The employers are responsible for the workplace health and safety in Ontario and anywhere for that matter. It is always the employer that need to make sure their employees are aware of the potential health hazards at their workplace. Sometimes just informing the employees of health and safety issues and measured taken to prevent accidents is enough. But it often happens that an expert is required for the job.
This is quite common in fact for employers to hire workplace health and safety trainer in Canada and other places too. There is the need to train the full time staff as well as the contract workers since there is a higher risk of an accident with the temporary workers than the permanent ones.
Thus occupational health and safety is on thing where the size of the organization does not matter since it applies to all. Mock drills are also often organized by the training provider to keep the staff on their toes in case of the real thing thus brining the company once step closer towards being 100% accident free.
In addition to which such training process and reviews help the employers detect new risks and thus reducing the risk even further. In case of an incident the employee is most likely to be incapacitated for a month or so. During this time the company will usually hire a temporary worker thus costing the company. There is also a threat of being sued by the injured employee. Such cases can drag on for ever and end up taking a lot of resources too thus the simpler way out is precaution.
Choosing the Trainer
Thus how exactly does one go about selecting an Occupational Health and Safety Training Provider. It is necessary to check that Training provider that you select is a registered company and not some individual training.
You should access their qualifications and the points to look out for are as follows:
- How experienced is the trainer in your industry?
- What are the trainer’s qualifications, both educational and professional?
- What credentials do they hold that relate to occupational health and safety?
- Can an independent group attest to this trainer’s qualifications?
- What special conferences or symposia has the trainer attended in your field of interest?When were they held?
- What professional associations does the trainer belong to? What grade of membership does the trainer hold, and how long has the trainer held that grade for each association?
- How many years has the provider been active in occupational health and safety training and consultation?
- How many years has the provider been active in your area of interest?
- Does the provider’s experience relate specifically to the work you want done or to a closely related area?
- Can the provider give references? (e.g.,the last five clients in your area of interest, or your industry, which will ensure that not just those clients who will give favorable references will be identified) This information may not always be available, as some clients prefer to remain anonymous.
- Has the trainer had special training in adult education, for example, do they possess the any kind of certificate?
- Can the trainer customize a standard course for your firm?
- Can the trainer meet the training needs of your workforce? (e.g., young workers, English as a Second Language (ESL), learning challenged)
- Can the trainer deliver a standard course in another language?
- Has the trainer a thorough knowledge of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, policies, and standards relative to the training requirements?
- What is the service provider’s fee structure?
- How are clients charged? (By the hour? By the day? By the total job?)
- Where are the services provided? Can they be provided at your work location(s)?
- How does the service provider treat expenses such as travel, lodging, shipping, and report writing?
- Are cost estimates binding?
- What insurance and bonding does the provider have
There are general training requirements in various sections of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation and accompanying guidelines. Specific training requirements are listed for certain occupations. Review the Regulation carefully regarding these requirements. The competencies a worker requires depend on the circumstances of the work. Employers are expected to perform a job task analysis to determine the risks faced by the worker.
This job task analysis must consider:
- All of the tasks a worker is expected to perform to do the job
- The environment and circumstances in which the work is to be performed
- All of the equipment the worker is expected to use
- All of the health and safety risks associated with the work
In all cases, training must be conducted in a safe manner and in compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. Adequate supervision must be provided in the workplace to ensure training and instruction has been practicable and work is being done effectively and safely.
Training courses should be developed properly. Training for high-risk situations should include theory and a practical component. The length of the course or training session should be adequate to cover all the elements identified in the job task analysis. Assessment may include a written test that assesses knowledge of the subject matter, but should include evaluation of practical competencies.
Attendance and achievement should be documented; and if a third party provider is selected to deliver the training, it is reasonable for the employer to receive documentation indicating the competencies and standard on which the worker was assessed. It is important to note that it remains the employer’s responsibility in all situations to instruct workers regarding specific risks.
Conclusion
Thus it is obvious that a workplace trainer is something a company should really consider . But it is advisable to follow the guidelines mentioned above prior to choosing one. Safety First is an organization that does just that. They are a well experienced company and offer many different type of certification which really depends on the requirements of the company.
Summary
It has become essential to make sure the employees are aware of the work place hazards. But question arises as to how one can choose a work place safety training company. It is essential to make certain checks prior to selecting one. In fact there are certain agencies that provide a training service like Safety First Consulting Ltd.
Katelin lewis is a freelance writer, mostly interested in writing about health, education, science, technology & Web related stuff and business niche’s. Follow me on Twitter or on Google +Katelin.
