The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a U.S. agency under the Department of Labor. The mission of OSHA is to set and enforce standards to help ensure safe and healthy working conditions. In addition to setting and enforcing these standards, OSHA also provides training, outreach, and assistance. All businesses (with one or more employees) must know and comply with OSHA regulations.
The mission of OSHA is to ensure that U.S. companies are offering their employees a workplace that meets all of OSHA’s safety regulations and does not contain any serious hazards. Per OSHA laws, employers must seek to reduce or eliminate hazards by implementing viable changes in working conditions. This can include such things as choosing safer chemicals and incorporating efficient air purification methods as these options are preferable to relying on workers’ protective equipment (masks, earplugs, etc.)
However, the choices and actions of employers are only part of the regulations as OSHA demands that employers deliver safety training to their employees to help ensure the objective of overall workplace safety.
The Importance of Employee Training
The implementation of a proper employee training program is a critical element in meeting OSHA regulations. Because training requirements can vary among departments and job roles, you will need to identify the various training needs to ensure that your program meets your overall objective. You can then build a program that delivers each employee with the education they need to perform their work safely on an ongoing basis.
The components of your training program can include:
An understanding of hazardous substances and how to properly handle any incidents
Training in blood-borne pathogens, especially if your employees are exposed to blood-borne pathogens under circumstances that are unusual or excessive
Emergency training, such as how to quickly exit the building if circumstances require
Knowing what to expect and what needs to be done if an OSHA inspector visits your workplace
eLearning Software and Platforms for OSHA Compliance Training
Online learning, or “eLearning” courses can serve as the foundation for your OSHA compliance training. With eLearning software and platforms, you can utilize situation-based learning to enhance the material retention and increase user engagement. This type of training creates real-world types of situations or challenges that employees must solve.
And eLearning has proven to be more cost-effective and timely than classroom-based training as it allows your training managers to build and deliver training content while providing employees with the flexibility to conduct their learning activities at their convenience and from any location they choose (all that is required is an Internet connection).
LMS Portals: SaaS-Based OSHA Compliance Training Software
LMS Portals provides organizations with a powerful Learning Management System (LMS) for building, delivering, managing, and monitoring your corporate-branded OSHA compliance training program. Our SaaS-based software platform allows you to quickly and easily deliver the eLearning courses and content your workers need and includes robust tools for employee onboarding, messaging, knowledge management, analytics, and more.
Contact us today to get started for free!