From Ilo

From Ilo

Safety Training Program

A Safety Training Program is designed to equip all employees in any organization with the necessary skills to not only enhance their safety at workplacesbut also use workplace tools and equipments appropriately to minimize injury and health related incidents. According to International Labor Organization and World Health Organization, workplaces should be environments in which the promotion and maintenance of high degree of physical, mental and social well-being of employees are taken seriously.

From the ILO and WHO resolutions, various jurisdictions have put in place various safety and health policies. In addition to the policies, several workplace related legislations and regulations with the aim of ensuring that all employees work in safe environments have been enacted. It is now common to find in every jurisdiction an Occupational Safety and Health agency created to spearhead employee safety and health issues.

In the USA, the Occupational Safety and Health agency that is responsible for employee safety is under the Department of Labor. OSHA enjoys substantial budgetary allocation annually to enable it accomplish its mandate. As part of its mandate, OSHA has developed lots of Safety Training Program that all employers are required to subject their employees to for minimizing and workplace injuries and enhancement of personal safety.

Apart from the programs developed by OSHA, other safety programs developed by other professionals are also available that employers may implement at their workplaces for the benefit of their employees. Overall, a suitable training program should enable trainees to:

Identify workplace risks and dangers – A suitable training program empowers trainees with the necessary skills and knowledge of identifying all the risks and dangers at their workplaces. Identifying such makes it possible to get the same addressed in good time to reduce any injury chances.
Be able to contain risks and dangers – A training program should properly equip trainees with skills to contain and address the risks and dangers that they identify at their workplaces.
Handle work equipments and tools appropriately – A training program should enable employees to operate work machinery efficiently and in a proper manner, minimizing injury chances.

Like in other jurisdictions, USA employers are required to constitute safety committees and offer committee members suitable Safety Training Program to enable them oversee safety issues at workplaces effectively. Although safety training venues are available across all the USA, established by various individuals and organizations, employers are required to engage the services of OSHA licensed and approved training organizations and institutions.

Although obtaining a suitable training program is certainly a cost to an employer, the benefits achieved after can be enormous. Armed with the necessary knowledge and skills, employees are bound to develop a safety culture at their workplace, resulting in reduced injuries and injury claims, which can be on the higher side without appropriate Safety Training Program.

Excerpts from ILO Director-General address to the European Parliament