7 Keys to a Winning Training Program

1. Assess training needs. What safety-related skills and knowledge do employees need, and who needs to be trained? Be certain you cover all OSHArequired training.


2. Set up a practical training schedule. Plan your schedule so that all employees who need training will be available to attend training sessions.


3. Plan training sessions. Determine content, objectives, and training points. Remember to limit each session to a manageable number of points and a reasonable length of time.


4. Make training interactive. Getting trainee participation enhances learning and increases the chance that information and skills will be transferred to the job.


5. Provide takeaways to reinforce learning. Handouts such as checklists, lists of key training points, or steps in a process also help ensure knowledge transfer and improve safety on the job.

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Think you have no time to train? Think again. BLR’s 7-Minute Safety Trainer lets you fulfill all key OSHA required training tasks in as little as 7 minutes. Try it at no cost and see! Find out more.

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6. Follow up. Monitor performance after training to make sure employees use the information and skills acquired in training.


7. Retrain as needed (or as required). Anytime you notice safety performance slipping-either for your whole team or just certain individuals-it’s time to retrain. Periodic refresher training — say, once a year — is also recommended. And don’t forget that some OSHA regulations require refresher training at specific intervals, so check and follow the regulations.

Being the coach of a safety team is a hard but satisfying job. Knowing your workers will go home safe and healthy every day is reward enough. But also think about all the expenses, lost workdays, and other problems you avoid when your team has an accident-free season. When your team wins, the organization wins, and so do you.

Any coach will tell you that the key to developing winning team chemistry is attitude. In its training session on “The Right Attitude Towards Safety,” BLR’s 7-Minute Safety Trainer says that workers with a positive attitude toward safety should:

• Take personal responsibility for their own safety and that of their co-workers.


• Pay attention to training.


• Follow every step in every job every time.


• Know and follow safety rules.


• Use required personal protective equipment.


• Give work their full attention.


• Keep an eye out for hazards. Always ask, “What could go wrong here?”


• Put their personal feelings and problems aside while they’re working.


• Urge their co-workers to follow safety procedures.


• Know what to do in an emergency.


• Ask questions about any procedure or precaution that’s not clear.


• Report any safety hazards they can’t fix.


• Save fooling around for their personal time.

The session on safety attitude, which also includes a 19-point checklist and a 10-question quiz, is just one of 50 prewritten meetings in 7-Minute Safety Trainer.  They cover almost every aspect of safety you’d want or need to train on, in a format designed to be taught in as little as 7 minutes. You can view a complete table of contents here, but among the topics are:

–Confined spaces
–Electrical safety
–Fire safety/response
–HazCom
–Machine guarding and lockout/tagout
–Material handling
–PPE use and care
–Housekeeping/slips, trips, and falls
–and dozens more

Just make as many copies as needed of the handouts and quizzes, and you’re ready to train. You can view materials from a sample module here.

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Try 7-Minute Safety Trainer at no cost or risk. Get the details.

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Equally important is that when new or changed regulations compel new training topics or training needs to be freshened, the program ships new meetings every quarter. This service is included in the program price, which averages just over a dollar a working day. In fact, this is one of BLR’s most popular safety programs.

If you’d like to personally evaluate 7-Minute Safety Trainer and see how it can build safety awareness, we’ll be happy to send it to you for 30 days, on a no-cost, no-obligation trial basis. Just let us know and we’ll arrange it.

Download Table of Contents
Download Sample Safety Meeting