Page 22 - Occupational Health & Safety, October 2019

CHEMICAL SAFETY TRAINING
Remove Course Format Barriers
Today’s workforce is more diverse than ever. According to the Bu- reau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there were 28.2 million foreign-born persons in the U.S. labor force in 2018, comprising 17.4 percent of total workers. At the same time, age diversity is increasing at both ends of the spectrum; while it’s estimated that nearly half of all U.S. workers will be millennials by 2020, other data suggests that work- ers aged 45 to 59-years-old are projected to increase from 25.6 per- cent to 31.8 percent by 2030.
Language is another consideration. OSHA requires work- ers be trained in a language and manner that they understand. This means employers must account for non-English-speaking employees and any limitations in literacy level, vocabulary, or communications within your workforce. The more workers you have, the less likely it is that a “one size fits all” approach to training will work.
Another good example of that concerns the method of provid- ing training. Look for ways to deliver the training in a way that fits the learning styles of tech-savvy millennials and more tradi- tionally-defined Gen Xers and baby boomers. This is an area where training software helps bridge worker diversity and age gaps. A good on-demand training solution offers an extensive library of flexible online courses with content that is interactive and engag- ing. Shorter, more digestible training courses are particularly ap- pealing to millennial workers, while multi-language options help
ensure all employees understand the information being conveyed. Plus, freed from a centralized classroom environment, workers are able to access courses from remote locations and learn at their own pace, which helps those who are technically inept complete lessons within a timeframe they’re comfortable with.
Ditch the Annual Training Mindset
A common misconception about HazCom training is that fed- eral OSHA requires employers to conduct annual refresher train- ing. The reality is that the agency expects employees to be trained before they begin working with hazardous chemicals, whenever a new hazard is introduced into the workplace, and if there’s evi- dence that previous training wasn’t effective.
Some state OSHA plans do require annual refresher training, so you should be aware of your state requirements. Even so, re- member to avoid seeing HazCom training as just an annual task, since that can be harmful to your HazCom program by causing your program to “fossilize” even as important elements of HazCom management might be changing. For instance, a rigid annual train- ing mindset can increase the likelihood of not re-training your workers after introducing a new hazard class of chemicals into the workplace. This jeopardizes employee safety as well as your HazCom compliance.
Additionally, dusting-off the same training materials and de- livering them the same way year after year is the easiest way to
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Circle 9 on card.