How to Train Your Employees to Become OSHA Compliant

OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, was created to keep workers safe by providing education and assistance to businesses. One critical part of the Occupational Safety and Health Act is to ensure that workers receive access to adequate training for the potentially dangerous parts of their jobs. To stay OSHA compliant, businesses that produce hazardous waste and those that do not, need to organize methods for training their employees and confirm that employees fully understand what they have learned.

Overview of OSHA policies on Employee Training

Training does no good if employees cannot understand it. One of the first OSHA standards that must be met is providing training in a way that employees can comprehend; this means using a language that employees know and vocabulary that is consistent with their command of the language. If not all workers are fluent in English, training materials must be translated into the language that they are familiar with.

Training requirements in OSHA standards are broken down into several categories: General Industry, Maritime, Construction, Agriculture, and Federal Employee Programs (OSHA.gov Training Requirements). “General Industry” contains information on things that are applicable to all industries, such as emergency action and fire prevention plans. Each of the following four categories go more into depth on safety standards in their respective industries.

In all instances of safety training, it is recommended that businesses keep records. Should an incident occur, you will need to provide documentation of sufficient job training.

What Makes for Effective Training?

OSHA lists four goals of effective safety and health training that are to be achieved by the completion of the training module:

1. Employees know how to identify safety and health problems at their job
2. Employees know how to analyze the causes of any issues
3. Employees are aware of how to make their workplaces safer and healthier
4. Employees understand how to include their coworkers in accomplishing the above goals

To get to the point where these goals can be accomplished, the training programs that your employees complete should have the following characteristics:

1. Accuracy: Any and all training materials should be prepared and delivered by people who are qualified to do so. When changes are necessary, materials should be updated promptly.
2. Credibility: Training facilitators should have a background in health and safety.
3. Clarity: Training materials must be adapted to employees’ needs to ensure comprehension.
4. Practicality: Information presented should be directly applicable to the employees’ working routines.

Training needs assessments should be regularly conducted to evaluate what health and safety instruction is necessary and how that instruction would be delivered best. Whether your company produces chemical waste, industrial waste, or some combination, our waste management experts can assist. For more information on how you can train your employees to become OSHA compliant, contact Clean Management and talk to us about your training needs.