7. Training in Hazards and Work Procedures

Training is one of the most important components of the company’s safety management system. It gives employees an opportunity to learn their jobs properly, bring new ideas into the workplace, reinforce existing ideas and practices, and it helps to put the health and safety program into action.

Everyone in the company will benefit from safety and health training through fewer workplace injuries and illnesses, reduced stress, and higher morale. Productivity, profits, and competitiveness will increase as production costs per unit, turnover, and workers' compensation rates lower.

Management Commitment

Management will provide the necessary funds and scheduling time to ensure effective safety and health training is provided. This commitment will include paid work time for training and training in the language that the worker understands. Both management and employees will be involved in developing the program.

To most effectively carry out their safety responsibilities, all employees must understand their role in the program, the hazards and potential hazards that need to be prevented or controlled, and the ways to protect themselves and others.

Companies will achieve these goals by educating:

• everyone on the consequences of their actions
• all managers, supervisors and employees on their safety management system responsibilities
• all employees about the specific hazards and control measures in their workplace

Training Safety

Worker safety training is critical to ensuring your workplace is healthy, safe, and OHS Act compliant. Every year, thousands of workers are injured or killed because of safety violations that could have been prevented with appropriate hazard training.

Every workplace is unique and presents unique and often changing hazards. The only way to keep your workers safe is to ensure they know how to identify when and where hazards occur, and the correct controls to activate for each hazard.

The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act advise that every employer institute a safety and health program in compliance with their recommendations. This includes general awareness training, employer, manager, and supervisor training, worker role-based training, and hazard identification and controls training for workers.

Hazard identification training ensures that every employee understands the hazards they are likely to encounter in the course of their job, and how to identify each one. Controls training ensures that they know what to do when they encounter each hazard.

What to include in hazard identification and controls training program for workers. Hazard identification and controls training should enable employees both to identify the common hazards present at their work sites, as well as general principles for identifying hazards and addressing them.

Training Should Include:

• Techniques for identifying hazards
• Job hazard analysis
• How to recognize both hazards in their jobs as well as more generally in the workplace
• Concepts and techniques for controlling hazards
• The hierarchy of controls, and its importance
• Proper use of work practice and administrative controls
• When and how to wear personal protective equipment
• Which personal protective equipment is appropriate for each circumstance
• Any additional training that is necessary for operating machinery, equipment, processes, materials, or other aspects of the job
• Any new hazards that may be present when a worker moves to a new job or task

Instituting a worker safety training program is a simple and cost-effective way to improve safety on the job site or at your facility, reduce worker’s compensation claims, and ensure better OHS Act compliance. It’s one of those things we recognize as critical. Employee safety starts by covering key workplace safety topics that are applicable to almost every industry.

For many companies, there are seven key workplace safety topics you should add to your employee safety training program:

• Workplace ergonomics
• Fire safety
• Workplace violence prevention
• Employee health resources
• Environmental safety
• Equipment safety

Each of these employee safety training topics is an important part of keeping your employees safe. While these safety topics may not cover all the areas you need training for, they’re a great start.

Workplace Ergonomics

Maybe your employees work in a cushy office with windows that don’t open and climate-controlled conditions. While it’s true that the risks of injury while working in an office are dwarfed when compared to those working on an oil rig or a construction site, ergonomic workplace injuries can cost a company money in workman’s compensation claims and loss of productivity.

Teach employees how to lift, sit, and move throughout their day so you can be rewarded with fewer sick days, lowered healthcare costs, and happier employees. Find our full guide on creating effective ergonomics training here.

Ensure Employees Receive Safety and Health Training

• Whenever a person is employed - general safety orientation includes an overview of company safety rules, and why those rules must be followed
• Whenever an employee is given a new job assignment. It’s extremely important that supervisors emphasize safety during initial task assignment
• Whenever new work procedures - supervisor on-the-job training
• Whenever new equipment is installed - if new hazards are introduced
• Whenever new substances are used - a hazard communication program may apply
• Whenever a new hazard is introduced to the employee
• Employees must know they are responsible for complying with all company safety rules, and that most accidents will be prevented by their safe work practices. They must be very familiar with any personal protective equipment required for their jobs. They must know what to do in case of emergencies
• Each employee needs to understand that they are not expected to start a new assignment until they have been properly trained. If a job appears to be unsafe, they will report the situation to their supervisor

Supervisors

Supervisors will be given the training to help them in their leadership roles.

They should be taught to look for hidden hazards in the work under their supervision, insist on the maintenance of the physical protection in their areas, and reinforce employee hazard training through performance feedback, and consistent enforcement when necessary.

Ensure supervisors understand the responsibilities below and the reasons for them:

• Detecting and correcting hazards in their work areas before they result in injuries or illnesses
• Providing physical resources and psychosocial support that promote safe work
• Providing performance feedback and effective recognition and discipline techniques
• Conducting on-the-job training

Supervisors are considered the primary safety trainers. All supervisors will complete training techniques and how to test employee knowledge and skills. They will also receive training on how to apply fair and consistent recognition and discipline.

Managers

All line managers must understand their responsibilities within our health and safety program and should be trained in the following subject areas:

• The elements of the safety management system, and the positive impact the various processes within the system can have on corporate objectives
• Their responsibility to communicate the health and safety program goals and objectives to their employees
• Their role includes making clear assignments of health and safety program responsibilities, providing authority and resources to carry out assigned tasks, and holding supervisors accountable
• Actively requiring compliance with mandatory health and safety program policies and rules and encouraging employee involvement in discretionary safety activities such as making suggestions and participation in the safety committee

Training will emphasize the importance of managers visibly showing their commitment to the safety and health program. They will be expected to set a good example by scrupulously following all the safety and health rules themselves.

Safety orientation will emphasize that compliance with safety policies, procedures, and rules as outlined in the safety plan is a condition of employment. Discipline will be administered to help the employee increase desired behaviours, not to in any way be punished. An explanation of the natural and system consequences of behaviour/performance should be addressed in every safety training session.

Each worker who will use a personal fall protection system shall be trained to be able to select, inspect, use, store and maintain the equipment according to the requirements of the procedure and the manufacturer’s recommendations.

The OHS Act and its regulations require a number of appointments to be made according to the scope of work.