The Occupational & Safety and Health Act known as OSHA, emphasizes the responsibility of employers for providing a workplace free from hazards. Ensuring every new employee receives health and safety training is an essential part of every orientation from understanding where the emergency exits are to the procedures to follow in the event of an accident. Now there is an easy way for even inexperienced computer users to train online.
Online OSHA safety training providers have been reviewed and accepted by OSHA, but the list is small. Students can log on to any computer that has access to the internet and start training. They can start and stop and pick up where they left off. No prior computer experience is required.
One of the most popular educational programs that is offered by OSHA and others authorized to train is the OSHA 10 Hour course. This is a course that focuses on Construction and General Industry safety issues. Both courses are rated for 10 hours of safety study online. At the conclusion of the course you can print out a certification of completion, and the Department of Labor will mail your personalized OSHA 10 Hour Card several weeks later.
The beauty of the program is that you do not have to be computer whiz or for that matter have much of any computer experience whatsoever. Many students do not even own their own computers but can be trained at work, the library, or a friend or family membe'rs home. To start training you log on to the site with your own personal id and password to access the course. You will need an e-mail address in order to receive your login information. However, if you don't have an email address you can use a work colleague, friend or family member's address to get started.
You don't have to finish your training all at once. The course picks up where you left off that last time. What's more, you will always have access to an authorized OSHA trainer. You can e-mail or call the trainer regarding the course content to get assistance and there is a 24/7 toll free support for any technical questions you may have. Beginners can call our 800 line to get started. The overwhelming number of students do not have to call support for any assistance.
The OSHA 10 Hour outreach training course was developed by the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) as a voluntary safety course to teach workers about the hazards of construction and general industry work and the regulations applicable to their worksite. OSHA has also authorized a few online OSHA 10-hour outreach training courses, allowing a worker to take the required class on the computer via the Internet, and have the wallet card subsequently mailed to the trainee.
Seven states now have laws on the books that require construction workers to complete the OSHA 10-hour construction safety training course before they can work on certain construction projects. The states with an OSHA law already in effect are Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New York, and most recently, Missouri. The state of Nevada OSHA training law becomes effective January 1st, 2010. Nevada has even mandated supervisory employees to be trained on the OSHA 30 Hour Course, a far more comprehensive safety program. You can expect more states to get on board in the next few years.
OSHA's mission is quite clear: Assure so far as possible every man and women in the workplace safe and healthful working conditions. Now there is a great way to train your employees effectively and efficiently.
The first step to providing health and safety training is to consider the type of training you want to introduce to your workplace. To do this, you need to consider the skills and knowledge required to be able to carry out the job in a safe and healthy fashion. Then, compare these against your employee's current skills and identify the gaps.
The most popular online course is the OSHA 10 Hour. This course is designed for construction workers, foreman, job supervisors,and anyone involved in the construction industry. OSHA recommends Outreach Training Program courses as an orientation to occupational safety and health for workers covered by OSHA.
The 10 hour course learning objectives are:
- General understanding of the OSHA Act and the functions of OSHA
- Inform the student on the procedures and priorities of an OSHA Compliance inspection
- Describe the rights and responsibilities of employers and employees under the OSHA Act
- Provide students with the skills and knowledge to identify and control hazards in the workplace
- Provide students with the tools and knowledge to control and eliminate hazards in the workplace
- Promote a proactive safety attitude within the student
You will also need to review your history of previous work related injuries, near misses or illness. Take a look at your risk assessments to see where information and/or training have been identified as factors in controlling risks and then consult employees for their views. Most employees will welcome training to help in reducing accidents and lost time from the job.
Managers will need to check if their state law or industry requires them to carry out specific training.
Deciding upon the style to adopt for your health and safety training will require a few considerations. Depending on the nature of your business, is likely to depend on the kind of training you require. Most employers are beginning to recognize that large scale gatherings are too costly and unproductive due to lost time from the job. Many live training sessions do not include any form of testing so you cannot be sure that employees have learned the material. That is why more and more employers are turning to online training for their safety and human resource training. Over 10,000 OSHA 10 cards have been delivered using the online format and thousands of employees are being trained each year.
The important thing to remember is to make sure the information provided is delivered in an easy to understand format that delivers your key messages to all involved. If something goes wrong on the premises and an employee suffers an accident, you need to feel confident that all measures were taken to avoid the accident occurring in the first place.
Investing in your employee's education isn't only the right thing to do, it's becoming the law.
