We’ve written a great article covering the basics of blended learning for safety training. It’s published in the September issue of ISHN magazine, so look for that if you’re a subscriber. It’s also available in digital form on ISHN.com, so go check it out now (free registration required). The post New "Blended Learning for Safety Training" Article at ISHN appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

OSHA just released its list of the top ten most frequently cited workplace safety violations for fiscal year 2014. The 2014 list includes all the same all the same standards as last year’s list, and the four standards at the top of the list appear in the same order that they did last year, too. The biggest "riser" was lockout/tagout (1910.147), which checked in at #8 last year but jumped up to #5 this year. We’ve got the full list for you below. For each common violation, we’ve given a link to the regulation, a link to our related e-learning course(s), and a link to a special page of informational resources and training freebies for you. Check ‘em all out. Need help with your safety training? Check out our library of e-learning courses on safety and other topics, and don’t forget to check out our learning management systems (LMSs) for delivering and tracking those courses. Or, contact us now for a demo. OSHA’s Top Ten Violations for 2014 Here’s the list, from most violated to tenth-most-violated. Fall Protection (1926.501) - 6,143 violations The Standard: Fall Protection Our Course(s): Fall Prevention and Protection Our Information and Training Resources Page: Fall Protection Information and Training Resources from Convergence Training Hazard Communication (1910.1200) - 5,161 violations The Standard: Hazard Communication Our Course(s): Hazard Communication 2012 (GHS), Hazard Communication 1994, Chemical Hazards (for mines) Our Information and Training Resources Page: Hazard Communication Information and Training Resources from Convergence Training Scaffolding (1926.451) - 4,029 violations The Standard: Scaffolding Our Course(s): Supported Scaffolding Safety Our Information and Training Resources Page: Scaffolding Information and Training Resources from Convergence Training Respiratory Protection (1910.134) - 3,223 violations The Standard: Respiratory Protection Our Course(s): Respirators Our Information and Training Resources Page: Respiratory Protection Information and Training Resources from Convergence Training Lockout/Tagout (1910.147) - 2,704 violations The Standard: The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) Our Course(s): Lockout/Tagout Our Information and Training Resources Page: Lockout/Tagout Information and Training Resources from Convergence Training Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178) - 2,662 violations The Standard: Powered Industrial Trucks Our Course(s): Forklift Safety Our Information and Training Resources Page: Powered Industrial Trucks Information and Training Resources from Convergence Training Electrical, Wiring Methods (1910.305) - 2,490 violations The Standard: Electrical, Wiring Methods Our Course(s): Electric Shock, Electrical Safety General Awareness, Arc Flash Safety   Our Information and Training Resources Page: Electrical, Wiring Methods Information and Training Resources from Convergence Training Ladders (1926.1053) - 2,448 violations The Standard: Stairways and Ladders Our Course(s): Ladder Safety Our Information and Training Resources Page: Ladders Information and Training Resources from Convergence Training Machine Guarding (1910.212) - 2,200 violations The Standard: Machinery and Machine Guarding Our Course(s): Machine Guarding Our Information and Training Resources Page: Machine Guarding Information and Training Resources from Convergence Training Electrical, General Requirements (1910.303) - 2,056 violations The Standard: Electrical, General Requirements Our Course(s): Electric Shock, Electrical Safety General Awareness, Arc Flash Safety   Our Information and Training Resources Page: Electrical, General Requirements Information and Training Resources from Convergence Training The post OSHA Top Ten Violations for 2014 appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

OSHA puts out a list of the top ten most cited violations every year. Many of the same standards appear on the list again and again. So we’re pulling together some things to help you train your workers about each. Below, we’ve got a list of scaffolding training resources for you. Need help with scaffolding training or other safety training needs? Contact us and we’ll help out. Scaffolding Training and Informational Resources Here are some training and information resources for you (plus we’ve got some great FAQs below). Supported Scaffolding Safety e-learning course. View a sample and/or contact us to get the full course. Free Scaffolding Interactive Glossary Free Scaffolding Word Game What’s the regulation, again? 1926.451 (Scaffolds) Does OSHA have a Safety & Health Topic webpage for scaffold-related hazards and regulations? Here’s OSHA’s Safety & Health Topic page for Scaffolding. Does OSHA have any eTools for the scaffolding regulation? There are three. Or four, depending on how you count ‘em. There’s one focusing on on scaffolding in general, one on improper scaffold construction (this one is geared to the construction industry), one about staging scaffolds (this one is geared to shipyard work), and a fourth that’s focused on aerial lifts , which can replace traditional shipyard scaffolding. Does OSHA provide any other helpful resources? They have an entire webpage on scaffolding in the construction industry, and here are a bunch of resources to help with your scaffolding training program. What about NIOSH? Do they offer resources too? They have a nice two-part checklist. Here’s the Scaffolding Self-Inspection Checklist Part 1 and the Scaffolding Self-Inspection Checklist Part 2. The post Scaffolding Training Resources (1926.451) appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

OSHA puts out a list of the ten most cited violations every year. Many of the same standards appear on the list again and again. So we’re pulling together some things to help you train your workers about each. Below, we’ve got a list of hazard communication training resources for you. Need help with hazard communication training or other safety training needs? Contact us and we’ll help out. Hazard Communication Training and Informational Resources Hazard Communication 2012 (GHS Aligned) e-learning course. View a sample and/or contact us to get the full course. Hazard Communication 1994 (not GHS-Aligned) e-learning course. View a sample and/or contact us to get the full course. Free Hazard Communication Interactive Glossary Free Hazard Communication Word Game Hazard Communication 2012 FAQ What’s the regulation, again? 1910.1200 (Hazard Communication) Does OSHA have a Safety & Health Topic webpage for chemical hazards and regulations? Here’s OSHA’s Safety & Health Topic page for Hazard Communication. This page is an especially good resource for information related to the Hazard Communication 2012 alignment with the Globally Harmonized System (GHS). In addition, there’s a Safety & Health Topic page for Chemical Reactivity Hazards, another for Chemical Sampling Information, and many, many additional Safety & Health Topics for individual chemicals (follow the previous link and use the search feature in the top right corner). Does OSHA have any eTools for the HazCom regulations? Nothing specifically about Hazard Communication. But they DO have eTools on related topics including Eye and Face Protection, Respiratory Protection, and Safety & Health Management Systems, and plus they also have a downloadable Hazard Awareness Expert Advisor. Does OSHA provide any other helpful resources? Many. Here’s an OSHA HazCom Brief, a HazCom Fact Sheet, some HazCom Quick Cards on Safety Data Sheets, Labeling, and Pictograms, downloadable HazCom/GHS Pictograms, and a Hazard Communication 2012 PowerPoint presentatation (look for the link at the bottom of the "highlights" box on the right). What about NIOSH? Do they offer resources too? Here’s a NIOSH Hazard Communication Self-Inspection Checklist.   The post Hazard Communication Training Resources (1910.1200) appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

OSHA puts out a list of the ten most commonly cited standard violations every year. Many of the same standards appear on the list again and again. So we’re pulling together some things to help you train your workers about each. Below, we’ve got a list of fall protection training resources for you. Need help with fall protection training or other safety training needs? Contact us and we’ll help out. Fall Prevention and Protection Training and Informational Resources Fall Prevention and Protection e-Learning Course. View a sample and/or contact us to get the full course. Free Interactive Fall Prevention and Protection Glossary Free Fall Protection Word Game Fall Prevention and Protection FAQ What’s the regulation, again? 1926.501 (Fall Protection-General Requirements/Duty to Have Fall Protection) 1926.501 is a construction-industry regulation. Does OSHA have other regulations and standards regarding fall prevention and protection for non-construction work? Yep, here’s a list of fall prevention standards and other helpful information for non-construction industries. Does OSHA have a Safety & Health Topic webpage for fall protection hazards and regulations? Here’s OSHA’s Safety & Health Topic page for Fall Protection in the Construction Industry. In addition, they have a page for Standards and Policy for Non-Construction Work, a page that explains How to Protect Workers from Falls, a page that explains Where to Find Training and Additional Information on Fall Protection, and finally a page on Fall Protection in Residential Construction. Does OSHA have any eTools for the Fall Protection regulations? No, but here’s one for the related topic of Steel Erection, and that includes a "topic" on fall protection. In addition, here’s an eTool on Construction Scaffolding, and that includes information on Fall Protection in Supported Scaffolding. Does OSHA provide any other helpful resources? Yes, quite a few. Here’s a Fall Protection in General Industry Quick Card, here’s a tip sheet from the Canadian Center for Occupation Health and Safety (CCOHS) on cleaning and caring for safety belts/harnesses/lanyards, here’s a series of publications from Oregon OSHA on Fall Protection, here’s an OSHA Guidance Document on Fall Protection in Residential Construction, and here’s an OSHA Fact Sheet on Fall Protection Safety for Commercial Fishing. What about NIOSH? Do they offer resources too? Here’s a NIOSH Fall Injuries Prevention in the Workplace website, and here’s a NIOSH-prepared list of publications about Fall Injuries Prevention in the Workplace. What about other agencies and organizations? Do they also offer resources? Near the bottom of this page, OSHA published a long list of resources by ANSI, CSA, and ASTM related to Fall Prevention and Protection. The post Fall Prevention and Protection Training Resources (1926.501) appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

I work with lots of busy safety managers who are trying to improve their safety training programs. They’re typically looking for ways to use their time more efficiently while creating better training programs that have a real effect on their employees’ behaviors. They hope they can reach these goals by using one of our learning management systems (LMSs) , or some of our 3D-animated safety training courses, or both. And it’s true, they can. Using an LMS and e-learning courses can save you time and also let you provide better safety training. But how? Well, some of the way are probably pretty obvious to you, and others may be things you haven’t thought of. Let’s break it down and consider some reasons. How an LMS Can Save You Time and Make You More Efficient A learning management system can save you a ton of time by automating clerical and scheduling chores. This includes: Coordinating and scheduling training assignments Creating records of completed training Storing those records Finding those records later for audit purposes Informing department managers of employees’ training status Changing training assignments when workers change jobs Running reports Notifying workers of their training obligations Having an LMS do all this for you lets you do other things that are more useful with your own time. Wouldn’t you rather be leading instructor-led training on safety topics? Holding safety meetings?  Walking around and observing the work place? Performing job hazard analyses (JHAs)? Talking with employees? Or do you really want to spend hours creating formulas in Excel spreadsheets and searching down paper-based documents in manila envelopes stored in metal file cabinets in the office on the other side of the plant? Want to know more about how an LMS can help you? Read up about the LMSs by Convergence Training or contact us to ask questions and set up a demo. How an LMS Can Help You Deliver Better Safety Training Efficient is nice, but effective is even better.  After all, you want to cut down on safety incidents and near-misses. So how can an LMS make your safety training more effective? With an LMS, you can: Reduce the amount of time you’re performing clerical work, so you can spend more time leading safety training sessions and/or performing other critical safety tasks Use a variety training materials, so you can take advantage of the different features of each-for example, the sophisticated visuals and built-in testing that e-learning safety courses can provide Ensure that all new employees receive their initial safety training Help you manage refresher or annual training requirements so safety topics stay fresh in your employees’ minds If you currently feel like you’re swimming upstream to make your safety training program more efficient and effective, some of the items listed above should really hit home. Now, let’s turn our attention to some of the benefits of using e-learning safety courses in your safety training program. We recommend using e-learning courses, instructor-led training, and other types of training as part of a blended learning solution for safety training. And our LMS will help you do that. Although we’ll focus on e-learning courses below, check this article on OJT and an LMS, and this article on in-the-field skill demonstrations,  for additional thoughts about other types of training. Even better, we’ve included a downloadable guide to blended learning at the bottom of this article. Want to know more about how an LMS can help you? Read up about the LMSs by Convergence Training or contact us to ask questions and set up a demo. How e-Learning Courses Can Save You Time You’ve got a limited number of hours in each day, so you’ll want to use them as wisely as possible. Using e-learning courses as part of your safety training program can help you maximize your time in many ways, including: Explaining basic, foundational training information that is conveyed just as effectively online as it is in person (or maybe even more so). Providing periodic refresher training after a safety topic has been covered initially in an instructor-led format Easing assessment issues to determine if employees understand safety basics through the use of automated online testing (may you never again have to grade a paper-based test) Given the tight budgets and staffing issues that training departments face, why not take advantage of the time-saving features of e-learning courses? Want to know more about how EHS e-learning courses? can help you? Check out the EHS course title from Convergence Training or contact us to ask questions and set up a demo.  How e-Learning Courses Can Make Your Safety Training Better Learning and development professionals will tell you that there is NO single type of training that’s always better than the others. That means that instructor-led classroom training isn’t always better than e-learning or written materials. And likewise, it means that e-learning isn’t always better than instructor-led training. In fact, research backed with studies and evidence shows that training of different types can be equally effective. Once you know that, you’re wise to pick and choose from a variety of training methods for each individual need. This practice is known as "blended learning." When using a blended learning solution, pick and choosing the best type of training to suit each particular training need. Here are some of the ways that e-learning can make your safety training better: Teach concepts and ideas with sophisticated visuals that can’t be explained visually, in simple drawings on a white board, or even viewed out in the field (for example, an "interior" view of a closed machine) Allow employees to advance through training at their own pace instead of the "default" pace chosen by the instructor in a classroom setting Provide feedback to employees who might be too shy to ask specific questions in front of coworkers Provide practice questions so the employee can judge his or her own level of understanding Allow workers to review training on their own days, weeks, or even months after they viewed it initially Allow safety trainers to reserve their face-to-face training time with employees for the opportunities when it provides the most value (as discussed in the section above) Provide the same, standard, consistent training message every time to every employee Why not use e-learning to add these benefits to your existing training? As an analogy, consider your toolbox at home. Sure, maybe your hammer works great for a lot of things. But just imagine what you can do if you add a new tool, such as a screwdriver, to your toolbox. The same is true with training. Sure, instructor-led training is great, but adding e-learning safety courses to your training toolbox will make things that much better. Want to know more about how EHS e-learning courses? can help you? Check out the EHS course title from Convergence Training or contact us to ask questions and set up a demo.  Conclusion Who doesn’t want their safety training programs to be more efficient and more effective? I’m sure you do. And that’s why so many safety trainers I work with are excited when they begin using an LMS and e-learning courses as part of a blended learning solution. If you’d like to know more, you can contact us here or check out our web pages with our EHS course library and our learning management systems. The post Better Safety Training with an LMS and e-Learning Courses appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

Many companies spend a lot of time, effort, and money trying to maintain high standards for the environment, health, and safety (EHS). And this often involves-and should involve-an EHS training component. For example, OSHA, MSHA, and similar regulatory agencies require EHS training at the workplace in many different circumstances. The regulations make it clear enough when training is required. Beyond that, OSHA tells you that EHS training should be effective. They tell that you need to ensure it’s effective (through some form of assessment). And they tell you to provide it in a language the employee understands. And MSHA is pretty explicit about how long the training on various subjects should last. But it’s not always so clear exactly how to create effective EHS training. That’s not spelled out in the regulations. But fortunately, we’ve got ANSI Z490.1 for that. Z 490.1, titled "Criteria for Accepted Practices in Safety, Health and Environmental Training," provides a national standard for creating, maintaining, and evaluating an EHS training program. Handy, huh? So let’s dig into ANSI Z 490.1 and see what’s it’s all about. Need an LMS, EHS training courses, or other help with your safety training program? Contact Convergence Training to learn more. First, let’s deal with some common questions. Common Questions about ANSI and ANSI Standards What is ANSI? ANSI is the American National Standards Institute. Also, they are "a private, non-profit organization that administers and coordinates the U.S. voluntary standards and conformity assessment system." (I snagged that quote from their web page.) Read more about ANSI at their FAQs page or check out this ANSI Overview they created. Do ANSI standards have the power of law? No, not by themselves. But in some cases, a regulatory agency may include an ANSI standard within its own standard, stating that people should follow the ANSI standard in given circumstances. OSHA calls this incorporation by reference. ANSI has created a portal for its standards that have been incorporated by reference. Can compliance (or non-compliance) with an ANSI standard be brought up in court cases? Yes. Complying with an ANSI standard may help you if you wind up in court. Not complying with an ANSI standard may hurt you in court. Common Questions about ANSI Z490.1 So what’s ANSI Z490.1? It’s a national standard created to provide guidelines for safety, health, and environmental training. Basically, its creators took accepted practices in the training industry and put them into an EHS context. Who created ANSI Z490.1? An ANSI/ASSE task force. ASSE, in case you don’t know, is the American Society of Safety Engineers. Pretty credible folks on the topic of EHS. Where can I find and read ANSI Z490.1? Here’s Z490.1. Note that this isn’t free. It will set you back $77 or $92, depending on the packet you buy. How many sections does ANSI Z490.1 include and what are they? It has seven different sections and is fifty-two pages long. Those sections are: Scope, Purpose, and Application Definitions Training Program Administration and Management Training Development Training Delivery Training Evaluation Documentation and Record Keeping There are also three annexes: References Training Course Development Guidelines EHS Trainer’s Checklist What does ANSI Z490.1 say about training development? The standard covers training development in section 4. This section says that training development should be a systematic process including: A needs assessment Learning objectives Course design An evaluation strategy Criteria for completion A plan for continuous improvement What does ANSI Z490.1 say about training delivery? The standard covers training delivery in section 5. This section covers the importance of: Using teaching and instructional methods that are appropriate for your training audience Creating (and using) training materials that are appropriate for your training audience Using adult learning principles What does ANSI Z490.1 say about training evaluation? The standard covers training evaluation in section 6. In this section, the ANSI standard stresses the importance of evaluating your EHS training courses and program, including the use of: Test results (and results of other assessments of training) Trainee feedback, including post-training survey/evaluations Post-training behaviors and observations Continuous evaluation and improvement efforts Can I expect more about ANSI Z490.z and effective EHS training from the Convergence Training blog in the future? Yep. We plan on writing expanded blog posts on the sections we introduced above-training design, training delivery, and training development-as well as covering the sections we only mentioned briefly. So stay tuned for more. Need an LMS, EHS training courses, or other help with your safety training program? Contact Convergence Training to learn more. The post Effective EHS Training: ANSI’s Z490.1 Standard Spells It Out For You appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

OSHA’s been busy making changes to the requirements for injury and illness record keeping and reporting. In this post, we’re going to give you a screen-by-screen overview of a mock-up that OSHA created for their new injury and illness online reporting website. If you’re in a hurry, scroll down until you see the first screen grabs. Otherwise, let’s take a short moment to review the recordkeeping and reporting changes first. Recordkeeping Changes On the recordkeeping front, there are changes that affect: Who is required to keep records Who is exempt from recordkeeping requirements These changes are covered in this recent Convergence Training blog post and at this webpage from OSHA. Reporting Changes On the reporting front, there have been changes that affect: What must be reported How reporting will occur (specifically, there’s now an online component) Again, you can read more about these changes in this recent Convergence Training blog post and at this webpage from OSHA. Need an LMS, EHS training courses, or other help with your safety training program? Contact Convergence Training to learn more. OSHA’s New Online Injury and Illness Reporting Requirements That’s all interesting and important stuff. But in particular, the new requirements for online submission of injury and illness data reporting is especially interesting. And that’s what we’re going to take a closer look at in this blog post. You may remember that OSHA was proposing three changes to 29 CFR 1904.41 involving electronic recordkeeping. Those are: First, OSHA will require establishments that are required to keep injury and illness records under Part 1904, and had 250 or more employees in the previous calendar year, to electronically submit information from these records to OSHA or OSHA’s designee, on a quarterly basis (proposed § 1904.41(a)(1)—Quarterly electronic submission of Part 1904 records by establishments with 250 or more employees). Second, OSHA will require establishments that are required to keep injury and illness records under Part 1904, had 20 or more employees in the previous calendar year, and are in certain designated industries, to electronically submit the information from the OSHA annual summary form (Form 300A) to OSHA or OSHA’s designee, on an annual basis (proposed § 1904.41(a)(2) Annual electronic submission of OSHA annual summary form (Form 300A) by establishments with 20 or more employees in designated industries). The second submission requirement will replace OSHA’s annual illness and injury survey, authorized by the current version of 29 CFR 1904.41. Third, OSHA will require all employers who receive notification from OSHA to electronically submit specified information from their Part 1904 injury and illness records to OSHA or OSHA’s designee (proposed § 1904.41(a)(3)— Electronic submission of Part 1904 records upon notification). (source for the above) That leads to any number of interesting questions. But certainly one of them is: "What will this online reporting interface look like?" OSHA’s Online Reporting Mock-Up: A Screen-By-Screen Overview Conveniently, OSHA’s provided a sneak-peek of their upcoming online reporting interface to us in the form of a mock-up. For more about OSHA’s mock-up, which we’ll summarize below, click here. So let’s take a look at what they mocked up, shall we? Remember, the images and explanations copied below are taken from an OSHA publication titled "Mockup of Proposed Web-Based Mechanism for OSHA’s Injury/Illness Data Collection" that was published 3/21/2012, so things may have changed a bit. For each screen on their website mockup, we’ll provide the following: The name of the screen Some general comments from us about that screen-that hopefully will make it easier to see what the screen does and where it fits into the website as a whole A picture of the screen so you can see it for yourself Some comments from OSHA about the screen, taken from the PDF that includes the mockup OSHA Injury/Illness Online Reporting Interface Schematic Diagram This is a schematic that represents the website as a whole. Each box represents different screens of the website, and the arrows show the general navigation paths. At this bird’s-eye view, you can see: The Home page includes a way to register and to log in There’s a User Dashboard screen that serves as the place from which you begin the various processes From the User Dashboard, you can review and/or update your past submissions, print your submissions, set your submission options (batch submit by Excel or XML), enter your establishment information and then complete Form 300A (that’s the horizontal flow in the middle of the screen), enter your establishment information and then complete Forms 300 and 301 (on the top of the screen), Submit and receive confirmations of your submissions Log out OSHA’s notes about the screen above: Actually, OSHA’s document has no notes for this screen. But I guess it’s straight-forward enough.  The Home Page Here’s the home page. You can see it includes ways to: Register for the online system Login after registering Contact OSHA with question, comments, etc. OSHA’s notes about the screen above: "For the purposes of this mockup, it is presumed that each submission is establishment-specific. Possible accommodations for "multiple" submissions (e.g., from a corporate location)—beyond batch submission—are not included in this mockup." The Registration Screen Here’s the registration screen. Registering looks simple enough, and the information you have to provide is pretty standard. OSHA’s notes about the screen above: "This page will register users and auto-generate a unique user ID and Password. This information will be sent to the email address provided on the Registration page when the user clicks the "submit" button. The user ID and password will be used for multiple submissions by the same user (e.g., quarterly submissions, or from year to year). When registering, the user will also be prompted to answer a hint question that will be used for a "Forgot your password?" mechanism." Sample Registration Confirmation Email After you register successfully, you’d get a confirmation email. That’s handy. The email would include: The URL (web address) you’d type in to access the system Your username Your password Contact information if you have questions Remember that we learned in the previous screen that OSHA’s website would automatically create your username and password. It’s probably a good idea to save this email in a folder within your email system if you can (or do something else that will make it easier for you to find in the future). It’s probably NOT a good idea to print this out and leave it laying around where anyone can find it and use it. As with a lot of these emails, notice that you shouldn’t reply back. But you’re probably used to that already. OSHA’s notes about the screen above: Again, they’ve included no notes here, but this one seems pretty straight-forward too. No harm, no foul. Login Page The login screen’s pretty basic, but I think that’s what you want in a login screen. Remember the system auto-generates your username and password when you register, and then sends that information to you via email. There’s a handy "forgot my password" feature too. You’ll need to answer a security question-something like "what’s your mother’s maiden name?" or "what’s the name of your first pet?" to get a reminder about this. OSHA’s notes about the screen above: ""Registration link will take the user to #2 in this document. "Forgot your password?" link will prompt user to respond to the hint question with the answer provided during user registration. If the correct answer is entered, an email will be sent (to the user email address entered during registration) with a login and url for resetting the user password."" User Dashboard 1 of 2 This is the dashboard screen where you begin making your submissions. The screen provides three links for making submissions depending on the number of employees you have and whether or not you’ve been notified by OSHA to submit reporting data. The screen also mentions that there are two options for submitting-using the online forms or performing "batch submission" in Excel or XML format. The batch submission option would allow a corporation with multiple sites to submit data for all those sites in one "batch." As we’ve seen earlier, there’s a phone number you can call for help. OSHA’s notes about the screen above: "Criteria link above will present the user with an informational pop-up describing the collection criteria: • ANUALLY: All establishments with 20+ employees that operate in one of the industries specified in Appendix A to subpart E of Part 1904 and for whom RK is required under Part 1904. • QUARTERLY: All establishments with 250+ employees and RK is required under Part 1904. Batch submission instructions link above will present the user with an information pop-up that includes instruction for generating and submitting batch data (e.g., multiples from a corporate headquarters) in acceptable formats (MS Excel or XML). Depending on the type of data submission, the user will click one of the 3 bullet links above and go to page 2 of the User Dashboard." User Dashboard 2 of 2-My Establishment Data Submissions This second screen of the User Dashboard lets you: View your previously submitted (and completed) submissions View your incomplete submissions Edit your complete and/or incomplete submissions Create a new submission You just click on the hyperlinked name in the Establishment Name column to edit a submission. Check the notes below this image for the comments about this screen from OSHA, because they mention changing a few things, including adding a new column. They also mention that "corrections" (which I take to mean edits to a submission) will be time-limited (which I take to mean you can only edit a submission for a certain length of time before it you can no longer edit it). OSHA’s notes about the screen above: "The screen-shot above is not necessarily representative of the actual page. For example, an additional column will be added to these tables to indicate the type of submission (e.g., annual, quarterly, special collection). In addition, complete submissions will include previous "quarterly" submissions for those establishments required to submit quarterly (and possibly from previous years). Users will be able to review and update completed submissions by selecting the Establishment Name link. Corrections will be time-limited. The "read-only" statement in the sample above will be deleted." Online Form, Page 1-Establishment Information The Establishment Address Information screen is where you’d enter information about your establishment. If you’re looking at the overall schematic, this is the first screen in the horizontal "flow" that runs through the middle of the schematic. A few things to notice here are: There’s a field for entering an SIC (although they offer an SIC look up feature). Here’s more about SIC numbers. There’s a field for entering an NACIS. Here’s more about NACIS numbers. There’s a field for entering your Establishment DUNS number (if available)   OSHA’s notes about the screen above: "This is the first of multiple data entry screens for all establishments submitting data. Users reach this page by selecting "Submit Data" on the previous Dashboard page. Exact data fields will be determined during system development. Basic validation will be included to ensure that required fields are completed and that data is entered into the appropriate format (e.g., numeric entries only in phone fields.) To minimize the level of effort per submission (e.g., quarterly submissions), data entered on the first form page (above) will be saved in the system and displayed for updating as needed." Online Form, Page 2-Log Summary & Employment Information (Form 300A) This is the form where some establishments will enter the Form 300A information. Check the notes from OSHA below this image. They mention that this form will only be seen by establishments with 20 or more employees: That operate in one of the industries specified in Appendix A to subpart E of Part 1904, and For whom RK is required under Part 1904, and thus Will submit summary data to OSHA annually OSHA’s notes about the screen above: "This form will only be seen by establishments with 20+ employees that (1) operate in one of the industries specified in Appendix A to subpart E of Part 1904 and (2) for whom RK is required under Part 1904; and thus will submit summary data to OSHA annually. Basic validation will be included to ensure that required fields are completed and that data is entered into the appropriate format (e.g., numeric entries only in phone fields.) In addition, ODI-specific validation can be incorporated to check for outlier data when the user clicks "submit." See following page for an example. Following submission of the 300A data, respondents will receive online confirmation and an email confirmation. See items 10 and 11." Example Data Validation Check This pop-up window would appear if you input data incorrectly when you were filling out Form 300A. OSHA’s notes below mention that they’ll make similar pop-ups if you make a similar error with Forms 300 and 301. Interestingly, if your data falls outside the expected parameters and you get one of these messages informing you of that, you’ll have the option to change the data or leave it as is. If you do that, apparently, you may get a phone call from OSHA soon to correct the error. Anyway, I like computer systems that tell me when I’ve made a mistake or may have made a mistake, so I like this pop-up. OSHA’s notes about the screen above: "Upon submission, users will be notified if data entered fall outside of set parameters and will have the option to fix the data before continuing with data submission OR ignore the edit condition(s) presented and continue with data submission. (This is an assumption based on current OSHA Log data collection.) This notification is presented as a pop-up on the data entry page when the user clicks the "submit" button. There are a number of edit condition checks already in use on the current ODI Respondent’s website that can be incorporated into the new data collection site. See example above. These checks, however, are specific to the 300A data. New edit checks will need to be developed and tested for the 300 and 301 data." Online Confirmation This is the message you get online to confirm your submission was accepted. Notice that you cna return to your dashboard to review, update, and even print your submission. OSHA’s notes about the screen above: OSHA’s got no comments on this screen, but then again, there seems no need for it. Email Confirmation Not only do you get an online confirmation when you complete a submission, you also get an email. That’s handy. Be sure to save these email confirmations-they could come in handy one day. You never know. OSHA’s notes about the screen above: Again-no comments. And again-no real need. Logout Confirmation This is the confirmation you’ll see when you log out. It’s a good idea to log out of the system and confirm that the logout succeeded so the next person who uses your computer can’t jump in and start creating problems. OSHA’s notes about the screen above: ""Log back in" link will return the user to the login screen." Online Form, Page 2-Complete Log (Form 300) Here’s the online screen for completing Form 300. Note that: You’ll need the Adobe PDF Reader, which will probably already have, to complete this form online. But if you don’t have it, don’t worry-you can download it here from Adobe for free. There’s a button for adding another form page When you complete this form and then click the Go to Form 301 button, the online system will use some of the information on this form to auto-fill some of the fields in the 301. That’s handy. This screen’s pretty straight-forward, but make sure to check the comments from OSHA below the image. They’ve been quite for the last few screens, but they’ve got quite a bit to say about this screen and the next one too. OSHA’s notes about the screen above: "This form will only be seen by establishments with 250+ employees and RK required under Part 1904 that submit log 300 data to OSHA quarterly. The example above shows the types of data that will be captured on this page. Some aspects of the look and feel may be adjusted during the development stage and will ensure that the data entry is straight forward and intuitive. Users will have the option of adding another 300 log page. If they choose to "Add a Form Page," they will get a blank form page like this one. The "Save Input" button will prompt users to (1) continue entering 300 data or (2) go to a Form 301 data-entry screen. After entering Form 300 data, the respondent will click "Go to Form 301 Page" to input the Form 301 data. Data elements that are redundant between the two forms will auto-fill in the Form 301 (i.e., case number, employee name, date of injury/illness). Following input of the 301 data, users will authorize and submit data (for both 300 and 301s). For quarterly submitters, it is anticipated that the system will give respondents the option to input data over multiple user sessions before the user authorizes the establishment’s quarterly submission." Online Form, Page 3-Incident Reports Form (Form 301) This is the screen where you fill in Form 301. You get here after filling in Form 300. If you hit Submit on this page, you’ll submit both Form 300 and Form 301. The next screen you’d see is the confirmation of submission. OSHA’s notes about the screen above: "This form will only be seen by establishments with 250+ employees and RK required under Part 1904 that submit 301 data to OSHA quarterly. The example above shows the types of data that will be captured on this page. Some aspects of the look and feel may be adjusted during the development stage and will ensure that the data entry is straight forward and intuitive. Users will have the option of adding more incident reports or, when finished, authorizing and submitting data. If they choose to "Add a Form Page" (i.e., another incident report page), they will get a fresh page like this one. By choosing "Authorize and Submit Data", they will go to the next screen. The "Save Input" button will prompt users to (1) continue entering 301 data (i.e., get a blank 301 form) or (2) authorize and submit data. For quarterly submitters, it is anticipated that the system will give respondents the option to input data over multiple user sessions before the user authorizes the establishment’s quarterly submission. As noted on prior page, data elements that are redundant between the Form 300 and the Form 301 will auto-fill in the Form 301 (i.e., case number, employee name, date of injury/illness). Possible Data Validation: When the user selects "Authorize and Submit Data" the system will compare the number of incident reports entered to the number of rows entered on the Log 300 data page and notify the user about any discrepancies." Online Form, Page 3-Authorize and Submit Data (Forms 300 and 301) This is the screen you’ll see after filling in forms 300 and 301 online. OSHA’s notes about the screen above: "Following submission of the Form 300 and 301 incident data, respondents will receive online confirmation and an email confirmation. See items 10 and 11 above for examples. Basic validation will be included to ensure that required fields are completed and that data is entered into the appropriate format (e.g., numeric entries only in phone fields.)" Conclusion Well, that’s it. Pretty interesting, huh? What are your thoughts about the online reporting requirements? What are your concerns? We’d love to read more about them below-leave a comment if you’ve got a few minutes. And speaking of questions and comments, OSHA has had a few public meetings and comment period extension on this one. Here are transcripts for meetings held on January 9 and January 10 in 2014. The comment period was then extended until October 14, 2014. Read more about that extension-which has now ended-here. Need an LMS, EHS training courses, or other help with your safety training program? Contact Convergence Training to learn more. The post OSHA’s New Injury and Illness Online Reporting Requirement: A Sneak Peek appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

By now, you’re no doubt aware that the Ebola epidemic has spread past Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and a small number of other west-African nations and has reached nations in other continents, including the United States. Given that, it’s a good idea to learn more about the Ebola virus and have a plan at your workplace in case the virus continues to spread. OSHA Resources about Ebola In response to recent events, OSHA’s created a Safety and Health Topic website that provides a lot of helpful information about Ebola, including some aspects specifically related to the workplace. We recommend checking it out. There are a large number of helpful resources on that OSHA site, but a few we found especially interesting are: Cleaning and Decontamination of Ebola on Surfaces in non-laboratory Settings Ebola Hazard Recognition OSHA Standards Related to Ebola OSHA’s Protecting Workers During a Pandemic Fact Sheet (this is not specific to Ebola but is still helpful) Additional General Resources about Ebola You may also want to check out some of these resources: General Ebola and/or Ebola and the Workplace Resources CDC Website about Ebola Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)Website on Emerging Infectious Diseases (including Ebola) NIOSH Website on Ebola Virus Disease World Health Organization (WHO) Website about Ebola New York Times article about avoiding "Ebola hysteria" Ebola Resources for Health Care Workers Guidance on Personal Protective Equipment To Be Used by Healthcare Workers During Management of Patients with Ebola Virus Disease in U.S. Hospitals, Including Procedures for Putting On (Donning) and Removing (Doffing) Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee from CDC and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Hospitalized Patients with Known or Suspected Ebola Virus Disease in U.S. Hospitals from CDC and HHS Safe Management of Patients with Ebola Virus Disease in U.S. Hospitals from CDC and HHS Ebola Resources for Emergency Responders Interim Guidance for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems and 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Points for Management Patients with Known or Suspected Ebola Virus Disease in the United States from CDC and HHS Ebola Resources for Airline Employees Interim Guidance about Ebola Infection for Airline Crews, Cleaning Personnel, and Cargo Personnel from CDC and HHS Infection Control Guidelines for Cabin Crew Members on Commercial Aircraft from CDC and HHS Guidance for Airlines on Reporting Onboard Deaths or Illnesses to CDC from CDC and HHS Guidance on Air Medical Transport for Patients with Ebola Virus Disease from CDC and HHS Interim Guidance for Environmental Infection Control in Hospitals for Ebola Virus from CDC and HHS Guidance for Managing Ill Onboard Patients from International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Ebola Resources for Mortuary and Death Care Workers Guidance for Safe Handling of Human Remains of Ebola Patients in U. S. Hospitals and Mortuaries from CDC and HHS Ebola Resources for Lab Workers Interim Guidance for Specimen Collection, Transport, Testing, and Submission for Persons Under Investigation for Ebola Virus Disease in the United States from CDC and HHS Interim Laboratory Guidelines for Handling/Testing Specimens from Cases or Suspected Cases of Hemorrhagic Fever Virus (HFV) from American Society for Microbiology Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) 5th Edition from CDC and HHS Biosafety Laboratory Competency Guidelines from CDC and HHS (appearing in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) The post Ebola at the Workplace: Some Helpful Guidances and Resources from OSHA and Others appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

If it’s fall and/or winter, it’s flu season. Knowing what the flu is, how to avoid it, and what to do when you have it can help you and the people around you stay healthy and limit sick time at work. So, we’ve created this free avoid the flu training course that covers the basics about the flu. The course is based on information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hope this helps. Need more information from Convergence Training about any training need? Drop us a line. We hope you enjoy this free Avoid the Flu training course. Don’t forget you can play the module here now, and you can also bookmark the site and come back to play it again later. The post Free Avoid the Flu Training Course appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.