Best Practices for Safety Training Programs

A strong safety program doesn’t just depend on a good safety team. It depends on leadership at every level and a company that backs it up with action. Here are 5 things I’ve seen great companies consistently do to support safety and health. 1. They make safety part of the business plan. It’s not a side topic or a once-a-year initiative. It’s embedded into planning, scheduling, budgeting, and execution right alongside quality and production. 2. They train people to be competent, not just compliant. They don’t just check boxes. They develop knowledge, skills, and decision making. From new hires to senior leadership, great companies invest in building capability. 3. They empower leaders in the field. Great companies train front line supervisors to own safety. They don’t outsource responsibility to the safety team, they lead by example and expect their crews to do the same. 4. They build systems that make it easier to do the right thing. From access to PPE to pre-task planning tools, great companies remove friction. They make it easier to plan ahead, speak up, and protect yourself and your team. 5. They show that they genuinely care. Not with slogans, but with actions like backing people who stop unsafe work, listening to concerns, and never sacrificing people for production. Bottom line: great companies don’t wait for an incident to take safety seriously. They build strong teams, clear systems, and a culture of accountability. It’s not just good safety, that’s good leadership.

There ya have it... If you've never heard of fall protection, does it still hurt when you hit the ground? To train employees on the proper use of fall protection, employers must ensure all individuals working at heights are trained to recognize and mitigate fall hazards, and to use fall protection equipment correctly. This training should cover topics like hazard identification, proper use of equipment, and emergency procedures. Hands-on training, simulations, and practical exercises are crucial for effective learning and retention. Here's a more detailed breakdown: 1. Identify Potential Fall Hazards: Training should cover: Recognizing potential fall hazards on the job, including but not limited to unprotected edges, holes, openings, and uneven surfaces. Examples: Discussing how to identify unsafe conditions like improperly guarded scaffolds, unsecured ladders, or incomplete guardrails. 2. Proper Use of Fall Protection Equipment: Training should cover: How to inspect, select, and use different types of fall protection equipment like harnesses, lanyards, lifelines, and anchor points. Examples: Demonstrating how to properly attach and adjust a harness, selecting the right lanyard length for a given situation, and inspecting a lifeline for damage. 3. Emergency Procedures: Training should cover: What to do in the event of a fall, including emergency communication protocols, rescue procedures, and first aid. Examples: Practicing communication with supervisors and emergency responders, learning how to safely rescue a fallen worker from a height, and knowing how to administer first aid. 4. Hands-On Training and Simulation: Importance: Providing practical experience and allowing employees to practice using fall protection equipment in a safe, controlled environment simulates real-world scenarios. Examples: Conducting controlled fall simulations, practicing safe ascent and descent using ladders or scaffolding, and learning how to use various equipment in different situations. 5. Regular Review and Refreshers: Importance: Fall protection training should be a continuous process, with regular reviews and refreshers to reinforce learned skills and keep employees up-to-date on best practices. Examples: Conducting toolbox talks, providing short, focused training sessions, and incorporating safety reminders into daily work routines. 6. Compliance with OSHA Standards: Importance: Employers must ensure that all training complies with OSHA standards and regulations regarding fall protection. Examples: Familiarizing employees with specific OSHA requirements, such as the use of guardrails above six feet in construction, and the need for personal fall arrest systems in certain situations. By implementing a comprehensive and hands-on training program, employers can significantly reduce the risk of falls and ensure a safer workplace for their employees.

We count on training to help prevent serious injuries and fatalities (SIFs). But when it comes to how that training is delivered, what actually works? The latest Construction Safety Research Alliance study put different delivery methods to the test. The team compared five formats: pre-recorded video, traditional lecture, interactive lecture, flipped classroom, and interactive lecture with hands-on activities. They evaluated each based on two outcomes: engagement (generating interest in SIF prevention) and skill (the ability to recognize high-energy hazards). The engagement results aligned with expectations: more interactive formats led to greater learner engagement. When it came to building skill, the results defied assumptions. The most effective formats landed at opposite ends of the spectrum. Low-cost video training and high-cost, hands-on instruction both produced the strongest skill gains. Traditional lecture methods, often seen as the default, was the least effective. The conclusion: If the goal is skill alone, video may offer the best value. But if you’re aiming for both engagement and skill, it may be worth investing in the most interactive approach. Kudos to the team, the PIs Siddharth Bhandari and Logan A. Perry, Ph.D. and our stellar PhD student, Roya Raeisinafchi. This study exemplifies rigorous design, disciplined experimentation, and a willingness to follow the evidence even when the results challenge assumptions. The paper is linked below and, as with all CSRA work, free to access. Please help us share the work and let us know what you think! https://lnkd.in/eWFZ9Pud

⚠️ 𝗦𝗜𝗫 𝗣𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗦 (𝗜𝟮𝗣𝟮) ⚠️ 𝗢𝗦𝗛𝗔’𝘀 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲 ➕ 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸: 𝙆𝙚𝙮 𝙀𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙅𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮 Creating a safer workplace is more than just a goal; it's a commitment to protecting your most valuable asset—your employees. 🛡️ An effective Injury and Illness Prevention Plan (I2P2) is critical to this commitment. By proactively identifying and addressing potential hazards, organizations can prevent injuries and illnesses before they occur (𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 & 𝘧𝘪𝘹), resulting in a safer, more productive workplace. Here are the six essential elements that OSHA recommends for any robust safety plan: 1. 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 🏗️: Define safety goals and assign responsibility for achieving them. Provide the resources needed for effective implementation. 2. 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 🤝: Involve employees in developing, implementing, and evaluating the program. Encourage them to report hazards and participate in safety inspections. 3. 𝐇𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 🕵️♂️: Regularly inspect the workplace and involve workers in identifying potential hazards. 4. 𝐇𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 ⚙️: Prioritize and address identified hazards, and ensure interim measures are in place for those that can’t be immediately resolved. 5. 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 📚: Provide ongoing training that is clear and understandable, ensuring workers know how to recognize and report hazards. 6. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐄𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 📈: Continuously assess the program’s effectiveness and make necessary adjustments to improve safety outcomes. Remember, the path to safety is a journey 🌱. Start with a basic plan and evolve over time, focusing on continuous improvement to achieve a safer and healthier workplace. 🚀 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬? I look forward to hearing from you! Take care 🚧 SAFT3RD 🚧 #safety #insurance #business #humanresources #management SafetyFirst MarshMMA Leadership 🎬 𝙰𝚍𝚊𝚖 𝚁𝚘𝚜𝚎 & 𝚅𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜

DO sweat the small stuff! - especially when it comes to safety and the performance of routine ("small") tasks; this is because no tasks should be viewed as small! Why worry about the little things? Because routine tasks are exceptionally dangerous. In fact, these are the tasks you are USUALLY DOING when something happens. We know this firsthand because the majority of the matters we handle involve employees who are performing ROUTINE tasks and simply forget or ignore something. You think you are safe - but, unfortunately, you are never safe. You can never eliminate risk. I say this: go ahead; create a list of 15-20 tasks that are so elementary that it may hardly seem worth the time to train on them. Also, this will help your OSHA legal defenses, should you need them. Remember, if you have a rule (no matter how big or small) and an employee violates it, and there's an OSHA violation as a result, your routine task training might enable you to tee up an unpreventable employee misconduct defense. This scenario occurs frequently. When there's been an incident, we get retained and we ask if the client had a rule prohibiting the act the employee was performing. Oftentimes, we get a "no" - because it was such a basic thing that EVERYONE KNEW. So, go ahead: train and get that written record of the obvious. You need to be able to PROVE that everyone knew. Break your training down to the basics - even the obvious! Even those basic tasks employees have performed 1000 times before. #OSHA