Q & A: State & Federal Training Requirements

Question: “Where do I find information about state & federal safety training requirements or standards? The regulatory scheme seems confusing; I don’t know who needs training, when they need it, or on which safety topics?”

Answer: Occupational safety training requirements for states mirror those of the federal government with a few exceptions, and we’ve built you an online tool to answer this specific question: https://hsi.com

OSHA training requirements can be industry specific, workplace specific, and/or hazard specific.

Safety and health training is required for new employee orientation, and must also be done when current employees or contractors under the control of the company are newly assigned to a job where specific hazards exist. Safety training is also required when the hazards of the job change. Additionally, some types of training require periodic updating.

Training requirements for both the private and public sector are driven by specific industry standards pertaining to general industry, construction, maritime, aviation, agriculture, and so on. The federal government also runs the Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA). Other industries in certain states are regulated by state agencies altogether, instead of OSHA. There are other work situations where different regulations take precedence over OSHA standards, as with workers on ships at sea, flight crews in airplanes, and truck drivers rolling down the highway. OSHA requires that companies provide safety training to its employees based on exposure to hazards. Exposure, or the expected likelihood of exposure, is the key to determining if precautions are required to protect against unique workplace hazards, and whether training in hazard recognition, safe practices, and use of special procedures or equipment, is necessary for the protection of employees. An employer’s required training subjects come from that company’s review and assessment of hazards for all aspects of operations, from facilities, equipment, work procedures, processes, byproducts, and even exposures from independent contractors, whose work can affect employees.

Find your state on the map below; if it’s blue, like California, you’ll want to look up the equivalent state regulatory agency and make an inquiry to be sure which training requirements apply to your organization, because if your state runs its own occupational safety & health program, there may be exceptions.

Source: https://www.osha.gov/dcsp/osp/index.html

No matter where your organization is located, our 10 Minute Training Needs Assessment will help you align the right training with each member of your workforce.

An effective program of safety and health training for workers can result in fewer injuries and illnesses, better morale, and lower insurance premiums.

“Every day in America, 12 people go to work and never come home. Every year in America, 3.3 million people suffer a workplace injury from which they may never recover. These are preventable tragedies that disable our workers, devastate our families, and damage our economy.”

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis

“A March 2010 Liberty Mutual Insurance company report showed that the most disabling injuries (those involving six or more days away from work) cost American employers more than $53 billion a year - over $1 billion a week – in workers’ compensation costs alone.”

OSHA Assistant Secretary David Michaels, 2011

US Department of Labor: A good safety and health program can save $4 to $6 dollars for every $1 dollar invested.

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The Benefits of Online Training

With the ease of the internet, safety training online has become the flexible, affordable alternative for providing employee safety and health training. Online training provides the following benefits over live training:

• Saves money on consultants, travel, lodging, facility, and lost productivity
• Minimizes disruption of normal business activities
• Reduces training time by up to 50%
• Allows employees to train at their own pace
• Accessible at anytime, anywhere with an internet connection
• Can be scheduled during periods of down time, or hours of low demand
• Consistent content for all employees— courses are the same for everybody
• Courses update automatically when industry regulations change

Bringing money-saving efficiency and accountability