Safety Training

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show that approximately 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses occur in private industry annually. Many of these can be prevented by providing workers with complete information and instruction as to the processes they are involved in, the hazards they are exposed to, the equipment they might need to use, the protection available, and potential effects of exposure to chemicals.

Some types of training are mandatory, but whether employees must be given specific training will depend on their job duties. OSHA has training requirements for hazard communication (hazcom), lockout/tagout, bloodborne pathogens, forklift operators, and many other topics. Of course, many employers provide additional training that is not specifically required in order to better protect employees.

A best practice is to review each applicable OSHA rule for its employee training and information requirements; some rules have annual training and/or employee information requirements. While OSHA’s training requirements vary from rule to rule, there are some commonalities:

• Initial training is required before employees are exposed to the hazard.
• Refresher training can be required on a scheduled basis, as needed when workplace conditions have changed, or if the employee is no longer performing safely

OSHA believes that computer-based training programs can be used as part of an effective safety and health training program to satisfy OSHA training requirements, provided that the program is supplemented by the opportunity for trainees to ask questions of a qualified trainer, and provides trainees with sufficient hands-on experience.

There is no one OSHA general industry requirement for training records or their retention. Any requirements for training records will be found in each individual regulation. In many cases, OSHA requires employers to maintain training records, but no record retention time is specified.