Safety trainers need to know both their subjects and the art of teaching. The first step to mastering it is knowing what and whom to teach. Here are some tips for finding out.
During our lives, we all have had effective teachers. And the content they taught and behaviors they modeled made us both smarter and more competent than we were.
On the other hand, perhaps we’ve crossed paths with other teachers who, though they may have been experts at their subjects, simply flunked in transferring that learning. Their lessons were probably quickly forgotten, and the time spent with them could have been utilized better elsewhere.
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The difference is knowing not only the subject but also the art of teaching itself.
These parallels exist in safety training, as well. But the stakes in this subject are much higher than they are in learning geometry or French. Health and even lives are at stake in getting students to learn.
The secrets to doing so were recently reported on in our biweekly sister print publication, OSHA Compliance Advisor, whose ongoing “Trainer’s Corner” feature specializes in training trainers to be better at what they do. Today, and in the next Advisor, let’s look at some of those secrets.
First, Preparation
In training, as in so many other pursuits, “the speed of the leader is the speed of the team.” That means trainers have to get up to speed on both their subject and the act of training itself before they can expect others to follow. “Trainer’s Corner” suggests this sequence:
Ascertain training needs. You don’t want to waste the limited time the production side allows you for training, so make sure it’s what your trainees need to learn. There are several clues to this:
- Job descriptions which tell what trainees do and what they’re supposed to know.
- OSHA requirements: Obviously, if Uncle Sam says you need to train on, you need to train on it. But don’t forget state training requirements, which are often more stringent than the federal training requirements.
- OSHA 300 Log information. If your workers have been injured or made ill, something’s not being done right. Accident and near miss reports are another source of trouble information.
- Changes. If management changes processes, equipment, or materials, there’s usually going to be a learning curve to safely deal with what’s new.
Target Employees who need training. Again, OSHA and other regulations will dictate which employee groups need your attention, but so will these other measures:
- Employee records. It shouldn’t be difficult to find out who’s been in an accident or was “written up” for a safety violation. These folks obviously need your attention.
- Training records. Your program should be tracking who’s been trained, in what, and when. These records will then also tell you who needs refresher training
- Productivity and performance data. Has any particular group fallen behind in its efforts? It could be that they’ve also sloughed off on their safety procedures. The same goes for a sudden increase in productivity. Does this mean any safety shortcuts are being taken?
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Actually, say OCA editors, “One of the best sources of information about who needs training might be right before your eyes. Simply observe whether workers are using proper safety precautions, wearing PPE, obeying signs, and so forth. And talk to workers, too.” The editors add, “Find out where they feel unsure about hazards, precautions, or safety rules.”
Now that you’ve identified what needs to be trained and who needs that training, let’s move on to the key success elements that make the training itself effective … in tomorrow’s Safety Daily Advisor.