Page 37 - OHS, April/May 2025
P. 37

People don’t rise to
the occasion; they
fall to their level of
training.
tractor to run a few trainings. See how your
tractor to run a few trainings. See how your
team responds. Th en decide what’s worth
team responds. Th en decide what’s worth
investing in.”
investing in.”
And if the budget is tight? Start small.
And if the budget is tight? Start small.
“Take fi re extinguishers off the wall and go
“Take fi re extinguishers off the wall and go
outside. Practice using them,” Shea recom-
mended. “It’s low-cost, but high-impact.”
The Bottom Line: Make Training Stick
Whether it’s a paper fi re in the breakroom
or a gas-fed blaze in a repair bay, every
employee needs to understand how to re-
spond—and feel confi dent doing it. Th at
takes training that’s interactive, repeated,
takes training that’s interactive, repeated,
and relevant.
and relevant.
“OSHA lays out the basics, but it’s up to
“OSHA lays out the basics, but it’s up to
us to go beyond the minimum,” Gardner
us to go beyond the minimum,” Gardner
said. “Th e work you do now is what keeps
said. “Th e work you do now is what keeps
people safe when it counts.”
As Shea put it: “If we can just get people
to practice regularly, using the right tools,
in the right way—that’s how we make fi re
safety work.”
David Kopf is the Executive Editor and
Publisher of Occupational Health & Safety.
cility’s unique risks and tailoring training
accordingly.
“Start with your material safety data
sheets. What fl ammable materials are on
site? What’s the fi re history at your loca-
tion?” Gardner advised. “From there, build
a plan that meets both OSHA compliance
and your operational realities.”
Shea encouraged companies to go fur-
ther. “Partner with your insurance provider.
Ask what hazards they’re most concerned
about. And talk to your employees—many
of them are volunteer fi refi ghters or EMTs.
You might already have the foundation for
a great internal brigade.”
For sites with confi ned spaces, for exam-
ple, safety offi cers must ensure atmospheric
testing, proper ventilation, and clear egress
routes. “Too oft en, people assume a space is
safe without checking it. You need to moni-
tor the air—every time,” Shea said.
Gardner added, “Confi ned space train-
ing is one of the most overlooked areas.
Simply talking about it isn’t enough. People
need to physically train with the equipment
they’d use in an emergency.”
Closing the Training Gaps
Technology can also help fi ll in critical
training gaps. VR tools allow safety man-
agers to simulate fi res that are diffi cult or
dangerous to reproduce live, such as lithi-
um-ion battery incidents or electrical panel
explosions. And digital training platforms
off er portability for remote or distributed
teams.
“If your goal is to train thousands of
employees quickly, digital simulators are
effi cient,” Gardner said. “If your goal is
to prepare for fear and chaos, VR or live
fi re might be better. Choose the tool that
matches your mission.”
He also encouraged safety pros to test
tools before fully committing. “Use a con-
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