Develop OHS training

Introduction 2Training systems 4Identify OHS training needs 5Manual handling 6Systematic training model 6Training strategies/methods 8What is mentoring and coaching? 9Training programs 11Evaluating training 12Training costs are identified and reported to management 13

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Introduction

Training is essential to good health and safety practice as it ensures people know what to do, how to do it and when a job should be done. All employees need OHS training to carry out their work safely and without risks to their health and safety. The type of training will vary depending on the legal requirements (manual handling, hazardous substance or noise etc) and the types of hazards likely to be found in that type of workplace.

It is important that training is continuing in nature so as to accommodate changing technology and processes that may come into the workplace. It will also ensure that new employees are fully inducted to the organisation’s safe working policies and practices.

The NSW legislation outlines the employer’s responsibilities in providing instruction, training, information and supervision for the provision of health, safety, and welfare of employees at their place of work. These come from both the OHS Act 2000 and the OHS Regulations 2001.

Information about OHS in other states may be accessed at these sites:

National

www.nohsc.gov.au: National OH&S Commission (Worksafe)

www.comcare.gov.au: Comcare (Federal Government)

www.austlii.edu.au: Aust Legal Information Institute

www.standards.com.au: Standards Australia

www.anta.gov.au: Australian National Training Authority

ACT

www.workcover.act.gov.au/pdfs/guides_cop/Guide-OHS_Act.pdf

www.workcover.act.gov.au/docs/codesohs.htm#Codes

www.fairtrading.act.gov.au: ACT Office of Fair Trading.

NSW

www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/default.htm

www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/OHS/WorkCoversRoleinOHS/WhatLegislationCoversOHS/default.htm

www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/OHS/WorkCoversRoleinOHS/WhatLegislationCoversOHS/default.htm

www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au: NSW Office of Fair Trading. Download the publication

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‘Strata living’ which gives a good overall view of the issues involved in living in a strata scheme.

Victoria

www.consumer.vic.gov.au: Consumer Affairs Victoria. You can download the publication, Body Corporate—What to consider when buying a flat, unit or apartment.

Download the publication Owning, managing and living in a unit or apartment: Guide to owners corporations as well as Fact sheets where appropriate.

www.workcover.vic.gov.au: WorkCover VIC

www.workcover.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/WorkSafe

www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/WorkSafe/Home/Laws+and+Regulations/Acts+and+Regulations/

Queensland

www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/index.htm

www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/law/legislation/act/

www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/law/legislation/codes/

www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au: QLD Office of Fair Trading.

www.workcover.qld.gov.au: WorkCover QLD

South Australia

www.safework.sa.gov.au/

www.safework.sa.gov.au/show_page.jsp?id=2474

www.safework.sa.gov.au/show_page.jsp?id=5892

www.workcover.sa.gov.au: WorkCover SA

www.ocba.sa.gov.au: Office of Consumer Affairs and Business, South Australia— a division of the Attorney-General’s Department.

Western Australia

www.worksafe.wa.gov.au/newsite/worksafe/default.html

www.workcover.wa.gov.au: WorkCover WA

www.docep.wa.gov.au: WA Department of Consumer and Employment Protection.

Tasmania

www.workcover.tas.gov.au/node/workcover.htm

www.workcover.tas.gov.au/node/legalobligat.htm

www.wst.tas.gov.au/

www.consumer.tas.gov.au/fair_trading: TAS Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading.

Northern Territory

www.worksafe.nt.gov.au/index.shtml

www.worksafe.nt.gov.au/corporate/legislation.shtml

www.worksafe.nt.gov.au/corporate/codes_of_practice.shtml

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Training systemsSystems for assessing the training needs of an organisation ensure individuals have the knowledge and skills to carry out their jobs safely is good practice. An important step in this system is finding out the training needs of your employees. This is called a training needs analysis. This analysis will assist the employer to identify the:

differences between the skills of an individual or group

skills required by an individual or group for a particular job

tasks and any risks associated with work activities.

The training needs analysis should include employees, contractors and labour hire employees. What also needs to be identified is what jobs require employees to be qualified or certified to undertake the duties.

A training needs analysis looks at three different levels:

Organisation level - What are the health and safety goals of the organisation? To find this out you will need to look at the organisation’s health and safety policy, identify management’s commitment to health and safety, identify what resources are available to improve health and safety.

Task/job level - The actual duties and responsibilities that comprise the job. What are the hazards/risks of that particular task? What are the legal requirements to undertake this job/task? A training needs analysis examines job descriptions and work method statements and identifies the expected knowledge and skills required.

Employee level – What is the employee profile? Who should receive training? You also need to consider the various levels of employee. For example, employees from a non-English speaking background, poor literacy skills and the diversity of the workplace. You may need to consider the level of supervision that the employee has and the work environment.

You should also consider:

high-risk work activities

the mix and type of jobs

new employees, contractors and visitors, labour hire employees and new technology, and

industry standards.

When identifying the training needs of employees, you need to consider the following principles of training and how it relates to the workplace and employee profile. Consider that:

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training addresses many work issues such as induction, new work tasks or procedures with plant and equipment

training relates to specific job tasks such as operating high-risk plant such as cranes and forklifts. These job require an appropriate certificate of competency to operate such plant and equipment

training provides new skills and reinforces good health and safety work practices and develops an effective workplace safety culture

training assists employees to think about health and safety throughout daily work activities, such as working with hazardous chemicals, manual handling tasks and confined spaces, just to name a few.

Identify OHS training needsLike all aspects of occupational health and safety, training requires a systematic approach to identify what training is required. The actual training needs analysis can be undertaken by a range of individuals, such as specialist/technical safety personnel, managers, and supervisors or by employees themselves. There are a number of approaches for undertaking a training needs analysis. They include:

1 Conducting workplace inspection that identifies the workplace hazards and risks.

2 Identifying the legislative requirements to undertake training to manage the workplace risks, such as manual handling and confined spaces.

3 Analysis of information, such as workers compensation claims data, as well as the register of injury taking into consideration the nature and type of illness or injury. What accidents cause the most injuries? What is the cost of these claims to the organisation?

4 Observation of on-the-job work activities, job tasks and work behaviours. You may like to undertake a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis to identify the strengths and weakness of the individual employee or work team.

5 Training needs might be identified through external factors or influences upon the organisation. These include employee unions.

6 Undertake a gap analysis of OHS competencies to undertake a particular job or tasks. This could be undertaken as part of the organisation’s employee performance appraisal system.

7 Data and information collected from the accident/incident investigation process. This should include obtaining and analysing details, such as: When and where the accident occurred? What job task/activity that was going on at the time? What were the possible causes of the accident and what were the identified solutions/recommendations to minimise the risk of the accident occurring again. Training of the employee may have been one factor that was identified as a possible cause.

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8 Ongoing consultation with employees through a range of mechanisms such as:

a. employees meetings

b. completing an OHS hazard report form

c. organisational training needs analysis questionnaires

d. through employees representatives such an OHS committee members or OHS representative and union delegates

e. undertaking interviews or focus groups on OHS issues is another mechanism for employee/employer consultation.

9 When new plant or equipment and procedures are being planned and purchased, employees should be consulted to identify any potential risks associated with the new plant or equipment as well as additional training that will be required as a result of the new equipment or procedures being introduced.

Manual handlingLifting is the single most common cause of manual handling related injuries in the workplace. Jobs involving physical stress or repetitive movement have the highest rates of manual handling injuries with over half the lost time involving nurses, health care workers, cleaners, packers and store employees. Work that involves the lifting of boxes causes a high percentage of injury.

The weight of an object is only one of the 13 factors that should be considered when manual handling is being assessed. Other factors such as age, physical strength of the employee, the frequency of the movement, prolonged lifting or sudden movements, the size and shape of the object should be considered. Training for manual handling then, is not simply providing a few ‘handy hints’ on the job.

Systematic training modelThe following systematic training model outlines the approach that integrates all levels of the organisation, including specific teams and work location, tasks and activities.

The model also considers the relationship between OHS policies and procedures (manual handling, hazardous substances, confined spaces and use of high-risk plant as examples) and should also include non-specific safety policies such as the organisation’s purchasing policy for any new equipment/plant and the employee performance appraisal system.

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The information and data obtained from this integrated approach is used to identify specific safety training needs.

Advantages of a systematic approach

This approach is an organised way of developing employees’ knowledge, skills and experience in workplace health and safety, situations they face on a daily basis. Adhoc training programs cannot deliver effective safety training to manage workplace health and safety hazards and risks. The benefits of a well-structured training program can be measured in:

increased productivity and work performance

improved quality of products or services provided through more informed and skilled employees

maintenance of well experienced and motivated employees

reduced recruitment and selection costs as a result of less employee turnover

progress towards diversity and equal employment in the workplace

real learning and long-term behavioural changes

encouragement of shared values and teamwork

support network for employees in times of organisational change.

Consult and arrange to meet team and individual training needs

Occupational health and safety training must be part of an organisation’s regular training program, rather than being an add-on after the event. Information, instructions and supervision are essential for effective training and for fulfilling the employer’s ‘duty of care’ responsibilities under an occupational health and safety Act. Everyone in your organisation has occupational health and safety responsibilities and therefore requires some form of training. Occupational health and safety training does not just involve specific hazard training, it should include ongoing on and off-the-job training and be integrated into the day-to-day management of employees.

The law states that the employer has a duty of care to provide adequate information, training and supervision to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees. This can be extended to contractors, labour hire employees and visitors to the workplace.

Training needs can be determined through ongoing consultation and discussions with OHS technical/specialists, management and supervisors as well as human resources and employees.

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Once you have identified what training is required, you then need to develop a training program. In doing so, you will also need to:

know and consider the employee profile

employee needs that include literacy and numeracy levels

environmental factors

which strategy would best suit the skill/knowledge content of the training program

adult learning principles such as individual experiences, learning development and the ways in which adults learn.

The training program should outline the content, ie what skills, knowledge and information should be included to meet the needs of the workplace. Appropriate delivery methods/strategies for that training should also be considered.

Training strategies/methodsAs stated in the previous discussion, once the training needs are identified the next step is to consider the most appropriate training strategies. These are varied and may include one or more of the following:

Individual learning contracts that are negotiated between manager/supervisor and employees that may include a number of learning strategies and/or developmental opportunities. These may include work-based projects and activities. This may have been developed as part of an employee performance appraisal review.

The use of individual or group learning strategies using workbooks, CD-ROM, intranet or internet sites supported by a trainer, manager or supervisor.

A customised video or e-learning opportunities of a practical workplace operation. Please keep in mind these methods should not replace an on the job-training program, but complement such a program.

The use of ‘Toolbox talks’ or ‘5 minute safety talks’ given as part of staff meetings, hand over of shifts or team meetings.

Attendance at a training course or program either internally conducted by the organisational trainer unit or by an external consultant from training providers, unions, professional associations or government agencies. The following page outlines a typical employee induction training checklist.

Use of checklists, diagrams and documented procedures displayed or readily available in the workplace. These can also be used as a useful tool for those employees with limited literacy and numeracy skills. The supervisor will need to ensure that employees understand these checklists, diagrams and documented procedures.

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Structured on-the-job training, practical demonstrations and practice with an experienced colleague. This may include an employee being nominated as a mentor, coach or act as a buddy in the workplace for new employees.

Other strategies may be considered when implementing a safety-training program:

– demonstrations – lectures

– field visits – conferences

– workshops – self-paced learning

– seminar simulations – lectures

Whatever method/strategy is used to provide the training, it must be remembered that individuals learn better when the training plan and program:

is based on real workplace situations that relate to the learner’s organisation of hazard/risks

has opportunities for the learner to be involved in activities, groupwork activities and undertake actual workplace action

builds on the learner’s own experience and knowledge

encourages the sharing of information and ideas

allows for the learner to have input into the planning of the training plan

involves hands on activities

allows opportunity for reflection so that the learner can put theory into action.

What is mentoring and coaching?Coaching can be defined as a process that focuses on the individual and can assist them to improve their work performance. This can be achieved through a two-way communication process in which individuals, together with their coach, develop a learning contract to enhance their competencies, skills and knowledge.

This can be done through a process of work-based activities, feedback and learning opportunities, as well as undertaking an appraisal and evaluation of their work performance. The line manager or supervisor has this role.

Mentoring

Mentoring is a learning partnership between two individuals where knowledge, experience and information are shared for job skill and

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knowledge development. This may also include professional/career development. Mentors are selected because of their experience, expertise and background in a particular area. A mentoring program may be a:

buddy system where two employees are asked to work together for a period of time whilst the new employees learns what the job is about

formal program of learning opportunities.

The role of a mentorA mentor’s relationship to an employee can include the following roles:

to give advice

to assist

demonstrate skills

listen and give feedback

assess performance

develop trust

be a confidant

answer questions

provide job orientation.

Regardless of what the organisation calls this structured support system for on the job-training, it provides the opportunity to share information, discuss ideas, listen to problems and provide support. It is an opportunity for the employee who is being mentored or coached to receive encouragement and support in the workplace, discuss and learn new job activities and tasks, as well as develop new skills and knowledge.

Coaching

Coaching can be seen in work situations such as:

Skills coach – to assist and motivate the individuals to learn new on the job activities and tasks, achieve work goals and to give constructive feedback on how well the employee is going.

Listener and facilitator to the employee for learning opportunities.

Counsellor – to encourage the new employee to undertake a self-assessment and personal goals setting for their career, professional and skills development.

Technical coach – involves assisting the employee on a technical level. The technical coach critiques technical papers, collaborates on work projects and can act as a sounding board for ideas.

Job orientation – where someone helps a new employee settle into a new job, whether it is a new employee into the organisation or into a

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new work location. This role will include a welcome, shows the employee the ‘ropes’, informs them on how things are done in the workplace, shows them the facilities such as toilets and canteen.

Benefits gained from a coaching or mentoring program

The benefits from such a program can be measured in increased:

self-esteem

self-respect

self-confidence

communication skills

skill in and knowledge of job tasks and can demonstrate this

motivation and a determination to succeed

safety awareness

decision-making, planning and problem-solving skills.

Training programsTraining is an important part in an OHS system to ensure that all managers have the necessary knowledge about their legislative obligations, the risk management process and responsibilities.

Employee training will ensure employees are competent at work processes and tasks, as well as evaluating risks in the work environment.

OHS training usually includes: OHS legislation

general workplace OHS rules

OHS policies and procedures

OHS consultation

emergency procedures

specific hazards and risk control

training for duties, or to comply with legislation eg forklift licence training

training for new or relocated employees

OHS committee training

OHS updates and refresher training

training of safety specialist staff.

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Training may also need to be provided at certain key times within an organisation of workplace. For example:

after a risk assessment, where hazards have been identified and the level of risk is high and training is one of the control measures and can be done immediately

ongoing refresher training

when transferred to another position, for example or acting supervisor

when new work processes, plant, technology, material and substances are introduced

when work procedures and process have changes.

Training our employees is one of the most effective methods of offsetting risk. We can do this simply by ensuring that our employees (including those with management responsibilities), contract labour and contractors are provided with necessary information and adequate instruction in:

OHS legislation, duty of care and their requirements

risk management procedures within the organisation

correct safe methods of work, such as manual handling techniques

ways to identify improvements in work place design such as correct computer workstation layout

correct use of tools, equipment and hazardous substances

correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Evaluating trainingTraining must produce outcomes and achieve the learning objectives of that particular training program. These outcomes may be measured in:

cost- effectiveness of the training versus the benefits/results

behavioural changes of the employee

relevance of the training program to the needs of the organisation, job or task

feedback on the actual training strategy/method used.

Evaluation is done throughout the OHS training program and aims to determine if the training program has achieved the outcomes. Evaluation is:

undertaken over a period of time

immediate feedback from the trainer, employees at time of training

feedback from employees when back on the job

on-the-job evaluation on how much the employee learnt and brought back to their work practices

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survey of managers and employees on their learning experiences

statistical information such as a reduction in workplace incidents.

Training costs are identified and reported to managementOrganisations can spend many dollars annually on training and professional development programs. This dollar cost of training is usually made up of direct costs such as salaries or contractor fees as well as indirect costs such as training material. These costs need to be identified and listed under training costs within the budget.

A benefit to identifying the true cost of training is when you do a training cost-benefit analysis. It gives you a true evaluation of training. When the employee is doing simple tasks, the effects of training may be seen easily, but for a more complex job the training benefits will be longer term.

The training budget may be a separate line item within the general budget or it may be in a department’s budget. Capture the true costs in training:

salary for both the in-house trainers or training consultant and specialist contract fees which include the costs of both the preparation and training delivery time

down time and productivity time for employees to attend training

cost of training resource development and printing of items such as posters, flyers, folders, videos, charts

‘consumables’ paper, pens and butchers paper, tea, coffee, sugar, milk, cups, morning tea, lunch

consider the purchase of TV monitors, DVDs, computers, broad-band internet, CD ROMs and other interactive training material.

This information needs to be easily integrated into the organisation’s financial reporting format. Many organisations provide electronic forms to make this task easier which ensures more consistent information.

Training case study

You have been appointed as the OHS manager for a snack food processor. A duty is to advise management on the training needs of staff.

There are 100 employees on three rotating shifts. The employees’ duties vary and include: transferring vegetable oil from drums into cooking vats, mixing herbs and spices from 25 kg bags, product cleaning, conveyor oven

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feeding system, drying and packaging, cold and dry warehouse, 20 forklift drivers and 5 employees in dispatch. The workplace hazards and risks are:

manual handling of oil and herbs and spices from 25 kg bags

hazardous substances—product cleaning

burns—conveyor oven feeding system, drying and packaging

cold and dry climate

high-risk plant operations—forklift driving

potential stress—dispatch.

There are legislative requirements such as:

manual handling risk assessments

hazardous substances risk assessments

OHS committee or representative training

manager and supervisor OHS training

competency requirements for plant operators

shift workers

employee profile.

Other health and safety risks may include:

fatigue due to shift work

violence.

The type of training program you could out in place:

manager and supervisor duty of care

risk management

manual handling

hazardous substances

OHS committee or representative training

working in extreme conditions – hot and cold

forklift training with log book system and assessment.

Forklifts are a safety hazard in the loading docks. Costs in forklift training with a log book system and assessments include:

log book – free from WorkCover

supervision by a competent person. The salary costs and down time from actual duties need to be considered

ongoing maintenance of the forklift

assessment by a WorkCover Accredicated Occupational Health and Safety Assessor – appropriately $150 x 20 employees

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WorkCover application fee for operators Certificate of Competency Licence- $40 x 20 employees.

You could determine the success of your OHS training by checking the:

number of employees who are assessed as competent and gain their Certificate of Competency Licence from WorkCover

accident and incidents involving forklifts

competent operators within the workplace

damage of stock due to the use of forklifts.

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