EHS training. Their presentation was modeled on the new American National Standard Institute/American Society of Safety Engineers Z490.1 Criteria for Accepted Practices in Safety, Health, and Environmental Training. The first criterion for ensuring effective delivery is to make sure the trainer is qualified. […]