Say you are working on a new training module or writing a new document and you need constructive feedback on the content. The best resource is a subject matter expert (SME), of course. However - are SMEs the only resource or can peers help with feedback? If you need constructive, detailed subject matter feedback, then go to your SME. But your peers can offer helpful information. Keep in mind that your peers (or other non-SMEs) may have ideas that help, but may not be the feedback you need.

When I’m asked if I like what I do, I share the story about my first experience as a "training consultant." I was working for a large communications company, and my role was to train our clients on the product they purchased. However, the training materials that were provided included generic fill-in-the-blank cards. When I saw what was being used, I was frustrated. We weren’t taking the time to work with our clients so that we could tailor the training content to their needs.

Companies put a LOT of money, time, and hard work into training their employees. New employee onboarding, job role training, compliance training-you get the picture. In many or most cases, that training includes some element of testing. People in learning and development often refer to this testing as "assessment" or "evaluation." We’re going to try to use the word "test" as much as possible in this article, though we’ll fall back on assessment from time to time. The problem is that after putting so much work into planning and creating the training materials, it can be easy to give short-shrift to the test part. And that can be a BIG problem because you don’t really know if your employees are learning what they have to learn if you’re not testing in one way or another. So you may be providing training that’s not effective for some, many, or all of your employees. And that’s why we’re going to focus on tests in this post-testing employees after training. Hope you find some stuff interesting and helpful. Convergence Training makes a number of solutions to help you with your training programs at work. These include a series of learning management systems (LMSs) to help you create, import, deliver, assign, track, and report on training, a large library of e-learning courses that are ready to plug and play in any LMS, and custom training solutions for any company. Contact Convergence Training if you have questions or if you want to see a demo. What You Want Your Workers To Do On the Job, Learning Objectives, and Tests Let’s begin by talking about some things that are closely related: the desired on-the-job performance of your workers, your learning objectives, and your tests. What You Want Employees To Do On the Job This should go without saying, but it’s a fundamental concept and so it’s worth starting here. You provide training because you want people to know things they need to know for the job, or because you want them to be able to do things they need to do on the job. In other words, you want to prepare them to use their knowledge and skills at work. So that’s the first part of the puzzle. Figure out what it is that you want employees to know or be able to do on the job. Learning Objectives After you’ve come up with a list of the things you want your employees to know or be able to do on the job, it’s time to create learning objectives for your training materials. We could write a much longer blog post about learning objectives. In fact, we have-check here and here. And there’s more to say than that, too. Although there’s a lot to say about creating learning objectives, we can boil it down to a few key points, and we have below. Tips for Creating Learning Objectives The basic idea of a learning objective is that it’s a simple, clear statement of what the employee should be able to do when the training is over. Here are some characteristics of a well-written learning objective: It’s something the worker has to do or know on the job It’s written as a performance-either something the employee does to demonstrate knowledge (don’t create learning objectives that include words like "know" or "understand" because that’s not something the employee can "do"), or it’s written as something they do to demonstrate a skill It’s written in a clear, non-ambiguous manner so that it’s easy for anyone to tell when the employee has satisfied the learning objective It may include not only a performance but also conditions-for example, not just "tighten a screw" but "tighten a screw using a wrench" It may include not only a performance but also a standard-for example, not just "detect a defective roll" but "detect defective rolls 100% of the time during an hour of production time" Hopefully that short list of bullet points helped. If you want to know more about learning objectives, check out those links above. Otherwise, we’ll move on to show how your learning objectives and your assessments should be related. Matching Your Learning Objectives and Your Tests This next point may be from the School of Obvious, but once you’ve determined what your employees need to know or do on the job, and then you’ve created learning objectives to match, you need to make sure you create tests that match as well. In other words, create tests that allow you to effectively determine if your employees have met those learning objectives. You’ll do this by creating one or more test items’ for each learning objective. By test item, we mean one part of your test. For now, think of this as a question within the test. There’s more to be said about tests, but if you remember that they should match your learning objectives, you’re already most of the way there. Testing Employees After Training: Knowledge Tests and Task-Based Tests You can test workers in many different ways, but generally they break down into two categories: Knowledge tests Task-based tests Let’s take a look at each. (See Note 3.) Knowledge Tests Knowledge tests are generally used to determine if your employee knows something or can apply that knowledge as opposed to whether or not they can perform a task. Knowledge tests include: True/false questions Multiple-choice questions Multiple-response questions Matching questions Drag and drop questions (some) Fill-in-the-blank questions Short answer questions Essay questions In short, it’s kind of a combination of the stuff you might have done in school and some stuff you might do in basic e-learning courses. Your knowledge tests should include one or more test items for each learning objective. Again, in common terms, this means one or more questions per learning objective. Task-Based Tests A task-based test is a test of your worker’s ability to actually perform a real job task in a real work environment (or a realistic simulation of the work environment). The idea is that your workers will actually perform the task or skill, not simply say, recall, select, or list as they would in the knowledge tests listed above. In some cases, your task-based test will ask your employees to perform the skill in real life. In other cases, your task-based test will ask your employees to perform the skill in some form of simulated environment. For example, airplane pilots are tested in sophisticated flight simulators, and I’ve seen similar simulators for crane operators. In other cases, the simulation may be something a little more simple, like an e-learning course that presents a work-like scenario and then asks the worker a question like "what would you do in this situation?" Your task-based tests will require your workers to perform one or more test item for each learning objective. Or, in more common terms, to complete one or more performance/behavior for each learning objective. You’ll typically have a supervisor evaluate the performance of the employees performing the task-based test. In those cases, you’d create a checklist or some form of rating scale that they can use to record their evaluations. Of course, in the simulation and scenario-based e-learning examples discussed earlier, a computer will record the results for you. When To Use Knowledge Tests and When to Use Task-Based Tests So now that you know you’ve got two big forms or types of assessments, the obvious question is which should you use when? As you might have guessed, you answer this by going back to the learning objective that your making the test for. When we discussed learning objectives above, we said they should always be written in the form of a performance or a behavior. For example, they should include verbs like state, list, match, select, operate, construct, etc. But even though the learning objective is ask for a behavior in the form of a verb, if you look closely, you can see some of the verbs are asking the employees to perform a behavior that demonstrates knowledge (these are the words like state, list, select, and match) and others are asking the employees to perform a behavior that demonstrates a skill or the ability to perform a task (operate, construct, build, etc.). So, in general, you can use a knowledge test or test item (such a a true/false or multiple-choice question) to test workers on their ability to satisfy a learning objective that asks for a performance that demonstrates knowledge (the objectives that ask for things like state, recall, list, match, select). And you can use a task-based test or test item (such as "turn the machine on" or "thread the materials through the machine") to test workers on their ability to satisfy a learning objective that asks for a performance that demonstrates that they have a given skill or can perform a given task. Here’s a list that may help: What You Want Employees to Do Testing Method Example Repeat facts Knowledge State, recall, list, etc. Explain concepts Knowledge Discuss, explain, etc. Apply understanding of a process to perform a job task Task-based Do, build, etc.-something performance-based Perform a procedure Task-based Do, perform, etc.-something performance-based Find and/or analyze information Task-based Find, analyze, apply, etc.-something performance-based Determine proper course of action given specific circumstances Task-based Do the next thing/step given these circumstances (or you might do this as a test assessment-explain the next thing/step) Perform a job task (create, build, construct, assemble) Task-based Build, construct, assemble, etc.-something performance-based Apply a principle Task-based Apply principles from training to react appropriately in given scenarios, etc.-something performance-based. Note: an example of this is a sales person making a sales demo/pitch to a various of "mock" customers during a training exercise Troubleshoot Task-based Diagnose and fix a problem Creating Your Tests Now let’s begin looking at the actual process of creating your tests and the test items within them. When to Create Your Tests MANY experts in instructional design and/or learning and development will tell you the best time to create your tests is right after you’ve created your learning objectives. That’s right-after you’ve created your learning objectives but BEFORE you’ve created your training content/activities. This may seem weird, funny, strange, or counter-intuitive to you. It did to me the first time I heard it. But it’s worth giving it a shot. Here are a few reasons why this makes sense: You just created the learning objectives, so they’re fresh in your mind. Now’s the time to create those tests-while the fire is hot. Remember your goal in creating tests is to make sure your employees can satisfy the learning objectives, so this linkage makes sense. If you create your training materials first and then create your training materials before you create your tests, you run the risk of letting something in the training materials pull your test off-target a bit. So, even if this sounds strange, why not give it a try and see how it works for you? Before You Create Your Tests Before you begin creating your tests, it’s worth your time to create a plan. While planning, consider the following issues: For each learning objective, what kind of test items do you need to create-a knowledge test or a task-based test? How many test items should you create in total? To determine this, know that you’ll need at least one test item for every learning objective. Then, you may decide to create more than one test item for some or all of the objectives. For example, some objectives may be more important than others-if so it’s OK to create more test items so you’re sure the workers can perform them. Or, your worker may have to perform a skill in different situations on the job-if so, it’s OK to create different test items for the performance of the skill in each of the different situations. What would be a passing score? To come up with this, you can use what seems to you the  lowest level of performance acceptable on the job. Or, you can get advice from subject matter experts (SME) who may have an opinion. One thing to keep in mind is that you may have different passing scores for the different learning objectives within your training-maybe some objectives are absolutely critical and require 100% passing, whereas others are less critical and 80% is OK. Evaluating Your Tests You’re not done just because you’ve created your tests. You should evaluate them to make sure they’re what we might call "good," although you’ll soon see that there are different words and measurements for how "good" a test or test item is. (These measures apply to both tests and the test items they contain, so we’re just going to refer to tests below.) Reliable Tests A reliable test measures the same thing in the same way every time. In other words, if you’ve got an employee who can’t meet the learning objectives, your test will tell you that every time. Likewise, if you’ve got an employee who can meet the learning objectives, your test will tell you that every time. In short, when everything else is the same, a reliable test will give the same results every time. A reliable test is a consistent measurement. An unreliable test is not consistent. For a visual analogy, think of a dart board with four darts spread all over the dart board. That’s not reliable because you’re not getting the same consistent results every time. Instead, the same action (throwing a dart or having a worker complete an assessment) gives wildly different results each time. Tips for Creating Reliable Tests Now that you know what a reliable test is, let’s see if we can give you some tips for creating them: Create tests that are at the correct difficulty level-match the test to the necessary job performance Create tests with enough test items so you can get a true understanding of whether or not your employees can satisfy the objective. In a perfect world, you’ll have several test items for each objective (this reduces the chances of something random skewing the results). Create well-crafted, well-thought-out, well-designed, well-written tests that aren’t vague, misleading, ambiguous, poorly written, or easy to guess. Review the items and have others review them for you before trying them for real with your employees. Don’t create tests that are difficult to answer or difficult to answer just because of the user-interface. In other words, don’t get too cute or be so sloppy that your employees can’t figure out how to answer. Create tests with an objective scoring basis. Don’t leave scoring up to the whims of one evaluator, or the different whims of multiple evaporators. Create a checklist or guide for evaluators so they all know what to look for and how to assess worker performance. Valid Tests A valid test is a test that correctly measures your employee’s ability. That’s different than simply giving the same results every time, which is what a reliable assessment does. Let’s look at an example: say you’ve got a team of machine operators, and you give them each a test to see if they can operate the machine. Each machine operator passes your test with a passing score of 100%. That’s very reliable-everyone got the same score. But then when you take those workers out onto the floor and ask them to operate the machine, and they can’t. So, your test  isn’t valid-it’s telling you everyone’s able to operate the machine, but they can’t. To go back to our visual metaphor of darts on a dart board, a valid test of four machine operators who CAN perform their job is like four darts all thrown at the bulls eye, a valid test of four machine operators who CAN’T perform this job is like four darts way off on the edge of the dart board, and a reliable test that’s not valid is like four darts all thrown in a tight grouping at the 2:00 position way over on the edge of the board. (See note 1.) Tips for Creating Valid Tests Now that you know what a valid test is and see why it’s an important concept, here are a few tips for creating valid tests: Make sure your test matches your learning objective. For example, if you want someone to be able to operate a machine, don’t create a test that asks them to explain how to operate a machine. Instead, assess their ability to actually operate it. Or, don’t test their ability to operate the machine but at a speed much slower than what they need to do on the job, or in an environment with fewer distractions. Instead, create a test that evaluates their ability to operate the machine at normal work speed and with normal work distractions. Match the difficulty of the test with the difficulty of the real-world task. This is similar to the point above, but bears repeating. Don’t make the test easier than the real-life task, or else you won’t know if your employees can perform the task on the job. And likewise, don’t make it harder, either-don’t test someone’s ability to run a marathon if they simply have to job 50 yards (that’s an analogy, but you get the point). Ask real-world experts (so-called subject matter experts) for their input in creating the test to match real-world expectations and experiences. Good Test Are Both Reliable and Valid You may have gathered this already, but we wanted to call it out directly. A good test needs to be both reliable and valid. Tests and Consequences One thing to think about is: "What are consequences for my workers if they pass or fail this test?" In some cases, maybe passing means they can go on to the next activity or module. And failing just means they have to take the test again, or they get some feedback from a manager intended to help them pass. In other cases, passing may mean they can be allowed to move on and do their job, and failing may mean they can’t. There are many factors to keep in mind when determining the consequences of a test, but the fundamental one is probably this: "How important is it that the employees satisfy the learning objectives?" If it’s a nice-to-have but not critical, the consequences should be low. If it’s critical-like there’s a life at stake, for example-the consequences should be very high. So, match the importance of the knowledge/skill with the consequences of the test. Be sure to communicate the consequences of the tests to your workers. Let them know what your reasons are for providing each test. Practical Tests Sometimes a test isn’t going to be perfect. Maybe it won’t be perfectly valid-only "pretty much valid," if you will. Or maybe it will test most of the learning objectives well but not all of them. Again, this is a case where you’ve got to look back to the importance of the knowledge and skills in the learning objectives, and then ask yourself if it’s OK to have a less-than-perfect test. In some cases, designing a perfect one isn’t really practical when you look at the time and expense. In other cases, it’s absolutely essential. (See Note 2.) Beta Testing Your Test Before You Use it For Real Once you’ve created your test, it can be tempting to rush it into action by giving it to real employees in a real assessment situation. But you shouldn’t. Before you use it for real, give it a: Final review Beta test with a small number of workers The Final Assessment Review Perform a final review of your test before you try it on any workers for real to try to catch any errors you made during the creation process.  You might do this on your own or with the help of a subject matter expert (SME). Here are some things to look for: The learning objective matches the assessment (you’re using a "knowledge"or "task-based" test correctly, you’re testing the right knowledge or performance, etc.) You’ve got the number of test items correct (at least one for each learning objective, more for the most important objectives, multiple test items if a performance has to be performed in different circumstances) Test items are a true match for the desired workplace performance: same performance, same difficulty, same circumstances, etc. Run a Limited Test With a Small Number of Employees After you’ve reviewed your test, give it a quick beta test with a small number of employees within the target training audience. Consider the following: Perform the beta test in the exact same circumstances that the real test will be held Make sure you’re delivering to a representative selection of the type of employees who will be taking the test Look for confusion or problems from the beta test audience; check their answers for things that everyone gets right or everyone gets wrong, as these outliers may signify a problem If you’re using a checklist or rating scale, look for problems with that, including problems reported by the evaluators (maybe they don’t understanding what it requires to get a check or what the different ratings signify) When to Perform Tests Now that you’ve got a test, you’ve got at least four options of when you’d deliver that test to your workers. They are: Before Training There are at least two reasons to give a test before your training. The first is if you need to make sure your employees can perform any necessary prerequisites that are required for your training. The second is to create a pre-test that might allow workers to "test out" of all or part of your training. In addition, you can compare the results of the test before training with results of the test after training to measure how much you’ve closed your gap. During Training You might provide some form of test during training to provide practice, give an opportunity for feedback to the employee, and let the employee judge where he/she is in terms of satisfying the learning objective. Immediately after Training This is the classic use of a test-at the end of training, to see if the employee can satisfy the objective(s). Some Period of Time After Training It might be worthwhile creating some form of test for later, after the employee has been on the job for a while. That’s because people often forget things after a short period of time. In fact, because people tend to forget things over time, it’s often recommended to provide refresher training-followed with a test. (See note 4.) Evaluating Your Tests Once They’re Implemented Once your test is "out there," you’ll begin acquiring plenty of data about it. You can use this data to evaluate your test and, if necessary, revise it. The kind of information you can use in your evaluation includes: Verbal reactions from your employees Average score on the test Score range for the test Percent of workers who pass and fail Percent of workers who never finish the test (and, hopefully, why) Questions everyone gets right (maybe these are too easy?) Questions everyone or a large number of people get wrong (maybe these are too difficult, not matched to your objective, or are written in a confusing manner?) Verbal feedback from your evaluators using checklists and rating scales You’re never really done creating any training material, and that’s true of your tests as well. You can constantly evaluate and revise when necessary. You should build the evaluation step into your process so it becomes a routine, part-of-the-job kind of thing. If you find something that needs rework, no big deal-just go back and make it better. Conclusion: Testing Workers After Training There you have it, a few ideas about testing and training. Hope you found some of this helpful and are able to put it into practice at work. Let us know if you have thoughts or questions. We plan on following up with some additional posts about testing in the future, so hang on for those as well. Until then, you may find the download below about learning objectives up your alley. Go ahead click-it’s free. Recommended Works about Testing I researched the following works while researching this article, referenced them throughout the article (see the Notes), and highly recommend that you check them out. Develop Valid Assessments, Patti Shank. Infoline: Tips, Tools, and Intelligence for Trainers, ASTD/ATD Press, December 2009. Evaluation Basics, Donald V. McCain. ASTD/ATD Press, 2005. Assessment Results You Can Trust, John Kleeman and Eric Shepherd, QuestionMark White Paper Brain Science: Testing, Testing-Thy Whys and Whens of Assessment, Art Kohn. Learning Solutions Magazine, April 20, 2015. Also, even though I didn’t reference these "testing" blog articles by Connie Malamed while writing this article, I recommend them nonetheless. I’ve read one or more of them in the past and remember they’re helpful, plus I just tend to find her stuff excellent. Actually, now that I have written this, I’m going to make it a point to review these articles and see if there isn’t some helpful information I can fold into this post (I’m sure there is). Notes: 1. I took the dart and dartboard visual analogy from the "Assessment Results You Can Trust" (Kleeman and Sheperd) white paper noted above in the Recommended Works section. It’s worth checking out their article for many reasons, but the have visuals of this dartboard idea and it really brings the concepts to life immediately. Well done, you two. 2. Many resources on tests and test items talk about validity and reliability, but the Develop Valid Assessments book by Shank referenced above also introduced the concepts of "stakes" and "feasibility." I thought they were worth including and discussing, but renamed them consequences and practicality. 3. The Shank book mentioned above introduces the idea of test and performance assessments. I’ve reworked it a bit to be knowledge tests and task-based tests. 4. The "Brain Science: Testing, Testing, Testing-The Whys and Whens of Assessment" article by Kohn mentioned noted above does an especially nice job of explaining this point (which is kind of big in learning and developing circles these days, it seems). The article mentioned is part of a series he’s working on, and it seems like the entire series will be relevant and of interest once he’s completed it, so keep your eyes on that. The post Testing Employees After Training: Best Practices for Workforce Evaluation appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

What would you do if someone told you something entirely new and you wanted to make sense of it, remember it, and use it later? For example, say I started telling you about a game you had never heard of. While you’re trying to figure it out, is it possible you might compare the new game to a game you already know? Have you ever done anything like that when you’re trying to learn something? Even better, would it also help if, while I told you about the new game, I explained how it’s similar to and different than a game you know? For example, if I know you understand soccer, and I’m trying to explain American football to you, would it help if I explained some similarities (it’s played on a rectangular, grassy field; you score by moving a ball down the field to a goal or zone at the other end) and also explained some differences (a soccer ball is round, a football is ovular; in soccer you kick the ball, in football you run with it or pass it; in soccer you score by kicking the ball into a net, in football you score by passing a line at the end of the field, etc.)? In this article, we’re going to see how using metaphors, similes, and analogies to create better training materials can help your workers understand, remember, and later use new information on the job more effectively. Convergence Training is a training solutions provider with many libraries of e-learning courses, a series of learning management systems (LMSs) for companies of different sizes and industries, custom training solutions, apps for mobile learning and work performance support on mobile devices, and more. Contact us to ask some questions, learn more, and set up a demo.  We Learn By Connecting New Information with Existing Information People learn and remember new information partly by integrating it with information already stored in their memory. In fact, "connecting" that new information with existing information makes it easier to understand, retain, and later recall and use that information when it’s needed. This is important information for a trainer or instructional designer. Your training materials will be more effective, meaning the learners you provide training to will be more likely to use the skills taught in training while on the job, if you help them connect new information in training to information that they already know. To do this, you should intentionally add elements to your training materials that help the learner make this connection. You can think of this as adding "hooks" to the new information that will "hook onto" the existing information. There are many ways to do this. Three simple, effective, and closely related ones are to include metaphors, similes, and analogies in your training materials. You’ve probably done this from time to time in your own training materials. In this post, we’ll explain just exactly what these are (in case you’ve forgotten from elementary school grammar class) and will give you some tips for using them. If you’re already aware of the value of metaphors and similes, then this will provide a good reminder to use them in your training. We can all use a reminder about best practices from time to time. Or, if you haven’t really thought about this before, you can use this as an opportunity to start doing so. "Learning involves the integration of new content from the instruction into existing schema in long-term memory. Activating prior knowledge in long-term memory that is relevant to the new content will optimize this integration process. Activation of prior knowledge means that existing related knowledge (schemas) in long-term memory is moved into working memory." Dr. Ruth Colvin Clark, Building Expertise: Cognitive Methods for Training and Performance Improvement, p. 55 What, In General, Are Metaphors, Similes, and Analogies? In general terms, metaphors, similes, and analogies are types of comparisons. They each compare something to something else. What’s a Metaphor? According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, a metaphor is "a word or phrase for one thing that is used to refer to another thing in order to show or suggest that they are similar." This website, created to teach school kids what metaphors are, has a lot of great examples that make this easy to understand.  Two examples from the website are: The snow is a white blanket. The hospital was a refrigerator. Looking at these examples, you can probably see what a metaphor is and see how a metaphor is used to make a comparison. Obviously, in the first example, the snow isn’t truly a white blanket. But the layer of snow on the ground does share some characteristics with the white blanket-the color (white), laying flat and smooth on the ground, and covering things. And in the second example, again, the hospital is clearly not truly a refrigerator. But, the hospital does have something in common with a refrigerator-most likely, that it’s cold inside. Notice two things about these metaphors (and metaphors in general). First, they use one thing to tell me something about another thing. In the first example, the white blanket tells me something about the snow (it could have been black or yellow snow, right?). And in the second example, the refrigerator tells me that the hospital is cold (it could have been a hospital in the American south during summer with a broken air-conditioner, right?). And second, they draw their power from the fact that I am already familiar with one of the items in the comparison. In the first metaphor, I am familiar with white blankets. I know they’re white, they can lay float and smooth, and they can cover things. In the second metaphor, I know something about refrigerators-in particular, I know they’re cold. What’s a Simile? A simile, according to Merriam-Webster, is "a phrase that uses the words like or as to describe someone or something by comparing it with someone or something else that is similar." So, again, we’ve got a comparison between two things. In this case, though, the comparison uses the words like or as. Here’s a website with a lot of examples of similes if you want to see some. Let’s look at two examples drawn from that website (both well known): The play was like watching paint dry. The night sky was as black as coal. If we look at our two similes, we see how they help explain things. The first simile tells me that the play was like watching paint dry. This tells me that play was boring and nothing of interest happened. The second similar tells me that the night sky was as black as coal. That tells me it’s very dark. And, as we did with metaphors, let’s notice two key things about similes. First, they use one thing to tell me something about another thing. In our examples, drying paint tells me something about the play and coal tells me something about the night sky. And second, they draw their power from the fact that I am already familiar with one of the items in the comparison. In the first simile, I know that it’s boring to watch paint dry. In the second simile, I know that coal is very black. Tips for Using Similes and Metaphors in Training We now know that (1) because similes and metaphors are comparisons, they can be used to compare new information to existing information, (2) people learn by relating new information to existing information, and (3) as a result, similes and metaphors can be effective in job training. With all that said, let’s look at some tips for using similes and metaphors effectively in training. Make Comparisons to Things People Know As you’ve seen, similes and metaphors draw their power from the fact that the learner knows something about one of the items in the comparison. It stands to reason, then, that if your learners don’t understand either item in a comparison or analogy, it won’t help your training. For example, the simile in "The night sky was as black as coal" draws its power from the fact that you and I know coal is black. But if I made this simile to you and you had never heard of coal and didn’t know it was black, it wouldn’t help you. There are a few things you can do to help make sure your learners understand your similes and metaphors. The first thing is to know some things about your learners. What kind of people are they? What are their experiences? What are their interests? What is their culture? What do they do at work every day? As is always true in training, the more you know about your learners and the more you craft your training to them, the more effective it will be. One easy tip here is to make comparisons to other things at work. Second, you can make similes and metaphors that use information that’s commonly known. Don’t get too esoteric when you’re making these comparisons. For example, I’m a fan of jazz and I studied philosophy in college a bit. Once, while explaining how to use a learning management system (LMS) to a class full of workers, I used a simile that compared the philosophy of using an LMS to 1960’s avant-garde jazz and French existential philosophy. Predictably, this went over like a lead zeppelin (hey, there’s another simile). I learned my lesson and haven’t done the same since. One way to avoid my blunder is to use similes and metaphors that compare new information to information that you know your workers are familiar with. To do this you can also try making comparisons to things that are commonly known in culture-a hit TV show that everyone watches, the big summer blockbuster movie, the big sports event, and so on. But you’ve got to be careful-even if you’re confident that everyone is familiar with something, from time to time you’ll find someone who’s not. One good way to to avoid this trap is to simply ask your learners if they know something before you use a comparison based on it. For example, let’s return to the idea of teaching someone about American football by using similes and metaphors about soccer. It’s not a bad idea to start this by asking "Hey, are your familiar with soccer?" If they say yes, then make your metaphor/simile. If they say no, then shift gears. Make Comparisons That Make Things Simpler Metaphors, similes, and other comparisons work especially well when they simplify things. For example, you could try to tell me about the shape and size of an American football field by listing off the dimension, but that would probably get pretty complicated. Or, you could say something like "It’s shaped like a soccer field but is a little smaller" and that would probably very efficiently communicate what I need to know. The flip-side to this one is that you don’t want to make an especially intricate, complicated, or difficult-to-grasp simile/metaphor. Even if you think it’s witty or brilliant. Make Comparisons When They’re Helpful Although similes and metaphors CAN and DO help training, that doesn’t mean you should use them willy-nilly and sprinkle them everywhere. Remember, your goal is to help workers learn new information, and that these can be especially helpful if the information is complex or difficult and would benefit from simplification. Don’t waste your time (and your learner’s working memory space) by creating similes and metaphors when you’re discussing things people already know. Include Concrete and/or Visual Information If you look at our examples above, you’ll see that our analogies and similes often refer to concrete objects: coal, a refrigerator, a soccer field, drying paint, etc. Similes and analogies work well when you’re comparing new information to something concrete like this. That is often easy in job training (or can be) because you may be referring to things people work with: "form x is like form y," "this press is like that machine," "this product is like that product," etc. You’ll also notice that we included a lot of information that appeals to the senses, especially our sense of sight: snow is white a flat, coal is black, etc. We’re visual creatures-our brains are well-adapted to processing visual information. And studies show that including visual information can dramatically improve training effectiveness. It stands to reason, then, that using metaphors and similes that cause the learner to create a mental image may increase the effectiveness of the training as well. Don’t Use Comparisons That Are Potentially Misleading Sometimes you’ll use a simile or metaphor that you think is very clear, but it may actually confuse your learners. For example, let’s consider one of the two examples of a metaphor that we gave at the top of this article: The hospital was a refrigerator. The intention here is to say that the hospital was cold or chilly. But my learner might think it means the hospital was full of food (that’s true of refrigerators, right?). Or, maybe they’ll be especially poetic, and think that just as a refrigerator stores food in an impersonal way, the hospital stores human bodies in an impersonal way. In each case, the metaphor you used to try to help clarify and simplify could end up creating confusion. So, DO try to use similes and metaphors, but remember to think about them critically and see if they create any potential confusion. Use Visual Metaphors Along those lines, something we haven’t directly talked about yet is making visual metaphors in training materials. In a visual metaphor, you use visuals to make the comparison between two things. For example, consider this image from the Green Liquor Clarifiers e-learning course (this is a course about a topic in paper manufacturing and was created by Convergence Training). The course, and the audio that accompanies the image below, is explaining the different amounts of "drag" on particles of different shapes as they fall and settle through a substance. The visual metaphor used represents the particles as skydivers falling through air. The larger the surface area presented by the particle/skydiver, represented by the width of the arc, the more drag. Create Better Training Visuals Example: Use Visual Metaphors You can use this kind of visual metaphor in many types of training. For example, if you’ve got a white board, you can often draw a visual metaphor on the board. However, this type of visual metaphor is perhaps a particular strength of e-learning courses. For more about visual similes and metaphors, read this interesting article by the well-known learning theorist Chopeta Lyons. Well, What’s an Analogy? If we know what a simile and an analogy are, you may still be wondering what an analogy is. Basically, an analogy is a comparison as well. Going back to our friends at Merriam-Webster, they say an analogy is "a comparison of two things based on their being alike in some way." So you can think of the word analogy as an "umbrella term" that includes both metaphors and similes, since they’re both types of comparisons based on things being alike in some way. In addition, some analogies can be thought of as longer, more extensive comparisons than similes and metaphors. One of our favorite instructional design bloggers, Connie Malamed, has a blog post about using analogies in training. Her article covers similar ground to this one, but has some unique aspects as well. You may want to check it out. Quick Quiz: Did you notice the metaphorical use of the word umbrella in the phrase umbrella term above? What’s an umbrella? Something you can put things under, right-like two people, for example? In the metaphor above, we used the phrase "umbrella term" to suggest you can put the concepts of metaphors and similes under the concept of analogies. So, just as two people can fit under an umbrella, the two concepts of similes and metaphors can fit under the concept of an analogy. Like all good training comparisons, we’ve taken some new information (the relationship between similes/metaphors and analogies) and compared it to some existing information (how two people can fit under an umbrella). Have you ever used the word "bucket" to refer to classifying information-such as "well, that goes in our safety bucket, and that goes in our production bucket?" If so, you’re made a similar type of metaphor. Your Experiences: Using Metaphors, Similes, and Analogies To Create Better Training We’d love to hear from you in the comments section below. What are some similes, metaphors, or analogies you’ve used in training? Did they work or didn’t they? Why did they work? Why didn’t they? Or, what are your own tips for creating effective ones? Obviously, it takes some thinking and some creativity. Who’s got some good ideas to share about how to come up with these? The post Using Metaphors, Similes, and Analogies to Create Better Training appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

If you’re new to safety, you may wonder what OSHA means by the phrase competent person. Or even how one becomes an OSHA competent person. In this article, we’re going to give you the straight skinny. We’ll start by giving you the general definition of the phrase that OSHA provides in 1926.32(f). But that’s not the full story, because some standards make additional requirements about competent persons. And so we’ll provide some links to help you find those standards. And finally, we’ll give you some more links for related OSHA Fact Sheets, e-Tools, Quick Cards, and more. With luck, this will give you any and all information you need about competent persons and the OSHA regulations. Convergence Training is a training solutions provider that makes a library of health and safety e-learning training courses, a variety of learning management systems, and custom health and safety training solutions too. Contact us for more information or to set up a demo. Definition: Competent Person (OSHA) In 1926.32(f), competent person is defined as "one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them." As you probably know, 1926 is the set of OSHA regulations for the Construction industry. There is no equivalent definition for the phrase competent persons in 1910.2, the definitions at the beginning of the OSHA General Industry regulations, but OSHA seems to use the 1926 definition universally throughout their materials. Anyone have some thoughts or additional comments on that? I’d be curious. On OSHA’s Safety and Health Topics page dedicated to competent persons, OSHA puts the definition from the regulation into slightly more familiar language: "By way of training and/or experience, a competent person is knowledgeable of applicable standards, is capable of identifying workplace hazards relating to the specific operation, and has the authority to correct them. Some standards add additional specific requirements which must be met by the competent person." Standards With Additional Specific Requirements to Be Met By Competent Person If you notice that definition just above, OSHA mentions that some standards include additional specific requirements a person has to meet as a competent person. OSHA’s been kind enough to provide a list of those for you. Just click the following link for a list of the OSHA standards that use the phrase competent person. Please note the link above also takes you to some additional information OSHA has pulled together about mentions of competent persons in: Preambles to final rules Directives Standard interpretations Full disclosure: We started copying all those links and writing them down in this post, but it was maddeningly boring and we didn’t seem to be providing any value to you that OSHA didn’t already provide in their list. So, we hope you don’t hold it against us that we quit and gave up. Hats off to someone at OSHA for putting a lot of work into that list. Additional OSHA Documents or Resources Referring to Competent Persons OSHA has also provided a list with links to publications, e-tools, and similar resources that include additional information about competent persons as mentioned in specific regulations or work scenarios. We’ve provided those for you here. Scaffold Use in the Construction Industry Guide Suspended Scaffolds e-Tool Steel Erection Inspection e-Tool Residential Fall Protection Program Update Cranes and Derricks Wire Rope Inspection Fact Sheet Fall Prevention Training Guide Reducing Falls During Residential Construction Fact Sheet Job-Made Wooden Ladders Fact Sheet Powered Platforms Fact Sheet Working Safely in Trenches Quick Card Trenching and Excavation Safety Fact Sheet Your Experiences: Are You an OSHA Competent Person? So what about you? What are your experiences? Are you an OSHA competent person? If so, in what work context? Or, if you’re an employer, how difficult is it for you to identify and designated your competent persons? What issues are involved? If you’ve got something to share, the comments section below is waiting for you.   The post What Is an OSHA Competent Person? appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

Some people in learning and development are old hands with e-learning authoring tools (also just called authoring tools). In some cases, perhaps, to the point that the authoring tool becomes a bit old hat. No, I doubt that. I just wanted to make an old hand/old hat joke. Because what e-learning authoring tools let you do is pretty amazing, pretty powerful, and pretty darned fun. On the other hand, though, almost every week I meet people in training almost who don’t use e-learning authoring tools and don’t even know what they are. Sure, once you explain what an e-learning authoring tool is, they can tell you that they figured there must be some software application that did something like that. But they’re always pretty interested to know more, too. So, especially for those who are new to e-learning authoring tools, we’ve put together this quick explanation. If we only whet your appetite and leave you with more questions, please use the comments section below. On the other hand, if you’re a authoring tool power user, we invite you to add your insights down below too. Let us know what your favorite ones are, and why, in particular. We’ll follow up this blog post by taking more "deep dive" views at various e-learning authoring tools and by creating an e-learning authoring tool comparison article at some point in the (hopefully near-term) future. Convergence Training is training solutions provider. We make many libraries of e-learning courses for job training and a series of learning management systems (LMSs) for companies of different sizes and in different industries. We also create custom training solutions for our customers and mobile device apps for performance support and other training-related needs. Contact us for more information or to set up a demo. Click to download our free 39-page Effective Manufacturing Training Guide. We’ve promised we’re going to tell you what an e-learning authoring tool is, and we will. But before we get started, we thought you’d like to know about two related resources we have for you: Blog Post Demonstrating How to Use an e-Learning Authoring Tool. This comprehensive post provides a step-by-step example of how to use an e-learning authoring tool to create your own e-learning course. It is full of helpful pictures, too. 30-Minute Webinar Demonstrating How to Use an e-Learning Authoring Tool. This webinar covers much of the same material that the blog post above does, but you can listen to a recorded voice instead of reading and you can see recorded "live action" including mouse clicks and such. OK, now, without any further ado, let’s get to the meat of the matter. What Is an Authoring Tool? Probably the simplest way to think of it is that an authoring tool is a software application that lets you create your own multimedia software titles. You COULD use an authoring tool to create an interactive multimedia element on a website. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen both the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times do just this. But, within training or learning & development, it’s more common to think of authoring tools as something you’d use to create a interactive multimedia training course. Or, to use a common term, an e-learning course/online course. That’s why I like to refer to them as e-learning authoring tools instead of just authoring tools. At least until we all know what we’re talking about. Do You Have To Be A Computer Programmer to Use An Authoring Tool? Nope. The cool thing about authoring tools is that you DON’T have to know how to write computer programming code to create your own course. They’ve kind of "built that into" the background of the authoring tools. All you do is click some buttons and point at some files and the authoring tool and the hidden computer programming behind it do the hard work for you. Or at least that bit of hard work for you. Of course, as we’ll see below, there are a variety of authoring tools on the market. Some are easier to use than others. Some that provide very limited features are also quite simple to use. Others that provide more power and flexibility also start to introduce more complexity for the user. But, in general, they’re all pretty easy to use. What Do You Have to Know To Use an Authoring Tool? There ARE a few things you need to know. Obviously, even if you don’t have to do any computer programming, you do have to learn how to use the authoring tool. But as I said before, most of them are pretty intuitive and easy to learn. In addition, the companies that make them do a pretty good job of helping you use their products. And there are lots of users groups at the company websites or on social media sites like LinkedIn that you can join and begin learning from people just like you. In addition, though, you really should know a few things about instructional design and/or training. That’s really where the hard work comes in-designing an effective learning experience. Check this out to learn more about instructional design and training: Free 39-page Guide to Effective Manufacturing Training And finally, it doesn’t hurt to know a little about graphic design and to be able to create some visuals. This isn’t necessary, and the programs help you a lot with that too, but it’s definitely a plus. Check out these articles for some tips about e-learning visuals: 25 Graphic Design Tips for e-Learning Matching Training Graphics to Training Content And while you’re at it, check out these articles about e-learning audio and/or written text: Tips for Writing Effective Training Materials Tips for Formatting Written Training Materials Can You Begin Creating an e-Learning Authoring Course by Starting With a PowerPoint Presentation? Yes. Many of these authoring tools are designed so you can create a lot of the materials in PowerPoint. Then you just open the PowerPoint presentation in your authoring tool and add interactivity. Check out that blog post we mentioned earlier that demonstrates how to make your own e-learning course to see an example of this. What Format(s) Do e-Learning Authoring Tools Publish To? e-Learning authoring tools allow you to publish the finished product in various different formats. Of course, the most common formats are SCORM, AICC, and Tin Can. These are e-learning standards that allow the e-learning course created with an authoring tool to be imported into a learning management system (LMS) and work correctly (or, in the case of Tin Can, into something like an LMS called a learning record system, or LRS). For example, all of the e-learning courses created by Convergence Training are created using an authoring tool. Of course, we have to do the hard work of creating all the stunning 3D-animation on our own. Here’s some additional information that may be helpful: What is SCORM? What is an LMS? In addition, though, you can export into other formats, including an executable (.EXE) file that you can launch and run from a computer or DVD and Flash, which you can then play from a webpage. For example, here are few things I created in an authoring tool, published in the Flash format, and put on the Convergence Training blog: Interactive Glossary of Terms in the Corrugated Industry Lockout/Tagout Word Game (kind of like the TV show "Wheel of Fortune") Free Hot Work Training Course Free Hierarchy of Controls Training Course Free Hazard Communication (HazCom)/GHS Training Course MSHA/Surface Mine Safety Training Manager’s Part 46 Self-Quiz While we’re chatting about publishing formats, check out this article about HTML5, too, which is becoming important in e-learning. Who Makes e-Learning Authoring Tools? Although we make LMSs and e-learning courses, we don’t make an authoring tool. We’re not trying to sell you something with this article. That said, there are a LOT of e-learning authoring tools out there. To my knowledge, here are some of the industry leaders, with links to webpages where you can learn more. Articulate Studio Articulate Storyline Adobe Captivate Lectora Publisher Lectora Snap iSpring Camtasia Studio Rapitivity Those are some of the big players in the market, but there are more. Here’s an even longer list of authoring tools on the market. Is One Authoring Tool Better Than The Others? No, not really. They each have their own merits. It’s best to figure out what you want to do with an authoring tool, then do some comparison shopping. That said, here’s one ranking, here’s another ranking, and here’s a comparison. How Much Do e-Learning Authoring Tools Cost? Again, this varies from product to product, but we’ve seen some freebies (we didn’t mention Screenr before but it’s worth bringing up here), some for as little as $99, and some that will set you back between $1,000-$1,500. But here’ s a hot tip for ya: Many if not all have free trial downloads that let you check out their product  before you buy. We’ve done that ourselves and benefited from it. Give this a shot if you want to find out what each does and what products fit your needs best. Your Turn: Your Questions or Opinions about Authoring Tools OK, that’s it from us. At least in this post. What about you? Do you have any questions about authoring tools? Or opinions to share? Lay ’em on us in the comments section below.                       The post What Is an e-Learning Authoring Tool? appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

Are you thinking about getting your health and safety training program "online?" If so, you’ve come to the right place, because in this article, we’re going to explain what an online health and safety training program is and what it can do. You may find it’s bigger than you’re thinking right now. So with those beginnings, let’s get on topic, huh? Convergence Training is a training solutions provider that creates online training solutions-and more. We’ve got a large library of health and safety e-learning courses, a series of learning management systems (LMSs) to administer all types of training (not just e-learning), apps for mobile devices that can be used for training and performance support, custom training solutions, and more. Contact us for more information. "Online" Health and Safety Training Many people think of e-learning courses when they think of online health and safety training or of online training in general. And e-learning courses are part of the online training package. But it’s only one part. Let’s turn our attention to the different parts of online health and safety training, starting with something called a learning management system. From there we’ll move on to talk about different types of online training, including e-learning, checklist/task-based training, written training materials, and quizzes. What Is a Learning Management System (LMS) and How Can It Be Part of an Online Health and Safety Training Program? The first part of the online learning equation is a software application called a learning management system (LMS). You can use an LMS to administer your health and safety training program. That means doing things like: Assigning training to workers, including "one-and-done" training assignments and recurrent assignments for training that must be completed repeatedly Letting workers see the training assignments they’re responsible for completing Letting workers see their current complete/incomplete status on assigned training Providing workers the ability to enroll in optional training in addition to assigned training Letting workers view and complete some (but not all) assigned training online-including e-learning courses and training of other types as well Letting workers repeat training as a refresher if they wish Updating training materials to create new versions, creating a repository of all versions of training materials, and tracking which workers completed which versions Assessing learner’s understanding of training through online tests/quizzes and also through field-based assessments of job task performances Storing records of completed training Printing certificates for completed training Allowing reporting on completed training (and other training-related reporting) Automatically emailing reports to LMS administrators And more… So in short, an LMS is a software system that completely automates many time-consuming tasks related to training and that makes other training-related tasks much easier and simpler to perform. The basic idea isn’t rocket science and you already use computer systems to save time and make your life easier in many other parts of your work life and your life at home. Why not use computers to save you money and time while administering your safety and health training, too? The image below shows you what an LMS looks like to the average employee who logs in to view/complete his or her assigned health and safety training. And here’s what an LMS looks like to health and safety training managers who use the LMS to administer training. On the screen below, you see all the various training activities loaded into the system or created directly in the system. Note there are computer-based courses (e-learning) as well as other forms of training, including written documents and instructor-led classes. To learn more about LMSs and how they can be used for training, check some of the articles below: What Is a Learning Management System (LMS)? Choosing an LMS: How To Get It Right The First Time Free Downloadable LMS Evaluation Checklist Better Safety Training with an LMS and e-Learning Courses Combining OJT With Your LMS LMSs and Onboarding New Employees Is an LMS Only Good for Online Learning/e-Learning Courses? Quick Answer-Nope Learning Management Systems, Document Control, and Management of Change Processes Types of Training You Can Deliver Online Via an LMS Now that you know what an LMS is and have a general idea of how you can use an LMS as part of an online health and safety training program, let’s turn our attention to the "type" of training you can use with an LMS. The short answer is: all of it. e-Learning courses, instructor-led training, field-based/task-based training incorporating checklists, written training materials, and more. In some cases, such as e-learning, you can use the LMS to do just about everything: assign, deliver, track completion, run reports, etc. In other cases, such as instructor-led training, you can’t deliver the training online via the LMS, but you can still use the LMS to assign, track completion, and run reports. In the sections below, we’ll focus on four types of training you can deliver to your employees online: e-Learning courses Online task-based training incorporating checklists Written training materials Quizzes e-Learning Courses Maybe you know these as e-learning courses, or as CBTs, or by yet another name. But when most people think of online training, this is what they’re thinking of. They’re courses delivered online and focused on specific training topics. e-Learning courses typically have many or all of these features: Visual images, audio narration, and written audio script to provide training in a wide variety of information forms, helping to support the learning needs of as many employees as possible Screen navigation and video play/pause/replay controls to allow your employees to proceed through training at their own preferred training pace Unscored questions to reinforce key points to employees and provide an opportunity for practice and feedback Scored tests to assess the employee’s understanding on a pass/fail basis The ability to review a course at any time, 24/7, as a refresher You’ve probably seen health and safety e-learning courses before, but here’s one example-a still image from an e-learning course about forklift safety that illustrates the "stability triangle." Here’s a short video sample from the same forklift safety e-learning course: Looking for more examples? Check our health and safety training library and our mining safety library. e-Learning courses offer lots of benefits for your training, including: In some cases, e-learning provides more effective training than other training methods. This can be because of e-learning’s ability to deliver sophisticated visuals, for example. e-Learning gives your workers more control and flexibility over things like the pace of training. At times when training delivered in different methods is equally effective, e-learning may be the most cost-effective training solution when training can be delivered equally effectively in various training methods. e-Learning can be easier to use when delivering training to a large workfoce on a "just-in-time" basis. e-Learning makes it easier for workers to access and view training again for periodic refreshers. e-Learning makes it easier to deliver a standard, consistent training message than (for example) instructor-led training. You probably know you can buy e-learning courses from training providers. You can get them "off the shelf" or have them made custom for your training needs. But did you know you can also make your own e-learning courses for health and safety training? It’s true and it’s easy enough. Want to know how? Here are some helpful resources: An article that shows you how to create your own e-learning course A webinar that shows you how to create your own e-learning course Well, that’s a lot about e-learning, but  if you’re still curious, check some of the articles below to learn more about e-learning and health and safety training. Better Safety Training with e-Learning and an LMS Using Visuals for Better Safety Training 25 Graphic Design Tips for Better e-Learning e-Learning or DVD? What’s Better? Online Courses for MSHA Part 46 New Miner Training "Chunking" for Improved Mining Safety Training e-Learning for Standard, Consistent Training Messages Using Visuals for Better Mining Safety Training Online Training for Site-Specific, Task-Based Procedural Training (Job Skill Training) Although e-learning courses can be a great addition to your online health and safety training solution, they’re not the only type of online training you can use within an LMS. For example, many work places have to train workers on the correct and/or safe way to perform certain job skills or procedures. One handy way to do this is with an online "checklist"-type of tool. You can use the checklist to teach a procedure to a worker and/or to later evaluate if the worker is performing the procedure in a proper, safe manner. If you work in manufacturing or industry, you probably are familiar with this type of training even if you don’t do it online. And if you’re part of the "lean manufacturing" world, you probably also know this basic idea from the Training Within Industry Job Instruction (JI) method of teaching job skills. Here’s an example of a "Tasklist" below. It was created directly inside an LMS with tools that come built-into the LMS. It’s a simple safety-based procedural skill-how to operate a fire extinguisher using the PASS method. This can be assigned to a worker online. The worker can view the procedure that he/she has been assigned and all the steps. You can even add images and/or video files illustrating how to perform each step if you wish. You’ll note that there’s a place where an instructor can "check the worker off" for each step in the process. These can be used so that an instructor can take the worker out into the field and have the worker perform each step while the instructor evaluates the worker’s performance. If you want, you can create the Tasklist so it requires dual check-offs from the worker and the instructor, and you can even use the LMS to capture signatures from both. Click here to read more articles about checklists, job training, and learning management systems: Checklists and LMSs Atul Gawande’s Book "The Checklist Manifesto" Free PSM Compliance Checklist Free Employee Silica Exposure Checklist Free Portable Ladder Safety Checklists Free Powered Industrial Trucks Operational and Safety Checklists Free Machine Guarding Checklists Written Materials (Such as SOPs, Policies, and PowerPoints) as Part of Your Online Health and Safety Training Program You can also use written materials as part of your online health and safety training program. For example, below is a PDF about the proper use of respirators. This could be assigned to workers. It would then be their responsibility to read the document. There’s even a place where they can check off, acknowledging that they have read and understood it. Self-Created Online Quizzes as Part of Your Online Health and Safety Training Program Another aspect of "online health and safety training" is the ability to create your own online quizzes, assign them to workers, and have them completed through the LMS online. This allows you to create your own, entirely site-specific quizzes that match the health and safety training requirements at your work. You write the questions, you mark the correct answers, you write the feedback for people who get the answer correct or incorrect, and you set the passing score. Conclusion: Online Health and Safety Training Is More Than Just e-Learning By now we hope you’ve got a better idea of what an online health and safety training solution can do. Maybe one or two things caught you by surprise? Maybe pleasantly? The LMS allows you to automate many of the functions you’re doing manually today. Say goodbye to all the scheduling logistics, the manual creation of training records, storing records in multiple locations, trying to keep track of training that must be taken repeatedly, paper-based tests, and more. You also saw four different ways an LMS can deliver training materials, through e-learning, field-based tasklists, online quizzes, and even written materials (in formats like PDF and PowerPoint). And we only mentioned, but didn’t go into detail, how the LMS can help you administer training that doesn’t occur online, such as instructor-led training. You can notify assigned learners and inform them of the time and location, allow them to download an agenda or pre-class reading material before they arrive, grant them credit for attending, store completion records, run reports, and more. Let us know if you’ve got any questions. You can use the comments field below or just contact us with any questions or to set up a demo. Got another two minutes? Check out our Enterprise LMS Overview video. The post What is Online Health and Safety Training Really, and What Can it Do? appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

OSHA recommends that every workplace set up a Safety and Health Management program. The fact that OSHA says it’s a good idea is a pretty persuasive reason to do it, we think. (Along those lines, you may be interested in this proposed rule for safety and health management programs from OSHA-a hat tip to Troy J. Gonyon for pointing this out to me on LinkedIn.) But in addition, creating a safety and health management program also decreases incident rates, including injuries and illnesses. And that’s good. And health and safety management programs also have a financial benefit, saving companies money. So win/win/win, right? In this article, we’ll explain more fully some of the reasons for having a safety and health management program that we just introduced above. Then we’ll explain the features of a safety and health management system. And we’ll include information and helpful links to other resources that can help you create, implement, and maintain your safety and health management program. By the time you’re done reading this, you’ll have enough information to get moving in a positive direction, or maybe add some additional tweaks to your existing health and safety management program. Convergence Training is a training solutions provider that makes a library of health and safety e-learning training courses, a variety of learning management systems, and custom health and safety training solutions too. Contact us for more information or to set up a demo. Note: Much of the information in this article is drawn from OSHA’s Safety and Health Management Systems e-tool, which is a great resource and which itself includes a lot of links to other great safety and health resources. Check it out! What Is a Safety and Health Management Program? According to OSHA: "A safety and health management system is a proactive, collaborative process to find and fix workplace hazards before employees are injured or become ill. The benefits of implementing safety and health management systems include protecting workers, saving money, and making all your hazard-specific programs more effective. " Sounds good, right? Is There a Need for Safety and Health Management Programs? Yes. According to OSHA, almost 50 people are injured on the job EVERY MINUTE of the 40-hour work week. Think about that-that’s a lot! Actually, that’s so much we figured we’d do some math on that. It turns out we’re talking about 36,000 injuries on the job every week, or 1,872,000 injuries on the job each year. If all those injured people had to move together to form a new city, they’d create the fifth biggest city in the United States-just behind Houston and ahead of Philadelphia. The same OSHA document explains that 17 workers day on the job every day. Again, take a look at that number. Each day, 17 people never come home from work. Imagine what this does to their families, friends, and loved ones. Again, we did some additional math with that one. That works out to 85 deaths on the job per week, or 4,420 deaths on the job each year. The town I grew up in had about 10,000 people, so that’s about half of my home town. Or to put that a different way, just under 3,000 people died on 9-11, which means every year more people die at work in America than the number of people who died on 9-11. That’s sobering when you think of it that way. So yeah, there’s a need for safety and health management programs at work. That seems obvious enough. What Are The Benefits of Having a Safety and Health Management Program at Work? By creating a safety and health management program at work, you’ll reap many benefits. Let’s look at some now. Fewer Injuries and Illnesses This one is a no-brainer. Let’s look at a few statistics from OSHA to back to this: "Since OSHA was created 28 years ago, workplace fatalities have been cut in half. Occupational injury and illness rates have been declining for the past five years. In 1997, they dropped to the lowest level since the U.S. began collecting this information." Cutting workplace injuries fatalities in half is pretty impressive. And so are year-after-year declines of injuries and illnesses and lowest-ever-levels since data has been collected. And how about this one? "Our premier partnership, the Voluntary Protection Program continues to pay big dividends. Today [at] more than 500 workplaces, representing 180 industries….injury rates are 50 percent below the average for their industries." Again, 50% is significant and worth noting. Financial Return on Investment (ROI) According to OSHA, studies have shown that every dollar ($1) invested in health and safety has an ROI of $4-6. You’d jump at that if a bank were offering that kind of return for your own money. Why not make the same no-brainer investment in health and safety? And how about this fact from OSHA: "Our premier partnership, the Voluntary Protection Program, continues to pay big dividends. Today more than 500 workplaces, representing 180 industries, save $110 million each year [due to their participation]." $110 million is nothing to sneeze at. You  might note that’s spread amongst 500 workplaces and think maybe that’s not so much, but doing a little math you see that comes out to $220,000 per workplace, which against isn’t sneeze-worthy. Even eliminating one common cause of injuries would make a major difference. Again, let’s look at some facts from OSHA: "Nearly one-third of all serious occupational injuries and illnesses stem from overexertion or repetitive motion. These are disabling, expensive injuries. They cost our economy as much as $20 billion in direct costs and billions more in indirect costs." Twenty billion is a lot of money. For example, there are just short of 320 million people in the United States. That means if we could eliminate occupational injuries resulting from overexertion or repetitive motion, we’d save about $62.50 for every person in the United States. Need some more convincing? OSHA’s Safety Pays website provides some great information. Here’s how OSHA describes it: "OSHA’s "$afety Pays" program can help employers assess the impact of occupational injuries and illnesses on their profitability. This program uses a company’s profit margin, the average costs of an injury or illness, and an indirect cost multiplier to project the amount of sales a company would need to cover those costs. The program is intended as a tool to raise awareness of how occupational injuries and illnesses can impact a company’s profitability…" Components of an Effective Safety and Health Management Program According to OSHA, an effective safety and health management program has four components: Management leadership and employee involvement Analysis of worksite to identify hazards Hazard prevention and control to protect workers from hazards Safety and health training All four of these pieces have to be in place for the system to work. If just one piece of the system is broken or absent, the entire system will suffer as a result. Click here to see an example of a robust safety and health program. Let’s go on to look at each of the four sections in more detail. Safety & Health Management Program Component 1: Management Leadership and Employee Involvement Both management and the rank-and-file employees must be committed to creating and sustaining a safety and health culture if it’s going to work. Neither side can do it on their own, and the system will collapse if one side doesn’t join in. According to OSHA, here are some ways for management to demonstrate its commitment and for workers to be involved: Management should write a company safety and health policy The safety and health policy should be posted in public for all employees to see Employees should be involved in creating policy on safety and health issues Both sides should play an active role in safety activities The company should hold meetings that focus on employee health and safety All members of management and rank-and-file workers should follow all safety and health rules Time, effort, and money should be invested in the safety and health program-it doesn’t happen on its own Let’s look at some additional aspects of manager and employee involvement next. Management Leadership of the Safety and Health Program Without leadership from management, the safety and health program is doomed to fail. Management provides a motivating force and, equally importantly, resources for the program. Management must truly consider the health and safety of workers to be a core value of the company, and this concern for safety and health must be demonstrated in all actions of the company. Management should ask itself if their safety and health system includes: The reasons why the safety and health program was created The goal for the safety and health program The way to reach the goal Here’s an OSHA example of a safety and health policy statement. Here’s an OSHA example of a strategic plan for health and safety. Other ways to effectively lead the safety and health program include: Visible involvement of management in safety and health issues Assigning responsibility for safety and health issues to specific personnel Communicating those assignments clearly Providing adequate authority and resources to people in charge of safety and health Holding people in charge of safety and health accountable for safety and heatlh Creating a method for workers to report hazards Explaining to workers how to report hazards and encouraging them to do so Encouraging workers to report near-misses, injuries, illnesses, and other incidents Never acting to discourage reporting of hazards, near-misses, injuries, illnesses, or other incidents Making Sure Management’s Role in Safety and Health Is Apparent to Workers If workers don’t see management’s involvement in safety and health, and the importance management places on safety and health, things will go south quickly. Here are some ways for management to make sure workers see and believe they’re involved and care: Be seen on the floor in informal safety activities and formal safety inspections, etc. Make yourself accessible to workers on health and safety issues Lead by example, always knowing and following health and safety rules Be involved in and actively participate in the safety and health committee, meetings, etc. Now let’s turn our attention to the other half of the equation-employee involvement. Here’s an OSHA guide for demonstrating management leadership of safety and health program. Employee Involvement in Safety and Health Program You can’t have a safe workplace unless the employees can develop and express their buy-in to safety and health. This includes their own health and also the health of all other workers (plus contractors, temps, visitors, vendors, etc). Why Should Employees Be Involved in Safety and Health Management? Some companies may resist including employees in safety and health management, but that’s the wrong way to go about it. Here’s why: The rank-and-file workers are the ones who interact most closely with health and safety hazards. As a result, they have the most to win from an effective health and safety training program. Including more people leads to better results. More eyes, more brains, more solutions, etc. People are more likely to participate in a program they helped to create. On the flip-side, they’re less likely to participate if they feel it’s a "top-down" approach. Including workers makes them feel heard and appreciated. This in turn makes them more satisfied and productive workers. How Can Employees Be Involved In Health and Safety Management? Here are some ways that employees can participate in health and safety management: Participating in worksite safety inspections Performing job hazard analyses (JHAs or JSAs) Helping to prepare safe work practices Helping to eliminate workplace hazards or control workplace hazards Helping to develop and update safety and health rules Helping to train new and current employees on health and safety issues Being encouraged to report hazards Being allowed to fix hazards that are within their means to fix Being encouraged to provide feedback to coworkers who are working unsafely or are unaware of hazards (gently, of course) Being included in change-analysis teams when new equipment or processes are introduced Here’s an OSHA document explaining how employees can identify safety and health problems at the workplace. Here’s a short sample from the Building a Safety Culture e-learning toolbox talk by Convergence Training and Caterpillar. Safety and Health Management Programs: Responsibility, Authority, and Accountability It’s important to assign responsibility and authority for different aspects of the health and safety management program to various people. In addition, though, it’s important to make people accountable for the safety and health management program. According to OSHA, being accountable means "your performance is measured in relation to standards or goals that result in certain positive or negative consequences." When people-both managers and employees-are accountable for aspects of the safety and health program, they are more likely to work hard to find solutions to safety and health problems. And, they’re less likely to create obstructions. Here are some tips for creating accountability in your safety and health management program: Create company policies, procedures, and rules that make performance standards related to safety and health clear Provide all resources needed to meet those standards-a safe and healthy workplace, effective health and safety training, appropriate oversite of work operations. Create and communicate to workers a system by which performance can be measured and judged acceptable or not acceptable Create positive and negative consequences for accountability and make these known in advance Apply these rules and standards at all levels of the organization Click to read more about responsibility, authority, and accountability for health and safety management. Here’s an OSHA checklist regarding responsibility, authoring, and accountability for health and safety management. Safety and Health Program Yearly Audits and Reviews Your company’s health and safety management program should be reviewed every year. The purpose, of course, is to make sure it is adequately protecting against workplace hazards. The audit program does this by seeing if polices and procedures were implemented and, if so, if they may their objectives. This information can then be used to modify the program if necessary in the next year. OSHA provides a lot of helpful information on the yearly safety and health management audits here. Safety & Health Management Program Component 2: Analysis of Worksite to Identify Hazards The second necessary component of a safety and health management program is an ongoing process of analyzing the workplace to identify hazards. The purpose of this is to identify hazards at the workplace so they can later be eliminated or controlled. The worksite hazard analysis begins with a comprehensive, baseline hazard survey. Then, periodic updates should be performed. Conducting the Worksite Analysis OSHA provides these suggestions for conducting a worksite analysis: Become aware of the hazards that exist in your industry Create safety teams at work Create a system for employees to report hazards Encourage employees to report hazards using that system Have properly trained personnel conduct inspections of the worksite and correct hazards Ensure that any process changes or new systems are reviewed for hazards Get assistance from safety and health experts (insurance companies, consultants, etc.) Request a free OSHA consultant visit to get help from the experts In addition, OSHA recommends these four actions as cornerstones of your worksite analysis: Comprehensive surveys Change analysis/analyses Hazard analysis/analyses Safety and health inspections We’ll look at each in more detail below. Comprehensive Surveys This should include (at least): A survey of noise levels Review of the respirator program Review of ergonomic risk factors Inventory of chemicals and hazardous materials Review of HazCom program Analysis of air samples for industrial hygiene purposes Small businesses can get OSHA-funded, state-run consultants to visit their site and perform a comprehensive health and safety survey at no cost. Worker’s comp carries and insurance companies are other options for this. And of course, there are private consultants in this business as well. Larger companies most likely have internal staff to handle this. Here’s a safety and health inspection worksheet from OSHA. Change Analyses Before something new happens at the workplace, analyze it to identify any potential hazards. This is true of: New equipment New/different materials New processes New buildings New staffing Here’s a helpful process overview template from OSHA. Hazard Analyses At the simple end of the spectrum, this can involved performing a job hazard analysis (JHA). Want some free help? Download this free How to Perform a JHA Guide. Here’s a short sample of the Job Hazard Analysis e-learning course by Convergence Training. For more complicated jobs with more complex risks, consider using the following techniques: What-if checklist Hazard and operability study Failure mode and effect analysis Fault tree analysis Here’s further information from OSHA about these hazard analysis techniques. Safety and Health Inspections Your company should periodically perform routine health and safety inspections. The point is to identify hazards missed at other stages. These are generally done on a weekly basis. In addition, daily inspections of the work area should also be performed. Routine site safety and health inspections are designed to catch hazards missed at other stages. This type of inspection should be done at regular intervals, generally on a weekly basis. In addition, procedures should be established that provide a daily inspection of the work area. It’s a good idea to create a checklist designed for this (or get one that’s already been created). Base the checklist on: Past problems/hazards Standards that apply to your industry Input regarding safety and health from all employees Your company’s safety policies, procedures, rules, and practices Keep the following in mind about these inspections: They should cover ever part of the worksite They must be done at regular intervals (weekly and daily, for example) They must be done by people trained to recognize and control hazards Hazards that are identified must be tracked through to correction/control of the hazard Information from these inspections should be used to improve the hazard prevention and control program Here’s a safety and health inspection worksheet from OSHA. Dealing with Hazards That Escape Safety and Health Program Controls OSHA suggests the following tools for making sure identified and controlled hazards stay controlled and new hazards don’t arise or are controlled when they do: Employee hazard reporting Accident and incident investigations Analysis of injury and illness trends Let’s look at each in more detail. Employee Hazard Reporting Your company should not only set up a system for employees to report hazards. You should also make it clear how to use that system to all employees, and encourage employees to use it. It’s a good idea to provide several different ways to report hazards. This will allow employees who may be uncomfortable reporting a hazard one way to do it another. Remember, the ultimate goal is just to get the hazards reported so you can correct them. Some possible hazard reporting methods to consider include: Supervisor chain of command Safety and health committee member Voice mail Suggestion box Email Effective hazard reporting systems must include: A policy that actively encourages employees to report hazards Appropriate and timely responses to the employee making the report (unless the report is anonymous, in which case responses could be made publicly) Time and appropriate correct action when necessary A system to track hazard reports and hazard corrections Use of that hazard reporting/correcting system Absolute protection of employees reporting hazards from any negative consequences OSHA has some nice examples of employee  hazard reporting forms. Here is one and is a second. And here’s an example worker safety suggestion form from OSHA. Accident and Incident Investigations In the events that an incident does occur, an accident/incident investigation is necessary. This includes near-misses as well as injuries, illnesses, and property damage. You can use the information from that investigation to correct hazards so another incident won’t happen again. During the investigation, ask these six key questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Remember that incident investigations should remain positive, focus on finding the root cause, and are not intended to assign blame. Here’s a nice guide to performing an incident investigation from the National Safety Council. And here’s an accident investigation tips and tools document from OSHA. Analysis of  Injury and Illness Trends Finally, it’s important to analyze injury and illness trends over time to identify patterns. Identifying common/repeat causes of injuries, illnesses, and near-misses allow you to identify hazards, control them, and prevent future incidents. One place to start is by looking at your OSHA injury and illness forms. You can also check hazard inspection records and employee  hazard reports. The final action recommended under Worksite Analysis is analysis of injury and illness trends over time, so that patterns with common causes can be identified and prevented. Review of the OSHA injury and illness forms is the most common form of pattern analysis, but other records of hazards can be analyzed for patterns. Examples are inspection records and employee hazard reporting records. Safety & Health Management Program Component 3: Hazard Prevention and Control to Protect Workers Once your safety and health management program is in place, it’s important to continually analyze the work area to keep hazards in check and keep workers safe. Here are some ways to do this: Inspect and maintain equipment thoroughly and on a regular basis Make sure all hazard identification and correction procedures are in place Make sure everyone knows how to use PPE, how to main it, and is in fact using it appropriately Make sure everyone knows and follows established safe work procedures Make sure that, when needed, your worksite has a medical program appropriate for your facility Continually review the work environment and work practices to control or prevent workplace hazards Hazard Prevention and Control: The Hierarchy of Controls and More Identified hazards should be controlled using the hierarchy of controls and with other methods. The hierarchy of controls includes the following: Engineering controls Safe work practices Administrative controls PPE Let’s look at each. Remember that in many cases you’ll wind up using more than one control (such as an engineering control and PPE). Read more about the Hierarchy of Controls and download our free Hierarchy of Controls e-learning course. Engineering Controls Always try an engineering control first. The basic idea of an engineering control is to design the work environment and the job to eliminate hazards or reduce exposure to hazards. Here are some tips from OSHA regarding engineering controls: If possible, design the facility, equipment, or process to eliminate the hazard Next, if possible, try to substitute something that is less hazardous If removal or substitution is not possible, try enclosing the hazard If enclosure is not possible, try guards, barriers, and/or ventilation Safe Work Practices After trying engineering controls, turn to safe work practices. Safe work practices are general workplace rules and other rules specific to given operations, processes, or tasks. OSHA’s identified some cases in work safe work practices are necessary. Here’s their list: Respiratory Protection [29 CFR 1910.134]. Lockout/Tagout [29 CFR 1910.147]. Confined Space Entry [29 CFR 1910.146]. Hazard Communication [29 CFR 1910.1200, 29 CFR 1926.59]. Blood borne Pathogens [29 CFR 1910.1030]. Hearing Conservation [29 CFR 1910.95]. Laboratory Chemical Hygiene [29 CFR 1910.1450]. Remember that this list is not complete. Consult specific OSHA standards for more information. Administrative Controls Some people consider safe work practices (above) to be a type of administrative control, but OSHA breaks them out separately. OSHA uses the term administrative control to mean "other measures aimed at reducing employee exposure to hazards." Administrative controls can include things like: Additional relief workers Shorter job shifts in area where hazard is present Rotation of workers Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Personal protective equipment, or PPE, includes things like respirators, hard hats, ear plugs, and similar protective gear. If a hazard isn’t fully control using engineering controls, safe work practices, and administrative controls, then PPE should be used. But PPE should ONLY be used as a last resort. Never turn to PPE before considering the other controls. OSHA’s standard 1910 Subpart I includes specific requirements for PPE-check it out. Here’s an OSHA document on PPE selection and use. Here’s a short sample of the PPE e-learning course by Convergence Training. PPE Hazard Assessment and Training This process begins with an understanding of the hazards at the workplace for which PPE is required. From there, the next step is an in-depth evaluation of the PPE itself, including its proper use, the protection it offers, and its limits. And from there, it moves on to the creation of standard operating procedures employees should follow when using PPE, training employees on the limits of PPE, and training them how to  couse and maintain PPE properly. It’s very important that employees receive proper hazard awareness training before being given and told to use PPE. They must understand that the PPE does not remove the hazard, and that if the PPE fails, the employee will be exposed to the hazard. Before we leave the topic of he hierarchy of controls and move on to the next section, here’s an e-learning course about the hierarchy of controls created by the Convergence Training blog team. Tracking Hazard Corrections When hazards are identified, they must be corrected. The best way to ensure that this happens is to set up a system to ensure identified hazards do indeed get corrected. Different companies have different ways of doing this. Considering "building this in" to forms for inspection reports, incident investigation reports, and employee hazard reports. Computerized systems can also be used for this purpose. Preventive Maintenance Systems Preventive maintenance of machines and equipment reduces new hazards (from malfunctioning equipment) and helps to ensure that existing controls stay in place and continue to work. It’s important to schedule regular, periodic maintenance and to document the maintenance. The goal, of course, is to perform maintenance before repairs or replacements are necessary. This time intervals for different equipment may vary as a result. Good preventive maintenance plays a major role in ensuring that hazard controls continue to function effectively. It also keeps new hazards from arising due to equipment malfunction. Some OSHA standards require that preventive maintenance be performed. For example, 29 CFR 1910.179 makes just such a requirement for overhead and gantry cranes. Emergency Preparation A workplace that is safe and free from hazards may not be equally safe during emergencies. Instead, the emergency may cause new hazards to arise. This may happen as a result of things like: Floods Hurricanes Tornadoes Earthquakes Train and/or plane accidents Workplace violence Terrorism Etc. Always consider all emergencies that could occur and make plans for the best way to ensure health and safety if they should occur. OSHA offers the following items to consider: Create a list of all possible emergencies Place actions to reduce the impact of each emergency Inform employees of the plans and provide proper emergency training Hold emergency drills Here’s an OSHA document on emergency preparedness. Medical Programs The medical program at a company will depend on many factors, including: The size of company Processes and materials Hazards present Type of facilities Number of workers at the facility Characteristics of the workforce Location of facility in terms of proximity to health care facilities The medical program may be in-house or made through arrangements  through a local medical clinic. See 29 CFR 1910.151(b) for first aid requirements and 29 CFR 1910.1030 for the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. Here’s an OSHA document on providing emergency medical care. Safety & Health Management Program Component 4: Safety and Health Training OSHA believes that: Safety and health training is vital to every work place Safety and health training is most effective when it’s integrated into a company’s overall training in performance requirements and job practices The materials covered in a company’s health and safety training and the methods of training presentation should reflect the unique needs and characteristics of the company’s workforce. AS a result, it’s important to perform a needs analysis early in the process. Five Principles of Effective Safety and Health Training OSHA suggests you follow these five principles of effective health and safety training: Employees should understand the purpose of the training Organize information so the training is most effective Allow employees to immediately practice and apply new skills and knowledge As employees practice, provide helpful feedback Provide training in a variety of methods Blended Learning for Safety Training Consider a blended learning solution that makes use of training materials of different "types" or "methods," including: Instructor-led On-the-job instruction/shadowing/following/mentoring Task-based instruction Written training materials e-Learning courses Videos More Click here to read more about blended learning solutions (scroll down to the bottom of that article to get our free downloadable guide to blended learning). Click here to read more about effective health and safety training from our guide to complying with ANSI Z490.1, the national standard for effective EHS training. Who Needs Safety & Health Training? All employees do. However, place a special emphasis on: New hires Contractor workers Workers in high-risk areas Workers who have to wear PPE Managers and supervisors should also be included in the health and safety training plan. Health and safety training for managers should emphasize: The importance of their role in providing visible support for the safety and health program Setting a good safety and health example for all workers Health and safety training necessary to keep them safe at work Health and safety training for supervisors should include: Training on company policies and procedures (for safety and health) Hazard detection and control Accident investigation Handling emergencies How to train and reinforce training Training necessary to keep them safe and healthy at work Also make sure to provide appropriate health and safety training to long-term workers whose jobs have changed or who will be working with new processes. Finally, don’t forget to provide refresher training, especially for responding to emergencies. Basic Safety and Health Training for Everyone Proper health and safety training can help to everyone at your company develop the knowledge and skills they need to understand hazards at the workplace and to follow safe working procedures. In addition, everyone in the workplace should receive health and safety training on basic topics including: What to do in the event of a fire or other emergency When and where PPE is required The types of chemicals at the workplace The hazards associated with those chemicals The precautions for working with those chemicals safely Other health and safety training to consider includes: Orientation training for site workers and contracts JSAs, SOPs, and other hazard recognition training Training required by OSHA standards, including the Process Safety Management standard Training for emergency response people Accident investigation training Emergency drills And in addition to that, workers should receive additional health and safety training based on the job tasks they perform. Here’s a list of OSHA standards that make training requirements. Click here to see a list of health and safety e-learning courses. Evaluate Safety and Health Training Just providing health and safety training isn’t enough. Instead, you’ve got to evaluate it so you know if it’s effective or not. And you should begin planning for the evaluation even when you’re first designing the training. You can then use the evaluation to fine tune your training if necessary. Click here to read more about evaluating safety and health training (from a guide to ANSI Z490.1, the national standard for effective health and safety training). Safety and Health Training Records Always keep and store training records to ensure people receive proper safety training. Read more about documenting and keeping records of health and safety training in our guide to ANSI Z490.1, the national standard for effective EHS training. Here’s an OSHA example of an employee safety and health training record. Here’s an OSHA example of a safety meeting record. Click to lean more about how an LMS can help with your safety and health training and your safety and health training records. Conclusion: Safety and Health Management Programs Well, that was a bit of information, but hopefully it was helpful. Here are some additional resources to get you moving forward: Printable checklist to review your safety and health management program. Online tool to evaluate your health and safety training management program.   The post What Is a Safety and Health Management Program? appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

Are you involved in mine safety training, perhaps for MSHA’s Part 46 and/or Part 48 safety training requirement? If so, what does your mining safety training program look like today? How do you deliver your training? Is it effective? Do you have enough time to do it all? And how do you keep on top of things like making sure all new employees complete their training in the first 90 days, or that all miners get their annual refresher training on time? And while we’re at it, how do you create and store all your records of training, run reports on that training, and create the training plan and other documentation required by MSHA? If  you’re like a lot of people, you struggle to do all this, or to do all this well. Or maybe you’re doing it all and doing it all well, but you recognize that you could still improve. If that’s you, this article may be of interest to you. In it, we’re going to show you how some online training tools can help make your mining safety training program more effective while also reducing the amount of time you have to spend on clerical, organization, and recordkeeping tasks. Convergence Training is a training solutions provider that makes a series of mining safety e-learning courses, many other health and safety training e-learning courses, a learning management system (LMS) designed specially for compliance with MSHA Part 46 training requirements, and more. Contact us for additional information, to view samples of our courses, and to set up a demo of our MSHA LMS. Or why not start by downloading our free guide to online MSHA Part 46 Training? Online MSHA Part 46 and Part 48 Training: Does MSHA Allow It? One of the first questions people ask us is "Does MSHA allow online training to be used for Part 46 and/or Part 48?" And the short answer is: yes. Read this article to learn more about MSHA’s requirements, what online MSHA safety training can mean, and what it can include. Is Online Training Allowed for MSHA Part 46 and Part 48 Compliance? How Can I Use Online Training Solutions for MSHA Part 46 Compliance? OK, so now that you know you CAN use online training for MSHA compliance training, let’s take a closer look at how you can use it for Part 46. Here’s a complete guide of everything you need to know about online training solutions for MSHA Part 46 and how they can be an effective, time-saving, and cost-cutting part of your Part 46 training solution. Online MSHA Part 46 Training Compliance: The Ultimate Guide Online e-Learning Courses for MSHA Part 46’s New Miner Training Program Need some examples of how you can use off-the-shelf mining safety e-learning courses for your mining safety training? Here are some examples of e-learning courses you can use to help you satisfy the MSHA Part 46 New Miner training requirement. Online Courses for the MSHA Part 46 New Miner Training Program What Is Online Health and Safety Training, Really, What It Can Do, and How It Can Help  You Still not sure what "online health and safety training" means? Still think it just means e-learning courses? If so, check out this article. You’ll learn that yes, you can use e-learning courses as part of your online mining safety training program, but you can also use instructor-led training, task-based training, online recordkeeping, and more. What is Online Health and Safety Training Really, and What Can it Do? More About Using a "Blended Learning" Approach as Part of Your Online MSHA Safety Training Program Learning experts talk a lot about the value of "blended learning" approaches. That means delivering training in more than just one format. For example, using e-learning; instructor-led training; written training materials; and in-the-field, task-based training. Read more about how you can use an online system to deliver and administer a blended learning solution for MSHA safety training. Blended Learning Best Practices for Job Training Or, download our free guide to blended learning. Free Beginner’s Guide to Blended Learning How Can a Learning Management System Help You With MSHA Part 46 Training? Good question. And we’ve got a few answers. First, start by checking out this overview of LMSs and e-Learning courses in safety training. Better Safety Training with an LMS and e-Learning Courses Next, consider how much easier an LMS can make your new employee onboarding. In the context of mining safety, that will include your new miner training, newly hired experienced miner training, and site-specific hazard awareness training for non-mining employees. Using an LMS for New-Employee Onboarding Training Also: Check out this short video that demonstrates the Convergence Training MSHA LMS. How Can e-Learning Courses Help Me With My MSHA Part 46 and Part 48 Training? We learn by doing. You know that. But we also learn by seeing-we’re hugely visuals creatures, and much of what we learn comes to us through our eyes. And visuals is one of the things that e-learning courses excel at. Read more about using e-learning courses to provide better visuals and more effective mine safety training. Better Mining Safety Training Through Better Visuals In addition, e-learning courses take advantage of the instructional design technique known as "chunking" to help miners remember and learn more effectively. Read more about chunking training materials for mining safety training. Chunking Mining Safety Training Another thing that e-learning courses make easier is helping to make sure you (or your trainers) deliver the exact same, consistent, standard training message to each employee every time. Or at least until you decide you want to change the message. Read more about using e-learning courses to provide standard, consistent training messages. e-Learning for Standard, Consistent Training Message Check out this sample of an e-learning course  on mining safety that you could use for your Part 46 training program. What If I Want to Make My Own e-Learning Courses for Site-Specific Information? But what if you can’t do everything with off-the-shelf e-learning courses? Sure, you can use instructor-led, written materials, and other training formats. BUT, you may also decide to make the little leap involved in becoming an e-learning course creator yourself. Creating your own e-learning courses, with products called e-learning authoring tools, is simple and even fun. Read more about creating your own e-learning courses for site-specific, custom training needs. How to Create Your Own Custom e-Learning Courses Refresher: Remind Me again about Part 46-What Is It? Finally, just in case you’ve forgotten, or in case you’re entirely new to all this-a reminder about Part 46. What Is Part 46? Conclusion: Online Mining Safety Training Solutions for MSHA Part 46 and Part 48 Tell us about what you’re doing for Parts 46 and 48. Are you using an online solution for part of your training and training administration? If so, what are you doing and how’s it working? The post Online Mine Safety Training: How It Can Save You Time and Money (and Improve Your MSHA Safety Training Program) appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

New to e-learning? If so, let us get you up to speed on a few e-learning basics: Learning management systems (LMSs) Authoring tools SCORM Get a handle on these three and you’ve pushed yourself ahead from complete novice/deer in the headlights to someone who’s not lost in conversations with e-learning developers, trainers, and instructional designers.Nice! Convergence Training is a training solutions provider with many libraries of e-learning courses, a series of learning management systems (LMSs), custom training solutions, and more. Contact us for more information or to set up a demo.   e-Learning Basics: Three Biggies-the LMS, Authoring Tools, and SCORM Here are three good things to know before you walk into a conference room with a bunch of e-learning developers and they eat you alive for not knowing the tools of their trade.  Learning Management System (LMS) A learning management system (LMS) is a software system you can use to administer a training program. The LMS will let you do all this and more: Import your own training materials (or materials created by others) Create training materials (online quizzes, field-based skills assessments, etc.) Assign training to workers or parts of your organization (teams, departments, sites, etc.) Let workers see a list of training assigned to them, including due dates and current completion status Let workers launch and complete some of that training Automatically create completion records when employees finish some of that training Allow administrators to manually create completion records when employees finish other parts of that training Store completion records Generate and print completion certificates Notify employees at key training moments, such as when new training is assigned, training that had once been completed must be completed again, or when a due date is approaching Generate reports on training data Automatically schedule and email reports Although an LMS CAN and often IS used with e-learning, it’s a very common misconception that an LMS can ONLY be used with e-learning. But that’s not the case-you can use an LMS to administer instructor-led training, task-based skill demonstrations and evaluations, and more. Click to read more about learning management systems. Or watch our 2-minute Enterprise LMS Overview video. Authoring Tools You may think that only big, fancy e-learning providers can make e-learning courses, and you’re only option is to buy e-learning from them. But again, not true. Au contraire, mon frere! Authoring tools are software applications that let you create your own e-learning courses. Many allow you to start with a simple PowerPoint presentation and add multimedia, interactivity, and quizzes from you. You can include your own site-specific information, create your own assessments, set you own passing scores, and then import your own self-created e-learning course into an LMS to assign it to your workers. Click to read more about authoring tools. Or watch our 60-minute video that shows how to use an e-learning authoring tool to make your own e-learning course. SCORM In ancient days, when sailors, travelers, and wanderers wanted to communicate with others around the globe, they’d often learn the lingua franca: the language spoken by many throughout a region or the world. For example, today English is a lingua franca, and one imagines Chinese will be one too if it’s not one already. e-Learning has something like a lingua franca too. This "e-learning lingua franca" allows e-learning courses to communicate with learning management systems. In technical terms, your friends in IT would refer to these e-learning lingua francas as "collections of standards and specifications for web-based electronic educational technology (also called e-learning). " I copped that definition from Wikipedia in case you’re interested. There are a few of these e-learning standards out there, but SCORM is the most common. The basic idea is that if you have a SCORM-compliant e-learning course, and a SCORM-compliant learning management system (LMS), the two will "play nicely together." Or, to put that another way, SCORM-complaint e-learning courses and LMSs are "plug and play" and ready to go. Amongst other things, that means you can buy a SCORM-complaint LMS from one company, and SCORM-compliant e-learning courses from another company, and they’ll work together. Or, you can buy a SCORM-compliant LMS from one company, get SCORM-complaint e-learning courses from another company, and then use an authoring tool to make your own SCORM-complaint e-learning courses, and they’ll all work together. As you’d imagine, this is very handy. Click to read more about SCORM. Additional Articles About LMSs, e-Learning, and/or SCORM If you’re still curious, we’ve got some additional articles for you below. Learning Management Systems (LMSs) Here are some articles about LMSs and how you can use them at work: How to Choose an LMS (Includes Free Downloadable Buyer’s Guide Checklist) 6 Must-Have LMS Features LMSs and Onboarding Better Safety Training with an LMS (and e-learning courses) Using an LMS to Deliver Optional Training Is an LMS Only Good for e-Learning? Nope. Do You Need an Authoring Tool to Use an LMS? Nope. Checklists for Training Via an LMS Combining OJT with Your LMS What Is Online Health and Safety Training And What Can It Do? Also: Learn more about the learning management systems (LMSs) by Convergence Training. e-Learning Authoring Tools Here’s some stuff about e-learning authoring tools: Step-by-Step Instructions of How to Use an e-Learning Authoring Tool (blog post) Step-by-Step Instructions of How to Use an e-Learning Authoring Tool (webinar) Do You Need an Authoring Tool to Use an LMS? Nope. SCORM Here are some articles about SCORM: Actually, the only SCORM article we’ve got for ya is that one we linked you to earlier. That covers what you need to know, but we’ll look into creating some additional articles on things like AICC and Tin Can. Bear with us, please e-Learning 101: The e-Learning Basics with SCORM, Authoring Tools, and LMSs That’s all we’ve got for you today. If you’ve got other questions, or if you’d like to add more information, please drop a line in the comments section below.   The post e-Learning Basics: LMSs, Authoring Tools, and SCORM appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.