November 26th, 2019 by Dakota Software Staff
Training is a critical component of strong workplace safety compliance for businesses across the country. Offering a variety of educational options, from online training and testing to printed material and hands-on experiences, can help reach the broadest range of people and engage with their varied learning styles.
A recent reminder from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is a clear indication that digital education efforts have a valuable role in training employees, but cannot supplant in-person work. Businesses can't shift their entire training protocol to a computer or digital based strategy — they must also interact with the equipment they will use and demonstrate knowledge of rules and protocols beyond a computer screen.
"In OSHA's view, screen-based learning isn't enough for safety education."
EHS Today highlighted OSHA's position on digital training, noting that the agency believes an online or computer-based educational process lacks a few key elements necessary for total mastery of the material covered in a safety context. A few key issues to consider in terms of online training's limitations include:
"Equally important is the provision of sufficient hands-on training because it allows an employee to interact with equipment and tools in the presence of a qualified trainer, allows the employee to learn or refresh their skills through experience, and allows the trainer to assess whether the trainees have mastered the proper techniques," OSHA wrote in response to an employer question, according to EHS Today.
OHS Online pointed out that online or screen-based education can meaningfully supplement overall training efforts. But in the eyes of OSHA, there needs to be a physical learning component that offers key qualities such as tactile interaction with equipment and context-dependent feedback from a knowledgeable trainer.
Making sure your own safety training efforts are in line with OSHA rules and regulations is a foundational element of every EHS program. To learn how the experts at Dakota Software can help, get in touch with us today.