It's a new year and you've
decided that health & safety are going to be priorities
in your workplace. So, now what? Here are 5 steps
that will help you get started:
1. EVALUATE YOUR NEEDS
You need to take a good look at your workplace, your
workers and what their needs are. Are they working with
chemicals? Do they work in confined spaces or transport
dangerous goods?
Once you've properly
evaluated and decided what their needs are, you can
determine what kind of training and documentation is
needed.
Remember, if you have 20 or
more employees, you need to have a Joint Health & Safety
Committee. This committee can do your safety audit and
determine what your requirements are. |
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You should also evaluate
your needs against your legal requirements. You want to
ensure that you are meeting (and maybe exceeding) what
is legally required of you. The Ministry of Labour or
Worker's Compensation Board in your province is a good
place to get this information.
2. DECIDE HOW TO DELIVER THE
TRAINING
There are a variety of options for delivering your
training. You have to pick the option(s) that are best
for your workforce.
Training doesn’t mean you have to be stuck in a
boardroom all day. Here are just some of the ways you
can deliver your training. Pick a different method every
time or mix-and-match to keep it interesting:
Online:
An online course means employees can train at
their own pace and it often replaces the need for
expensive classroom courses. By training each
employee independently, you can also avoid the
logistical nightmare of scheduling everyone for a
classroom course and shutting down production lines.
Video:
Pop in a movie and give your audience something
to look at and listen to. Movies help visual
learners and can often be integrated into a
classroom course or replace them altogether.
Self-teach:
As long as your employees are disciplined, this
can be a great way to let employees train at their
own pace.
Practical:
In general, practical and site-specific training
should be part of ANY training program. This
reinforces that the theory they just learned really
is applicable to their work environment. Take
employees on a tour of the facility and point out
areas where their new-found knowledge will be put to
use. Do a practical demonstration of something they
just learned or ask employees to discuss how the
training affects their workplace. |
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3. OFFER
THE TRAINING
After you've determined how to best deliver the
training, set a schedule and deadlines for when each
course should be completed. If you're having a hard time
getting people to complete the training, try offering
incentives.
4. KEEP RECORDS
Make sure you keep accurate and current training
records to prove that the training took place. If you
are using an external provider for online training, you
may have access to an Administration Site where all the
training records are updated automatically and available
to you 24/7.
Keeping records will also help with recertification.
5. RECERTIFICATION /
REFRESHER TRAINING
Different courses have different requirements for
retraining and refresher training. For example, TDG
(Transportation of Dangerous Goods) Certificates are
valid for 3 years. To avoid a lapse in certification, the training
must be re-done prior to expiry and a new certificate issued. If you do
step 4 properly, the recertification should be no
problem to manage.
Good luck!
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