Let’s continue our series of articles about ANSI Z490.1, the national standard that lays out "Criteria for Accepted Practices in Safety, Health, and Environmental Training." In this post, we’ll look at Section 4 of the standard, which focuses on how to develop effective EHS training courses. Earlier posts in the series have looked at Effective EHS Training: An Overivew of ANSI Z490.1 and EHS Training Program Administration and Management: ANSI 490.1 Sections 1-3. Section 4: How to Develop Effective EHS Training Section 4 is a big one, and it covers the need for a systematic method for developing EHS training. That systematic method includes the following elements: Training needs assessment (also called training needs analysis) Learning objectives Course prerequisites Course delivery method Course content Instructional materials Training environment Training time allocation Trainer criteria Course evaluation Course completion criteria Continuous improvement of courses That’s a lot, so let’s get started. Before You Start Developing EHS Training So how do you decide that it’s time to create EHS training materials? And, once you’ve begun, what’s your method for doing it? At its most basic level, section 4 is intended to help you answer these questions. It may not seem obvious,  but your EHS training program will be much more effective if you always use the same method to: Determine if EHS training is the appropriate solution for a particular problem or issue and, if training IS the appropriate answer, to Walk through an orderly series of steps to develop that training Let’s look at each of those two points a little more closely. Is EHS Training Needed? Will EHS Training Fix the Problem? So you’ve got an EHS problem. Or what seems like a problem. Sounds like time for some training, right? But let’s hold our horses here. When you’ve got a problem, it’s easy to assume that training is a universal band-aid that will fix it. But that’s not always true. If you rush to provide training, you may end up wasting money on training development when training can’t solve the problem. Even worse, you risk wrongly putting your resources into training development, ignoring a different aspect of the situation, and leaving a hazard in place. For example, say a machine operator gets his hand cut while working on a machine. You can create training materials for machine operators, telling them to be careful of a dangerously exposed moving blade. Or, you can put a guard on the blade, control the hazard, and skip the training. In this instance, installing a guard on the sharp blade is the better solution. That’s a simple example, and there are more reasons why EHS training may or may not be needed, but it gets you started in the right direction. Here are some things to consider at this phase: Can you change something in the work area instead of developing training? Are there obstacles in the workplace or work flow that contribute to the hazard? Can these be removed or reworked? Can you create and provide a job aid at the work area that will improve safety (like a checklist to follow) instead of providing training? Is there currently some form of incentive that allows the hazard to continue existing? For example, are workers running down the hall because they get a bonus for units produced per hour? Can that incentive be removed? Is there currently some form of punishment that causes workers to work unsafely or to work in the presence of a hazard? For example, does taking the time to perform a JHA make it impossible for the employee to reach his/her weekly goals, and thereby lead to disciplinary action? If EHS Training Is Needed: Use A Systematic Development Method If you’ve determined that EHS training is the right way to go, then work through the following steps to develop it: Perform a training needs assessment (you’ve already completed the first half of this-"Is EHS training needed?") Identify any prerequisites to the training Develop learning objectives Design the EHS course, including: The training content The training delivery method The instructional materials The trainer’s guide The physical training environment The time allocation for training Criteria for trainers Develop a method for evaluating the employee’s post-training knowledge or skills Create criteria for determining when the employee has completed the training in a satisfactory manner Make plans to continually improve the training course The bullet points above are the focus of Section 4, so we’ll look at each a little more closely below. Perform a Training Needs Assessment We’ve already discussed the first part of this. That was the "Is Training the Answer for this Problem?" issue above. In our earlier example, we highlighted a case when training wasn’t the answer. The better solution was to put a guard on the blade. But there are many times when training is the right answer. For example, you probably remember OSHA’s recent adoption of HazCom 2012 and GHS Alignment. Training was the right answer in this case for two reasons. First, because it was the right and safe thing to do. In OSHA’s own words, employees "Workers have the right to know what hazards are present in the workplace and how to protect themselves". And second, because OSHA specifically said you had to do it. It was a regulatory compliance issue. So yes, training is the right solution in a case like this. Once you’ve identified a real EHS training need, it’s time to complete the second part of the training needs assessment. In this phase, you’ll: Determine what your employees have to know or be able to do after the training Identify characteristics of the employees, including their age, gender, current knowledge and abilities, the languages they are most comfortable using, demographic and cultural traits, and prior training on related topics, that might help you develop training best suited to their needs Gather any relevant site-specific safety information Review any relevant job descriptions, job hazard analyses, etc. Consider any relevant regulatory requirements You can gather this information in a number of ways, including: Reviewing job descriptions from HR Reviewing Job Hazard Analyses documents from Safety Interviewing employees and/or having them complete surveys Observing employees in the field Interviewing supervisors and/or having them complete surveys Reviewing data for injuries, illnesses, and near-misses Consulting regulations from OSHA, EPA, MSHA, and similar agencies Need a quick way to find which OSHA regulations apply to you? Two nice resources that OSHA provides are this Small Business Compliance Guide and this Compliance Assistance Quick Start. Develop Learning Objectives Once you’ve performed your training needs assessment, it’s time to develop your learning objectives. A learning objective is something your employee should know or be able to do when the training is complete. It’s the point of providing the training-because you want the employee to know or do something. Your course should have one or more learning objectives. Many people begin creating training materials before they create learning objectives. Or, they never create learning objectives. The problem with this is you’re likely to create meandering, content-heavy, "flabby," and irrelevant training materials that don’t solve your problem. If you’ve heard of "information dumps" or "spray-and-pray" training, this is the most likely cause. So don’t be this trainer creator. Characteristics of Well-Written Learning Objectives: ABCD and SMART If you’re new to learning objectives, it’s helpful to know about SMART and ABCD. These are two methods you can use to write effective learning objectives. Let’s look at each. First, your learning objective should have four parts-A, B, C, and D. These parts are: Actor: Every learning objective should state something that your employees should be able to do after the training. Sometimes, your objective may refer to the "actor" in general terms such as "the learner" or "you." Other times, you may identify the actor by his or her job role, such as "the customer service representative" or "the press operator." Regardless, remember that each learning objective states something that the actor must be able to do after the training. This is the "WHO?" of your objective. Don’t fall into the trap of writing learning objectives that simply explain the content of the training. Your learning objectives must state what your employees who will take the training must become able to do. Behavior: Every learning objective should state something that the learner must do—a behavior of some sort. This may be something as simple as stating a definition or it may be something more "physical," such as performing an action. But it must be some form of observable behavior, not something unobservable like "know," "understand," or "appreciate." This is the "WHAT?" of your objective. Condition: Many times, your learner will have to perform the learning objective’s behavior within a set of given conditions. For example, you might say "given a list of words, circle the ones that are part of a given machine," or "given a wrench, tighten this bolt," or "given a schematic diagram, correctly identify the machines in a work area." This is the "HOW?" of your objective. Degree: This part of the learning objective explains the criteria for performing the task well enough. Examples here include "in less than ten minutes," or "with 90% accuracy," or "90 times an hour." This is the "HOW WELL?" of your objective. Notes: You don’t always have to write the name of your actor in your learning objectives (meaning, use the words "you" or "employees" within the objective). But, you should always remember that you’re writing an objective that an ‘actor’-your employees-must be able to perform. Also, you may find you don’t need a condition or a degree for every learning objective, but it’s a good idea to always ask if you need them when you’re writing each learning objective. The important think is to make sure you’re very clear and leave no room for confusion or misunderstanding. Click here for more about ABCD learning objectives.  Next, your learning objectives should be SMART. What does that mean? It means your learning objectives should be: Specific:  Use clear, direct language to tell the employee exactly what he or she should learn and what he or she should be able to do after the training. Don’t be vague, unclear, or misleading. Measurable: The point of setting a learning objective is to determine if the learner can meet, perform, or satisfy it. And you can only do that if the objective is something that you can measure. That means, first, that it must be an action that you can observe. This is how you can avoid the common mistake of using words like "know" or "understand," which are not actions that can be objectively observed, in learning objectives. And second, write the objective so that any observer could watch the learner’s performance and agree if the learner satisfied the objective or not. Don’t create a learning objective that can be satisfied only by your own unique, personal understanding, for example. Achievable: Your learning objective must be something your learners have a chance of completing/satisfying. They must have enough pre-existing knowledge, time, and similar resources. For example, you wouldn’t create a learning objective that asks an elementary school child to construct a rocket in an hour-it’s just not achievable. While checking your objectives at this level, make sure your learning objective isn’t too easy, either. Relevant: The objective should be something the learner sees the value in learning. Don’t teach material that’s not important or won’t be used. Remember that your training should matter to your learners. Timely and time-based: First, make sure your objective is something your learner will have to use in a timely fashion-like tomorrow or next week instead of next year. Second, explain if there are time-constraints on the learner’s performance. For example, in many cases, they should be able to complete the objective "at the end of this training." And finally, the learner may need to perform the action described by the objective within a given amount of time-for example, "to change the oil within 10 minutes." Click here for more information about SMART learning objectives. Two Common Methods of Creating Learning Objectives There are two common methods for creating learning objectives: Bloom’s Taxonomies and Performance-Based Learning Objectives. Bloom’s Learning Taxonomies You can use Bloom’s Learning Taxonomies to help you pick the correct "behavior" word within your learning objective. Click here to read more about Bloom’s three learning taxonomies and/or click here to read a nice summary of how to use this approach together with the ABCD and SMART methods in this guide to writing learning objectives. Performance-Based Learning Objectives Writing a performance-based learning objective is pretty similar to the method we’ve described already. For example, the "behavior" in an ABCD learning objective is the "performance" in a performance-based learning objective. If you want to know more, we’ve got two options for you: This short explanation of performance-based learning objectives This book review of Robert Mager’s classic book Preparing Instructional Objectives (where this idea began) Course Prerequisites While you’re identifying and creating your learning objectives, you may notice that the training you’re about to create assumes that your employees already know something or have a certain skill. If that’s the case, the skill or knowledge is a "prerequisite" for your training course. Identify that and make sure all employees have that necessary information first. Design the Course Once you’ve got your learning objectives in order, it’s time to design your course. In this phase, you’ll consider: The training content The training delivery method The instructional materials The trainer’s guide The criteria for trainers The physical training environment Training time allotment Let’s see what each of these are about. Training Content (The Ideas You Need to Get Across) A good place to start thinking about training development is to think about the information the training must include if your employees will be able to satisfy the learning objectives when training is done. According to the ANSI standard (see 4.4.2), you can base this decision on: Current literature Recognized scientific principles The judgement of subject matter experts (SMEs) Regulatory requirements Site-specific issues Your employees as a learning population (what they already know, etc.) Training Delivery Method (The "Format" or "Type" of Training) It’s easy to fall into the habit of always developing EHS training materials that make use of the same delivery method. For example, you can get in the rut of always creating training materials for instructor-led training.  Or, maybe you always using e-learning courses. Do you do this? If so, now’s a good time to consider broadening your range. Training can be delivered via many different methods. So, you should begin the design phase by asking yourself which training method would be best for this specific EHS training need. Some possibilities to consider include: Instructor-led training in a lecture setting Online e-learning courses (or DVD-based courses) On-the-job, in-the-field training Peer mentoring Group discussions Case studies Safety exercises performed in a classroom setting Safety demonstrations Group interactive safety training activities Webinars Others The ANSI standard says that when you are making this decision, you should choose a delivery method(s) that will "ensure adequate feedback mechanisms for trainee questions and concerns" (see 4.4.1 for this note). But what do"adequate" and "feedback" mean here? Let’s take ‘em one at a time, starting with "feedback." What does "feedback" mean? In the context of EHS training delivered to your employees, feedback can mean a number of things. These can include: Q&A sessions during instructor-led training Group discussions Feedback from an instructor while the employee performs simulated hands-on exercises Feedback from a knowledgeable trainer, mentor, or supervisor during OJT training Electronic feedback to questions presented and answered in a traditional e-learning course (typically multiple-choice or true/false questions) More sophisticated, interactive feedback in role-playing or simulation e-learning courses An anonymous comments drop-box posted in a public place The ability to write and send follow-up emails to an instructor when training is over (and receive a reply) Others What does "adequate" mean? Next, let’s look at "adequate." It standards to reason that some courses will require a LOT of opportunity for feedback, and others won’t call for much feedback at all. For example, your workers will probably have a lot of questions and concerns about a significant change to a safety regulation like the HazCom 2012/GHS example we offered earlier. You might want to develop some form of instructor-led training that allows for a lot of feedback in this case. Likewise, if you’re implementing a new job procedure, the employee will probably benefit from a lot of feedback as well. But maybe in this case, some form of hands-on and/or on-the-job training with a supervisor providing real-time feedback would be best. Of course, you may not need so much feedback in other cases. If you’re simply saying that smoking cigarettes is now allowed only outdoors in designated smoking areas, maybe a written document distributed to the workers, followed by a simple "Any questions?" is all that’s necessary. A final thing to keep in mind when selecting a training delivery method is that a "blended learning solution" that makes use of more than one method maybe just what you need. Blended learning solutions use more than one type of training delivery for a given training need-for example, you could assign an e-learning module, hold a follow-up instructor-led training to answer any questions and provide other feedback, and then distribute written documents as reminders or post-training references. Instructional materials Once you’ve identified your training audience, your training delivery method, and your learning objectives, it’s time to sit down and begin creating those training materials. These can include any number of things, including: A trainer’s guide for the instructor (more on this soon) A trainee’s manual or student book for your employees Any additional handouts for employees Audiovisual materials you’ll display to employees during the training Hands-on exercises you’ll have employees perform during the training Evaluation tools (quizzes, tests, questionnaires, role-playing scenarios, procedure demonstrations, etc.) There’s a lot to be said about the best ways to create training materials that are truly effective, and we’ll go into more detail on this point again later in this series. But here are a few things to keep in mind: Create training materials that focus on nothing but your learning objectives Create training materials that make use of and appeal to adult learning principles Consider creating training that includes the following 9 events of instruction (developed by famous learning theorist Eric Gagne) Use simple, conversational language Consider using training that includes effective visual training materials (here are 25 great tips for creating training visuals that work) Create training assessments that truly determine if your employees can satisfy the learning objectives (again, more on this later) Consider working with safety training development professionals If you want to check out one short, easy-to-read book that’s full of great tips for creating effective training materials, you could do worse than Design for How People Learn by Julie Dirksen-we recommend this one highly. Create a trainer’s guide (for instructor-led or on-the-job training) If your training will include some form of interpersonal instruction, whether it’s formal instructor-led training in a classroom setting or on-the-job training, you should create a trainer’s guide. According to the standard (see E4.4.4), this guide should include: An outline The learning objectives Any necessary prerequisites Scheduled instruction time Training aids and handouts Requirements for the training environment Emergency evacuation procedures and route, and the post-evacuation meeting area location (hey, we’re safety people, right?) Tools for evaluating the learning of the employees A list of reference materials The date on which the training guide was published A revision date, if applicable Determine Criteria for the Trainer(s) Come up with a list of the minimum criteria a person must meet to be qualified to lead a training on the topic.This will help you identify appropriate trainers for the particular topic and help ensure the right trainer facilitates each training. While you’re at it, come up with a desired ratio of trainers-to-trainees. You can use this later when you are scheduling trainers and trainees for the training session(s). Create a Training Schedule That Allocates Time Necessary to Complete Training Once you’ve got the training materials developed and know the number of trainers necessary to train your trainees, you can begin allocating time for the training. Provide an appropriate amount of time based on: The amount of material to cover The complexity of the material The learning objectives your employees must satisfy Regulatory or compliance factors Your schedule should include an: Estimated duration for the entire training session Estimated duration for each individual topic within the training session Time to address questions and concerns, and provide feedback Select and ensure an appropriate training environment You should also be sure that the training can be conducted in an environment that is: Safe Appropriate for the delivery method chosen It may be obvious that you should train employees in a safe environment, but it’s worth noting nonetheless. For example, if you’re going to teach the HazCom 2012 chemical labeling requirements, don’t bring hazardous chemicals into the training room when empty bottles will work just as well. And, once you’ve chosen your delivery method, make sure your training environment matches. If you’re going to do instructor-led training, you’ll probably want to book a quiet, out-of-the-way conference room instead of leading the training in the middle of the production floor. If you want to do some on-the-job training, that conference room won’t work so well. And if you want to deliver online e-learning courses, you’ll want to make sure the trainees have access to a computer in a quite environment with proper computer ergonomics. There are a number of good books and websites that can you help you select and set up the training environment. The Association for Talent Development’s website is a good place to start looking. Design a strategy for evaluating your employees’ learning Developing materials to teach your employees essential safety information is important. But it’s just as important to develop some form of assessment to determine if your employees learned anything. And by that, we mean "can the employees satisfy the learning objectives after the training is over?" Don’t fall into the trap of providing training but never determining if your learners "get it." Your method of evaluation will depend on a number of things, including: The training delivery method Your learning objectives Interesting tip: Many training creators begin by creating the learning objectives, then the training evaluation/assessment, and only then move on to create the training materials. The idea of doing this is that it helps to keep things focused on the learning objectives. Develop criteria for determining when employees have completed the training satisfactorily When you’re creating that training evaluation, remember to determine what it means to "pass." Obviously, that answer should be largely answered by your learning objectives, since they state what the employee should be able to do after the training is over. But this issue may include some additional variables. For example, if you want your learners to be able to do something, do they have to do it every time, or 95 times out of 100 (this would be addressed in the "degree" of your ABCD learning objective). Or, if you want the employee to "know" something, how do they demonstrate that-by repeating it to you once, or by scoring 80% or greater in a written test? Either way, the standard states that criteria for valid training completion criteria should (see 4.6.1 for this): Be created before the training occurs Be applied in same consistent manner for all training sessions Indicate test score or similar qualitative measure of success Include standards for minimum attendance and participation Your completion criteria may also include an alternative procedure that can be followed by an employee who fails to satisfy the primary completion criteria. This may completing a full retraining, getting some remedial help, or other similar actions. Make plans for continuous training improvement OK, so you’ve created your training materials and led a training. Congratulations. But that doesn’t mean you’re done. Far from it. In fact, the process has only begun. Once you’ve rolled out a training program, you’ve got to periodically review it to ensure it’s up to date and effective. And you’ve got to revise it when necessary. As for as keeping it up to date, you’ll need to keep tabs of all the stuff you’d expect: injury/illness/near-miss reports, revised JHAs, regulatory changes, new procedures, and more. As for evaluating the effectiveness of the training program, two places to start are: The assessments taken and completed by your employees in the training-are the employees passing or failing? Post-training evaluations and surveys handed out to employees (making these anonymous may improve the feedback you get) If you want to expand on that, consider using Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Training Evaluation. Conclusion: How to Develop Effective EHS Training That’s our review of ANSI Z490.1 Section 4, Training Development. Do you have tips for any of these steps? What’s effective at your work place? What have you tried that didn’t work? We’ll be back with the next article in this series soon enough. That one will look at Section 5, which is a more in-depth coverage of Training Delivery.   The post How to Develop Effective EHS Training: ANSI Z490.1 Section 4 appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

Our aerial work platform safety course has been a perennial best-seller since its release in 2009. It was among the first courses we produced, and though it offered great information and provided effective training content, we decided that after 6 years, the popular course could benefit from an overhaul. Many of our courses get this treatment as they age, receiving new looks and updates to the original training content. Today we present the new and improved Aerial Work Platform Safety course from Convergence Training. The first thing you’ll probably notice are the updated 3D models and high-resolution sets, but this was no mere facelift; 5 minutes of totally new content have been added to the course, and some existing sections have been updated to reflect current regulatory standards. We’ve also updated the built-in progress review quizzes and aligned all the content more closely with the clearly stated learning objectives. Check out a sample below: We’re really pleased with the updated course. Check it out for yourself by requesting a full-length preview, or learn more about the content by visiting the course page on our website. Request a full-length preview Side-by-Side Take a look at some of the new and improved scenes next to their first-generation equivalents: One of our old models next to our new scissor lift model. Outriggers should be fully extended on a solid surface that is capable of supporting the weight of the work platform. Boom platforms must have upper and lower controls. However, the lower controls may only be used with permission from the person in the boom, or in certain emergency situations. A number of our popular courses will be receiving similar treatment this year, so stay tuned for news on those as they’re completed.   The post Aerial Work Platform Safety Course Gets Reboot appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

Not that long ago, we wrote a blog post titled What Is a JHA? That post was such a big hit we’ve created this second post. It walks you though the steps of performing a JHA, and  even includes a free downloadable guide to performing JHAs at the bottom. This guide for performing a JHA incorporates suggestions made in OSHA’s Job Hazard Analysis booklet (OSHA 3071, revised in 2002). We think you’ll find it useful when you perform JHAs at your worksite.  How Can I Get Started With a JHA? Before you begin the JHA for a specific job, do the following. Get your employees involved. Safety works best when management and employees are both involved. That’s true of the JHA process as well. Remember, it’s their job, and they probably know it better than you do. This will also help you get their buy-in for this process and for safety in general. Plus, two sets of eyes (or more) are always better than one. Review your history of injuries, illnesses, near misses, and machine/tool damage. Go over your written records of injuries, illnesses, near-misses, and incidents that have required machine/tool replacement or repair. Then, get feedback from your employees, asking if there are things that have occurred but are not in the records.  (Make it clear you’re trying to make work conditions safer, not punish anyone because something hasn’t been reported.) Ask your employees which hazards exist in their work area. Ask your employees if they’re aware of hazards in their work area. Write them down-you can use this list later when you’re performing the JHA. Note: If a serious hazard comes to light at this point, stop what’s you’re doing and correct the problem before you continue with the JHA process.  Create a list that prioritizes the jobs for which you’ll perform a JHA. It’s great if you do a JHA for every job, but you should do JHAs for the jobs with the highest risks first. Take the information you’ve already gathered and prioritize the order  in which you’ll perform the JHAs. With these steps down, you’re now ready to complete the formal JHA process, described below. Steps of the JHA Process Once you’ve completed the introductory steps above, it’s time to begin the formal JHA process for a given job. Here’s how to do a job hazard analysis: Step 1: Begin the JHA for a specific job by breaking the job down into the steps or tasks performed while doing the job. Here are some ways to do this: Watch an employee performing the job. Ask the employee what the various steps are-the employee may have some good insight here, but remember that the employee may leave out some steps because they’re "automatic" to him or her. Ask other employees who have performed the job to list or review the steps. Film the employee while the employee performs the jobs-this will help you identify the steps. Write these steps down anyway you want. It’s common to create a JHA form that represents each task of a given job, plus a description of the task, the hazards, and potential hazard controls. There’s a sample form for this in OSHA’s JHA document. And our guide at at the bottom of this post, which you can download, includes forms you can use for this too. Step 2: Identify and list the hazards associated with each task (do one task first, then another, etc.) Consider every possible thing that could go wrong. How could the worker be injured or be made ill? How could machines or equipment be damaged? Ask yourself the following questions: What could go wrong? What could cause that thing/those things to go wrong? What other factors could contribute to that thing/those things going wrong? What would happen if that thing/those things did go wrong? How likely is it that that thing/those things will go wrong? Our downloadable guide at the bottom of this article includes a table that lists common hazard types. You may this very helpful when you’re trying to identify hazards. Step 3: Write a hazard description (also called a hazard scenario). Write a description of each hazard in a consistent, orderly manner that will help ensure you will later put in steps to control the hazard and create the best possible controls. A good hazard description should include the following items. Environment: where does this hazard exist? Exposure: who or what might be injured or made ill by this hazard? Trigger: what event might cause the hazard to lead to an injury or illness? Contributing factors: are there other factors that might contribute to cause the hazard to lead to an injury or illness? Outcome/consequence: what would be the result if the hazard were to occur? Here’s a one-screen sample from Convergence Training’s e-learning course on the JHA that explains the hazard description and gives an example. Step 4: Create a plan for controlling each hazard associated with each task. Once you’ve written the hazard descriptions, now it’s time to brainstorm some hazard controls so the hazard never really does lead to an injury or illness. And remember what we said earlier-if you’ve identified a severe hazard, and/or one with a great chance of causing illness or injury, address it immediately. When you’re considering a list of controls, think of the following (and in this order): Elimination and/or substitution: If you can remove the hazard entirely, or put some form of substitute in place, do that. That’s the best way to deal with a hazard-make it go away. An example would be removing a sharp edge on the corner of a machine so nobody could get cut. Engineering controls: Engineering controls involve re-designing the work area so that the hazard is eliminated or reduced. An example would be enclosing a noisy motor inside a sound-proof box. Administrative controls: Administrative controls involve modifying the way people work around a hazard to reduce the risk. An example might be limiting the number of hours someone works lifting heavy boxes from the end of a conveyor belt. Personal protective equipment (PPE): PPE can be used to protect people who are working in the presence of hazards. An example would be giving a respirator to someone working near airborne crystalline silica. PPE should only be used as a last resort, once the other forms of controls listed above have been tried. PPE may be used in combination with the other forms of controls, too. Need more help on controls? Here’s a nice OSHA page on hazard controls and here’s an OSHA website on the Hierarchy of Controls. Watch our blog, too, we’ll be posting an article on the Hierarchy of Controls soon. When Should You Control Your Hazards? Once you’ve completed the JHA, start controlling them hazards, cowboy. Do You Have to Review and Revise Your JHAs? Yes. Our form below includes lines you can use to schedule these reviews and make sure they’ve happened. When Should You Review and Revise Your JHAs Review your JHAs and, if necessary, revise them: On a routine, periodic basis-maybe every year When an injury or illness occurs at a a specific job When there’s a close call or near-miss When the job changes When an employee suggests considering it Anything Else? Well, now that you understand how to do a Job Hazard Analysis, you can go out and do one for real. Download our free JHA guide and forms to help you formally record the process. Good luck! The post How to Do a Job Hazard Analysis: 4 Essential Steps appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

Recently we published an extensive article titled What Is a Job Hazard Analysis?  And we followed that up with a companion piece that explains How to Do a Job Hazard Analysis. If you haven’t read those yet, but are interested, go right ahead. We’ll wait for you here. We wanted to follow those popular articles up with with a free job hazard analysis guide and forms that you can use to guide you through your own JHAs at work. And here it is. Need help with your safety training program at work? Check out our e-learning courses on safety topics and more, see our learning management systems, or just contact us to see how we can help. This job hazard analysis guide includes five parts: Getting Ready to Perform a job hazard analyis: Some things to do and think about before you begin. How to Perform a job hazard analysis An introduction to the two-step process for performing a JHA: Identify the steps or tasks of a job and then identify hazards associated with each task. Guides for Performing the job hazard analysis Part 1 is a form you can use to list the tasks of a job. Part 2 is a form you can use to identify the hazards associated with each task, and then write up a hazard scenario (including hazard control measures) for each. Hazard List Consult this handy list of different types of hazards to help you identify hazards for each task. Hierarchy of Controls Check out the hierarchy of controls to help you identify the types of controls to implement and the other in which to consider them. Hope you find this free job hazard analysis guide helpful. Let us know what you think.   The post Job Hazard Analysis Guide appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

What’s the best way to protect your workers from hazards at the workplace? One common and effective method is to use the hierarchy of controls. To which you may ask-but what is the hierarchy of controls? That’s the focus on this article, and we’ll explain it in full detail soon. First, though, let’s set the scene.   What Is a Hazard? In general terms, a hazard is something that has the potential to cause harm. To be less abstract, a hazard is something that can cause an injury or illness (or cause damage to a machine or equipment - but we’ll focus on the things that can cause injuries and illness right now). There are several different kinds of hazards. We’ve listed some categories of hazards below. Type of Hazard Description Example Safety Hazards Common hazards that cause immediate injuries and illnesses, and may lead to death Slip, trip, and fall hazards; working from heights; electrical hazards; moving machines; mobile equipment Biological Hazards Other life forms that can cause injury or illnesses Viruses, bacteria, mold, fungi, animal bites/stings, toxic plants, blood and other bodily fluids Chemical and other Exposure Hazards Things that can cause harm to you when you are exposed Radiation, temperature (high or low), noise, chemicals Ergonomic Hazards Strains and stresses on the body caused by workplace motions and body positions Poorly designed work areas, repeated motions, lifting heavy weights Psychological or Societal Hazards Hazards caused by interacting with people and social conditions at the workplace Workplace violence, sexual harassment, stress, depression, alcohol and drug addiction Notice that we said a hazard is something that has the potential to cause harm. While it’s important to remember that potential for harm, it’s also worth pointing out these three facts: A hazard is not the same thing as the injury or illness itself A hazard may never cause an injury or illness (even though it has the potential to) Identifying hazards before they cause harm gives you a chance to remove or reduce the potential for harm How to Identify Hazards It’s important to try to identify hazards before they cause harm. If you do this, you can then eliminate or otherwise control the hazard so that the hazard never does cause harm. There are many ways to identify hazards at the workplace. Here are a few: Perform routine hazard inspections Maintain health and environmental monitoring programs Talk to workers about hazards in their work area Check your records of near misses, injuries, and illnesses Request a free onsite safety consulation from an OSHA inspector Perform job hazard analyses (click to read a full article on the job hazard analysis or download our free JHA guide) Assessing and Ranking Hazards In a perfect world, you’d eliminate or control every hazard identified at your work place. But as you know, the world’s not perfect. So it makes sense to assess the hazards you’ve identified and then rank them in the order in which you should address them. These are the kind of hazards you should address first: Hazards that are very likely to cause harm Hazards that would lead to very severe consequences These kind of issues are typically addressed under the topics of risk management and risk assessment. Click to read more about risk management and safety. Controlling Hazards Now that we’ve explained what a hazard is, learned some general categories of hazards, listed some ways to identify hazards at the workplace, and touched on the assessment and ranking of hazards, let’s turn our attention to different ways to control safety hazards. What does it mean to control a hazard? "Controlling a hazard" is the way that safety people talk about taking a hazard and either: Removing its ability to cause harm Reducing its ability to cause harm So, in everyday language, controlling a hazard is a way to make the workplace safer by making a hazardous situation less dangerous. Are there different types of hazard controls? Just as their are different categories of hazards, there are also different categories of hazard controls. Those hazard controls are listed in the table below. Hazard Control Description Example Elimination Remove a hazard from the workplace Changing a production process so that a chemical known to cause cancer is no longer used Substitution Replace a hazard with something less hazardous Changing a formula so that instead of working with a highly explosive fluid, workers work with a fluid that’s less explosive Engineering Control(s) Design a solution that controls the hazard at its source (requires a physical change at the workplace) Encasing a noisy machine inside a sound-proof barrier Safe Work Practice(s) Develop specific rules and procedures for all workers to follow when working in the presence of or potentially exposed to a hazard Placing warning labels on hazardous chemicals Administrative Control(s) Developing other work practices to protect workers from hazards Limiting the amount of time workers can work in a noisy area Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Protective clothing or equipment that protects a worker from a hazard Providing hearing protection to people who work in a noisy area Now that you’ve seen the table with the various hazard controls, let’s discuss a few finer points. Elimination and Substitution: You’ll sometimes see these two lumped together within the Engineering Controls. Safe Work Practices: Some examples of safe work practices include: Lockout tagout (energy control programs) Confined space entry programs Hazard communication Safe Work Practices and Administrative Controls: You’ll sometimes see these grouped in as forms of Administrative Controls. However, OSHA specifically says "OSHA uses the term administrative controls to mean other measures aimed at reducing employee exposure to hazards" (other than safe work practices, that is). Which hazard controls should you use? Which should you try first? You shouldn’t just try any random hazard control, and you shouldn’t try them in just an order. Instead, there’s a logical progression to work through. Here’s where the title of our article-the Hierarchy of Controls-comes into play. What Is the Hierarchy of Controls? It’s important to work through a logical progression when you’re considering controls for a hazard. That logical progression, from first to last, is represented by the hierarchy of controls. Look at the diagram below. The hazard controls are listed in order. At the top is elimination. This is what you should try to do first. If elimination isn’t possible or feasible, then you continue down the list, trying substitution, then engineering controls, then administrative controls, and then finally (and only as a last resort) personal protective equipment. Note: We’ve "collapsed" work practice controls into the administrative controls category here, but don’t forget about it.     Why are the controls in the hierarchy of controls ordered in the way they are? The most effective controls are the ones ranked at the top. Think about it-you can’t do much better than completely eliminate a hazard, can you? Likewise, using an engineering control (such as enclosing a noisy machine inside a sound-proof barrier) is going to be better than limiting the number of hours a worker can work in the room with the noisy machine, right? You’ll notice that the use of personal protective equipment is at the bottom of the pyramid. That means it’s the control that should be tried last. And that’s because it’s the least effective.   Using More than One Control to Control a Hazard Many times, you’ll find you can’t completely control a hazard by using just one of the controls. What should you do? Use more than one control. For example, you could use Substitution to remove a very hazardous chemical with a less hazardous chemical. But it may still be necessary to create Administrative Controls that limit the time a worker is near the chemical, and even then it may still be necessary to provide the worker with personal protective equipment (PPE). Use PPE ONLY as a Last Resort Although PPE may be one of the first things that springs to mind when you’re thinking of controlling a hazard, it should never be the first control you turn to. In fact, you should only turn to PPE as a possible control when all other controls have been exhausted and there’s still an unacceptable level of hazard. The post What Is the Hierarchy of Controls? appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

Consider this scenario, if you will. You’re a training manager. Or maybe you’re someone else who is involved in training-the head of operations, or in HR, or the safety manager. You or someone else at work determines there’s a performance problem. More specifically, you think your employees may have a skill gap. What’s the answer? Create and lead some training? Well, maybe. But maybe not. It’s easy to jump to the conclusion that training’s the answer for everything. But there’s nothing worse than creating a training program for a problem that the training can’t solve. You’ve now spent a bunch of money and time creating and delivering the training, and you’ve still got the problem to boot. The best way to avoid this scenario is to take a step back and analyze the performance problem first. If you learn more about the problem, you can then figure out what the best solution for it is. Maybe it WILL be training, but maybe it will be something else. With that introduction down, let’s look at a process for analyzing performance problems and addressing skill gaps. This method was developed by the noted human performance improvement (HPI) expert Robert Mager, and it’s explained in his classic book Analyzing Performance Problems, or, You Really Oughta Wanna (co-written with Peter Pipe). Mager’s method provides a series of steps for you to consider when you evaluate the proper solution to a performance problem at work. Once you’ve considered every item, you’ll be ready to propose the best solution-or a combination of solutions-and then put them into effect. This method will help you identify and close skill gaps as well as determine when a performance problem is NOT the result of a skill gap. Here’s his method. State and Describe the Problem with the Performance First things first, right? State what the problem is and describe it so you know you fully understand it. Ask Yourself: Does the Performance Problem Matter? Once you’ve written the problem down, ask yourself if it’s really a big deal. Is it so significant that you should do something to fix it? Or is it really not a big deal, and should you move on to something else? If you’ve decided it’s not a big deal, you stop here. And if you’ve decided it IS a big deal, continue. Is There A Skill Gap: Are Employees Not Performing Because They Don’t Have the Skill? If you’ve decided that you want to fix this performance problem, you should ask yourself why employees aren’t already doing what you want them to do. At this level, we can divide the answers to this question into two different categories. The first is that your employees don’t know how to do it or they can’t do it. The second category involves cases in which your employees can do it, but they’re not doing it for other reasons. If your employees just don’t have the skill-meaning they can’t do what you want them to do-then go to the next section, titled "Yep, It’s a Skill Gap: When Your Employees Don’t Have the Necessary Skill(s)." But if your employees DO have the necessary skills, go to the section after that, titled "No, It’s Not a Skill Gap: When Your Employees DO Have the Necessary Skill but Still Aren’t Performing." Yep, It’s a Skill Gap: When Your Employees Don’t Have the Necessary Skill(s) If your performance problem exists because your workers don’t have the skills to do what you want them to do, you’ve got a few options to consider. Those are listed below in this section. Is it Something They Used to Be Able to Do? If the employees used to be able to do it, give them some guided practice with feedback telling them how they’re doing and what they’re doing right or wrong. If the employees could never do it, consider a formal training session to teach them. Remember that training should include an explanation of what to do but also practice and feedback. Is it Something They Do A Lot on the Job? In some cases, your performance problem/skill deficiency will result from a case in which people perform the skill a lot on the job and, over time, they’ve begun to do it wrong. In that case, arrange feedback to get them back on track. In other cases, it won’t be something they do a lot. In that case, set them up with some practice, and remember to include feedback. Is There a Simpler Way? When you’ve identified that you’ve got a performance problem and your workers currently have a skill gap, there may be times when you look for a simpler solution. Simpler, that is, than teaching your workers to perform the skill. For example, maybe you can change the job so workers don’t have to perform the skill. An example of this would be buying a machine that performs the task. Or, maybe you will continue to expect workers to perform the task, but you don’t think it’s necessary to have a formal training session to teach them. Maybe a little OJT, with an in-the-field demonstration and a bit of practice with feedback, is all they need. Is the Employee Incapable of Performing the Task? Finally, another thing to consider is that one or more employee may be simply incapable of performing the desired task. In that case, you may want to consider transferring the employee to a different position where he or she is better suited. No, It’s Not a Skill Gap: When Your Employees DO Have the Necessary Skill but Still Aren’t Performing In some cases, your employees CAN do what you want them to do, but they’re still not doing it. In those cases, there are a few things for you to consider to find out why they’re not doing it. Those are listed below. Disincentive: The Employee is Somehow "Punished" for Performing the Desired Skill Sometimes companies want employees to do something but don’t notice that there’s a disincentive to follow through and do them. For example, a safety manager may want employees to record all near-misses, but employees may not do this because they’re worried their coworkers will get upset. Or maybe you want employees to fill out a checklist every time they perform a procedure, but the checklists are stored on the opposite side of the plant. If you’ve got a situation like this, training isn’t the solution. Instead, remove the disincentive that punishes the behavior you want, and you’ll see performance improve. Incentive: The Employee is Somehow Rewarded for NOT Performing the Desired Skill As you probably guessed, this is the flip-side of the "disincentive" coin we just discussed. Even though you want your employees to do something, they may have a built-in incentive to not do it. For example, maybe you want your service technicians to do something during each visit. But if not doing it (a) doesn’t cause an immediate problem and (b) gets them on to their next visit more quickly, in particular if you’ve set up a system that rewards them for completing as many service visits as possible, then you’ve set up a system that rewards them for not doing what you want them to do. So, if you’ve got this issue at work, remove the reward for not performing the desired task. No Consequences: It Doesn’t Matter to the Employees if They Do It Or Don’t Do It Sometimes, employees can do something but there are no positive consequences to doing it and there are no negative consequences to not doing it. For example, maybe you want your employees to fill out weekly reports. But if they don’t, someone else does it for them, and there’s no penalty to the employee who didn’t do them. On top of that, there’s no particular reward-even recognition in the form of saying "good job" or "thanks"-for doing the report. If you’ve got a situation like this, then set up some consequences: good consequences for people who do what you want them to, and bad consequences for people who don’t. Obstacles: Employees Don’t Do It Because Something Prevents Them From Doing It The final "they have the skills to do it but still aren’t doing it" thing to consider is that there is some obstacle that prevents them from doing it. This can be as simple as not having enough time. Maybe you want employees to wash their hands thoroughly every time they enter the production area, but their work requires them to leave and return to the area often and you also have set high expectations of how much they should do while they’re in the production area, meaning they just don’t have time to wash their hands that much. Remove the obstacle (in this case, not enough time) and you’ll get better compliance. (If you want to read a real-life example of this, Dr. Atul Gawande explains how doctors at a hospital have exactly this hand-washing problem and explains efforts to address that problem in his book Better.) What’s the Best Solution? Once you’ve worked your way through the questions above, you will have identified some potential solutions to your performance problem. Now it’s time to look at your possibilities and decide what the best solution would be. Remember that in some cases, you’ll combine more than one solution. Implement the Solution And, with your best solutions now identified, it’s time to put them into effect at work. It’s not a bad idea to create some kind of form or checklist to help you make sure you get it done. Actually, that’s such a good idea we’re going to look into writing a post on that in the future. Conclusion That’s it. Hope you find this technique helpful. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions or have any experience or tips on these issues.   The post How to Identify and Close Skill Gaps at Work appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

We just wrote an extended blog post that explains the benefits of "chunking" your training materials and gives tips of how to do it. Click here to read the extended article on chunking. Otherwise, if you’d like a high-level overview and then would like to see an example of chunking applied to manufacturing training, read on. Need help with the training program at your manufacturing company? Check out the family of learning management systems (LMSs) by Convergence Training, our off-the-shelf e-learning courses on standard manufacturing topics, and our custom training options. The Bird’s Eye View on Chunking Training Materials Chunking refers to taking training material (during the design phase), breaking them up into little "bite-sized" parts, and then organizing them in a way that makes the material easier for your employees to learn. Chunking is helpful because of how our brains work-in particular, the limits on our working memory to hold only about four bits of information at a time. Although learners who are novices or experts in a given topic can each only remember about four chunks at a time, experts can remember bigger chunks. You should arrange chunks within training materials in a way that makes it easier for your employees to understand and remember them. Some organizational methods include job sequence, dependent learning, cause and effect, and whole to parts, but there are more. Chunking training materials begins at a high level-the entire curriculum, for example-and then works its way down through modules, lessons, courses, and screens (or similar sub-divisions of your training materials). An Example of Chunking Manufacturing Training At Convergence Training, we use chunking techniques when we design and create our e-learning modules. And that pays off for our customers because their employees learn the materials more quickly, readily, and effectively. For example, consider our Wire Rope Basics e-learning course (which is one title in our Health & Safety training library) and then give thought to how the various aspects of chunking, described below, will make it easier for your employees to understand this topic that they may need to know to perform their job well and safely. Chunking Within Our Manufacturing Curriculum The course is just one part of our Cranes and Rigging series of courses. That is just one part of our Operations & Maintenance library of courses. Chunking Within the Course The entire course is only 26 minutes long, including the content screens, practice questions, and course-ending test. The course is composed of multiple screens, each quite short. The course includes practice questions every few screens to review new material. Chunking Within the Screen The screen in the sample (below) runs for only 31 seconds and explains only a few things: What a core is What a strand is What a wire is All of this makes it very easy for your employees to grasp and retain this information about wire ropes and how it relates to rigging. The post Chunking Manufacturing Training: How to Help Your Employees Learn appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

You’ve probably heard of 5S. If so, you know it’s a method for organizing a work area to increase efficiency and productivity while reducing waste. If you didn’t know that before, now you do. Over time, people have modified 5S by adding a new "S" to create 6S systems. One of the most common of the 6S systems results from adding Safety to 5S. This is sometimes called 5S+, 6S, lean 6S, 6S safety, or lean 6S safety. In this article, we’ll learn more about 6S and how you can use it to create a more organized, efficient, productive, and safe workplace. Need training materials to increase efficiency and safety at your workplace? Check out our library of e-learning courses and our learning management systems, or just contact Convergence Training.  What Is 5s? Let’s begin by getting those who haven’t heard of 5S up to speed. Here are a few definitions of 5S to get you in the ballpark. US EPA: "5S is a system to reduce waste and optimize productivity through maintaining an orderly workplace and using visual cues to achieve more consistent operational results. Implementation of this method "cleans up" and organizes the workplace basically in its existing configuration, and it is typically the first lean method which organizations implement." Kaizen Institute: "5S relates to workplace organization and forms a solid foundation upon which many organizations base their drive for continuous improvement. It is equally applicable & successful in all sectors helping to achieve high impact results. It is a systematic and methodical approach allowing teams to organize their workplace in the safest and most efficient manner." Lean Manufacturing Institute: "5S is a simple tool for organizing your workplace in a clean, efficient and safe manner to enhance your productivity, visual management and to ensure the introduction of standardized working." Wikipedia: "5S is the name of a workplace organization method that uses a list…(that describes) how to organize a work space for efficiency and effectiveness by identifying and storing the items used, maintaining the area and items, and sustaining the new order." Got it? Good. Now let’s dive a little deeper. What Are the 5S’s in 5S? As you probably guessed, the 5S method includes five steps or phases, each of which begin with the letter S. Because 5S originated in Japan, each "S" is the first letter of a Japanese word. Fortunately for English speakers, however, each of those Japanese words have been translated to an English word that also begins with the letter "S." They’re listed below. Sort (Seiri) Sorting is the first phase of 5S. When you sort, you remove items from the work area that aren’t needed for current production needs. This may mean you store them somewhere for long-term storage, or perhaps you’ll even dispose of them. The process of red tagging is designed to help you sort. Just go around the work area and put a red tag on everything that’s unnecessary. Then you can collect all the red-tagged items, put them in a central holding area, and deal with them appropriately item-by-item. Straighten (Seiton)-Also Known as Set in Order Once the unnecessary items have been removed, organize the rest of the items so they’re in the best possible location. Put things in place so they’re easy to access when they’re needed and so their location helps to increase efficiency and decrease waste. While sorting, consider marking areas with tape or paint so it’s obvious what goes where. Below is a short sample from the 5S e-learning course by Convergence Training. It covers the second S-straighten-and demonstrates putting things in their place and marking their location. Shine (Seiso)-Also Known as Sweep or Sanitize After unnecessary items have been removed and necessary items have  been straightened, then clean up the workplace. Don’t just do this once. Instead, set up a daily cleaning routine. One benefit of daily cleaning is you can use it as an opportunity to inspect the work area and machines for wear and damage. Standardize (Seiketsu) Once you’ve sorted, straightened, and shined, it’s time to standardize. This means identifying best practices to keep things as you’ve got them now and creating consistent procedures for which jobs are done efficiently. Include sort, straighten, and shine in people’s job responsibilities so they’ll be done consistently. Sustain (Shitsuke) The final element of 5S is to sustain the practice-meaning, keep it going. Signs, posters, meetings, and other methods of communication can help keep the 5S method and practices fresh and make sure things don’t spiral out of hand again. Remember it’s not easy to change a company’s culture, and people may have a tendency to slip back to the old ways if you don’t keep the 5S message fresh in their minds. Adding Safety to 5S: Lean 6S Adding safety to 5S can be as simple as remembering to keep safety in mind at each of the 5S steps. Let’s look at some examples of this. During the Sort phase, you can use red tags for items that need to be removed and put yellow tags on EHS hazards. The red-tagged items go to a central holding spot, and there someone decides what to do with them. The yellow-tagged items are evaluated separately to see if any safety (or any EHS issues, really) need to be addressed. When you’re Straightening, you can organize items not just to maximize efficiency, but with an eye toward safety as well. For example, don’t just put things in place to maximize worker productivity, but you can also consider safety/EHS issues such as ergonomic strain for workers at this point. And during the Shine phase, you can add EHS concerns to a cleaning checklist for workers to perform. For example, when you’re cleaning and tidying you can also check to make sure chemical containers are securely closed. Or, you can think of Safety as a separate step-after Sort, Straighten, and Shine, and before Standardize and Sustain. So, after you’ve Sorted, Straightened, and Shined, make a separate round of inspections for safety issues. Then, when you Standardize and Sustain, you can keep the safety issues in mind as well as efficiency issues. Conclusion Hope that helps get you started with 6S/Lean 6S. Keep your eyes on our blog for more articles about 6S in the future-we think we’ll develop a 6S audit checklist for you (with the help of our friends from the EPA). And we’re planning some additional articles on related topics such as lean manufacturing and kaizen. If you have any experience using 6S or tips for others, please leave them in the comments section  below. The post 5S + Safety = Lean 6S Safety appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

Hello. We’re back and we’re continuing our look at ANSI Z490.1, the standard that lists "Criteria for Accepted Practices in Safety, Health, and Environmental Training." In this post, we’re going to take an in-depth look at Section 5, which is all about delivering EHS training. The strong focus is on the EHS trainer in this one, plus there’s some stuff about the training environment. Before we begin, just a quick reminder of the posts we’ve written about already in this series: Introduction to ANSI Z490.1 Section 1 (Scope, Purpose, and Application); Section 2 (Definitions); and Section 3 (EHS Training Program Administration and Management) Section 4 (Designing Effective EHS Training) If you haven’t checked out those previous articles, it’s not necessary to do it before you read this one. But, it might help. OK, let’s get started. Need help with your EHS training program? Check out the EHS e-learning courses from Convergence Training, or our LMSs, or just contact us.   Effective EHS Trainers Effective EHS trainers-meaning, trainers that can effectively help your employees learn EHS materials-should have two characteristics. First, they should be subject matter experts. The standard says they "shall have an appropriate level of technical knowledge, skills, or abilities in the subject they teach," so they don’t have to be subject matter experts in the way that Einstein was a subject matter expert on physics. But, they need to know their stuff. "Appropriate" seems to be the key word here. And second, they should be "competent" in their training delivery techniques and in training in a manner that’s appropriate for adult learners. In addition, keep the following in mind: Trainers should maintain their skills and knowledge through continuing education, work experience, or other methods Training program administrators should create documents that show how EHS trainers comply to these expectations. This can include resumes, continuing education certificates, licenses, registrations, and/or simple experience sheets. There’s no one defined way to do this properly-just do it. Effective EHS Training Methods and Materials Delivery of effective EHS training and EHS training materials includes: Planning and preparation before training delivery Proper management of the learning environment (where the training will occur) Proper and effective use of training delivery aids and technologies to assist in learning Use of adult learning principles Feedback and communication with the learners Let’s look at each of these in more detail. EHS Training Planning and Preparation This stage includes getting the trainer ready. Most notably, this means making sure the trainer: Meets the qualifications for an effective, appropriate trainer listed above Knows the course’s learning objectives (read more about learning objectives here and here) Knows the course’s training materials Knows and knows how to use the primary training delivery method and the backup/alternate delivery method  Managing the Learning Environment for EHS Training Learning happens best in an appropriate learning environment that meets the needs of the trainees. In particular, the training environment should: Be safe, with no safety hazards Have an appropriate climate, including temperature and air quality Have appropriate lighting Have appropriate seating and/or work areas Be set up with proper ergonomics for the learners Provide access to water and restrooms Have enough emergency exits and a planned evacuation route Finally, the learning environment should be one that helps facilitate learning. The Association for Talent Development has some good books on this kind of stuff. Effective Use of Training Delivery Methods and Training Materials The first thing the trainer should do is to be familiar with the training delivery methods and training materials that were designed and created during the training development phase of this process and to apply them so that the learning objectives are supported. For more about training development and learning objectives, please see our previous post in this series: Section 4 (Designing Effective EHS Training) Application of Adult Learning Principles for Effective EHS Training In most cases, you’ll be training adults, so it’s important to know and use what training and development experts call adult learning principles. If you’re not aware of adult learning principles, you should know that adults: Are self-directed Bring a lifetime of knowledge and experience to training Are goal-oriented Want training to be relevant and task-oriented Learn when they are motivated to learn Like to be and feel respected Click here to read more about adult learning principles and how to apply them. Feedback and Communication One of the fundamental concepts of training is that you’ve got to give the learners (or trainees, or employees, or whatever you want to call them) the chance to ask questions, get feedback on their questions or performances, and generally feel free to communicate openly and effectively about the training topic. Trainers should foster an environment that encourages and supports questions and comments, and they should build-in opportunities for practice and feedback. Remember to always create an atmosphere in which the learners feel safe asking questions; never make fun of or shame people when they ask something. EHS Training Delivery: Effective EHS Trainers and Training Environments And that concludes our look at section 5 of ANSI Z490.1. If you apply these guidelines for your EHS trainers and your EHS training environments, you’ll find that the effectiveness of your EHS training program should increase. Let us know if you’ve got any tips for doing these things. That’s what the comments field is for below. Otherwise, keep your eyes on the blog for our next post in this series, which will look at evaluating your EHS trainings.   The post Effective EHS Trainers and Training Environments: ANSI Z490.1, Section 5 appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

We just wrote an extended blog post that explains the benefits of "chunking" your training materials and gives tips for how to do it. Click here to read the extended article on chunking. Otherwise, if you’d like a high-level overview of chunking and then would like to see how you can use chunking to make your mining safety training program more effective, read on. The Bird’s Eye View on Chunking Training Materials Chunking refers to taking training material (during the design phase), breaking them up into little "bite-sized" parts, and then organizing them in a way that makes the material easier for your employees to learn. Chunking is helpful because of how our brains work-in particular, the limits on our working memory to hold only about four bits of information at a time. Although learners who are novices or experts in a given topic can each only remember about four chunks at a time, experts can remember bigger chunks. You should arrange chunks within training materials in a way that makes it easier for your employees to understand and remember them. Some organizational methods include job sequence, dependent learning, cause and effect, and whole to parts, but there are more. Chunking training materials begins at a high level-the entire curriculum, for example-and then works its way down through modules, lessons, courses, and screens (or similar sub-divisions of your training materials). An Example of Chunking Mining Safety Training At Convergence Training, we use chunking techniques when we design and create our e-learning modules. And that pays off for our customers because their employees learn the materials more quickly, readily, and effectively. For example, consider our Physical Characteristics of Surface Mines e-learning course (which is one title in our Mining Safety-MSHA training library) and consider how the various aspects of chunking, described below, will make it easier for your employees to understand this critical aspect of job safety. Chunking Within Our Mining Safety Curriculum Our Mining Safety training library includes a large number of courses that can be used to train miner’s for MSHA Part 46 and MSHA Part 48 training compliance. Our courses can be "grouped" to create the training programs required by MSHA, such as the New Miner, Newly Hired Experienced Miner, or Annual Refresher training programs required by 46.5, 46.6, or 46.8. Our Physical Characteristics of Surface Mines is just one part of our Introduction to the Mine Environment series of courses [as required for the New Miner training program by 46.5(b) and for the Newly Hired Experienced Miner training program by 46.6(b), for example]. Chunking Within the Course The entire course is only 9 minutes long, including the content screens, practice questions, and course-ending test. The course is composed of multiple screens, each quite short. The course includes practice questions every few screens to review new material. Chunking Within the Screen The screen in the sample (below) runs for only 74 seconds and explains only a few related things: What a highwall is Slope of highwalls What an angle of repose is Factors that make highwalls unstable All of this makes it very easy for your employees to grasp these important mining safety topics. The post Chunking Mining Safety Training Materials: Improve Your Mine Safety Training appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

Onboarding new employees can be time consuming, difficult, and inefficient. And, for a number of reasons-it’s often ineffective. If you’ve done it before, you already know this. You can onboard new employees more quickly, efficiently, and effectively by using a learning management system (LMS). An LMS is a software application that companies can use to import, create, assign, deliver, and track training. You can use an LMS to deliver all sorts of training. This can include training specific to various job roles, HR training, and safety training. And-yes-you can also use an LMS when onboarding new employees. Looking for an LMS to help you with new employee onboarding and other training needs? Download the free LMS Buyer’s Guide Checklist at the bottom of this post or check out the family of LMSs that Convergence Training offers for companies of different sizes, industries, and training needs. How an LMS Helps You Improve Your Experience Onboarding New Employees There are many ways using an LMS can improve your onboarding program. Let’s look at a few of them. Use a Blended Learning Solution to Deliver Your New Employee Onboarding Without an LMS, companies often rely on training of one or two types when onboarding new employees. For example, they may use just instructor-led (face-to-face training), or they may use just written materials (such as Word documents and PowerPoint presentations). Or maybe they’ll use a combination of the two, at best. But an LMS can make it easier for you to use a  blended learning solution instead. This lets you make use of e-learning, video, web-based training, written materials, face-to-face discussions, and more. And having the freedom to pick and choose training types will allow you onboard new employees more effectively while spending less. Provide A Standard, Consistent "Core" Onboarding Materials to Each New Employee Without an LMS, it’s easy to accidentally  provide different onboarding materials to each new employee. For example, you might forget to cover one important training topic with one employee. Or you may include all the necessary topics, but maybe with one employee you accidentally grabbed an old version of a specific document instead of a new, revised version. Putting the onboarding materials into an LMS and assigning them to all new employees solves this problem. You can be sure each employee receives the same consistent and standard message. And you don’t need to be told how important it is to provide a consistent, standard training message in your onboarding. Provide Additional Job-Specific Training, Beyond the "Core" Onboarding, To Employees in Various Job Roles It’s great to be able to provide the same onboarding materials to everyone. For example, you may want everyone to read your company manual or to read your drug and alcohol policy. But in addition to those "core" materials, you may want to assign different training materials to new employees based on their specific job role, title, or department. For example, maybe your production workers should be assigned some safety courses that aren’t relevant for your accounting staff. And maybe your accounting workers should be assigned some training about Internet use that’s not relevant for your production workers. Your LMS should make it easy for you to add these training assignments to specific departments or teams in addition to the "core" onboarding materials you’d assign to everyone. Show New Employees You Care about Your Policies, Processes, and Procedures Delivering onboarding training to new employees in a haphazard, chaotic manner risks sending the wrong message to your new employees: although we’re covering this material now, it’s not something we really care about. And that’s not what you want, obviously. Presenting an organized, well-structured onboarding sequence through an LMS makes it clear to your employees that the materials are important to you. And that helps set expectations that your new employees should pay attention to and follow the onboarding materials. Show New Employees You Value Them You work hard, invest a lot of time, and put a lot of money into finding good new employees. You hired them because you value them and because you think they can do the job well. So why welcome them to the company with a half-baked onboarding program? Does that send a "Hey, we’re excited to have you on your team" message to the new employee? No, it doesn’t. What it does suggest to the new employee is they’re not so special after all. Just another cog in the machine. Instead, why not welcome the employee with an impressive, well-planned, comprehensive onboarding delivered through an LMS that will make them feel valued? Employees who feel valued are more likely to be engaged, to work well, to stay with you for a long time, and to bring the value you’re looking for. Deliver Materials to New Employees and Set Due Dates When You Need to Making sure you’re getting the right onboarding materials to your new worker is important, but it’s not the only important thing. You’ll also want to deliver the materials at the right time. Do your employees need to complete training  before the first day they arrive at work? Do they need to complete training after they arrive at work but before they hit the production floor? Do they need to complete some materials now and other materials at a later point? With a robust LMS, all of these onboarding delivery needs can be managed with only a few clicks. Keep Accurate Training Completion Records and Quickly Run Reports Many companies keep records of completed training-including new employee onboarding-in a confusing series of paper-based documents (which are stored in manila envelopes in metal filing cabinets in various out-of-the-way places), Excel spreadsheets, and Access databases. If this is you now, or if this has  been you in the past, you know what a mess this can be and how inefficient it is. On the other hand, companies that use an LMS to assign and deliver training often can’t stop talking about how easy tracking completion and running reports becomes. Without exception, they swear they’d never go back to the old ways. Evaluate the Effectiveness of Your Onboarding Training Program What good are training materials or even records of completion if you can’t tell if new employees are actually learning? You can talk to you’re blue in the face without knowing if a new employee understood their onboarding. Likewise, you can sit them in front of countless videos or have them read as many documents or PowerPoints as you want, but you won’t know if people are learning without some form of assessment. With an LMS, you can easily create a quiz, assign and deliver it, and track answers, percentages, and completions. This will help you determine if each individual employee understands the material appropriately. It will also help you identify points when your own onboarding materials aren’t as effective as you’d like. Brand Your Training Your new employee onboarding materials include the core values and foundational principles of your company. Why should you deliver them in a hodge-podge of generic documents? Your LMS should allow you to brand your URL, to display your company name and logo, and even to brand the individual courses within the LMS. Why not really make your onboarding materials your own? Your workplace is special-show new employees how proud you are of it. Save Time and Money Using an inefficient method to onboard a single employee chews up quite a bit of time and money, although you may not notice it. But multiply that same investment for each new employee over a year or several years, and you’ll see how much money you’re wasting. And that doesn’t count the indirect expenses you suffer as a result of sending a poorly onboarded employee to his or her job, or the even greater costs that come with losing dissatisfied, poorly trained employees and having to hire replacements over and over again. Get an LMS and you’ll immediately cut  back on all that wasted time and money. Using an LMS When Onboarding New Employees By now, you should see there are many benefits to using an LMS when onboarding your new employees. The question remains, though-which LMS? To be honest, there’s no single LMS that’s right for every company. If you’re decided to look into getting an LMS to onboard new employees and manage your other training needs, it’s a good idea to take some time to evaluate your options carefully. To help you with that, we’ve created an LMS Buyer’s Guide complete with a downloadable checklist. Click the link to read the buyer’s guide (where you can also download the checklist) or just download the checklist below. Hope it helps-good luck in your search. Let us know in the comments field below if you have any questions.   The post Using an LMS to Onboard Your New Hires More Effectively, Efficiently appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

We just read Robert Mager’s Goals Analysis, one of six books in the classic "Mager’s Six Pack" series. In this article, we’ll give you a short book review. We have another article if you’d like to study his goals analysis method in more detail. Before we begin, know that this is part of a series of articles looking at the books and ideas in Mager’s Six Pack. So far, we’ve also got articles on the following: Book Review: Mager’s Preparing Instructional Objectives Mager’s Instructional Objectives-How to Write Performance-Based Learning Objectives Mager’s Goals Analysis-How to Analyze and Set Goals Mager’s Analyzing Performance Problems-Or, You Really Oughta Wanna With that out of way, let’s get to this book review. Need any help with your training program at work? Check out the e-learning courses from Convergence Training, our family of learning management systems, or just contact us. Mager’s Goals Analysis and "Fuzzies" So what’s it about, you ask? The basic idea is this. First, Mager says that when we create goals, we often create abstract goals and as a result it’s impossible to later know if you’ve definitely met them. For example, maybe you want to be a "better person," or a "lean company," or a "safe company," or maybe you want "efficient workers." Mager calls all these vague, abstract goals "fuzzies." They’re fuzzy because no two people can agree that the goal has definitely been met. There’s no obvious, specific criteria against which real-world behavior can be compared to see if the behavior meets the goal. As you may have guessed, Mager says we shouldn’t have fuzzy goals. Instead, he wants us to set concrete, specific goals. The kind of goals that make it easy to tell if someone has met them. So instead of being a better person, maybe you want to donate to charity five times a year. Instead of being a lean company, maybe you want to reduce operational waste by 20 percent. Instead of being a safe company, maybe you want to reduce your injury and illness rate by 50 percent. And instead of having efficient workers, maybe you want your workers to produce 10 percent more. Note that all of these more concrete goals have something in common: they’re actual performances. How to Recognize Fuzzy Goals Now that Mager’s given you a goal-to write concrete goals instead of fuzzy goals-he starts to give you a method. First, he tells you how to determine if you’ve got a fuzzy goal. Basically, this boils down to asking one question. In Mager’s own words, this question is: "Is there a single behavior or class of behaviors that will indicate the presence of the alleged performance, about which there would be general agreement?" If you answer "no" to the question above, you’ve got yourself a fuzzy. If you answer "yes," you’ve got a goal. As is true in many of Mager’s books, this book gives you practice exercises and checklists to help you see if you can do this. Writing Performance-Based Goals Next, Mager gives a five-step method for creating concrete, performance-based goals. We’ve covered that method in more detail in our other article about this book, but here’s the big-picture, bird’s-eye view. Write down the goal Write down everything a person would have to do for you to agree that he or she has met the goal Review the items you listed in step 2 and revise Write a complete sentence that describes each of the items on your list after step 3 Test the sentences you wrote in step 4 to make sure they’re complete  Great. But How Was the Book? Now that you know what the book’s about and have a general idea of Mager’s method, we can turn to the interesting part of a book review. What kind of book was it? Was it helpful and informative? Was it a fun read? Along those lines, it had a lot in common with other Mager books I’ve read. First, it was short. My copy has 138 pages. Second, it was fun to read. It included sections where Mager would pose a question, the reader would answer, and you’ve proceed to one page or another depending on the answer you chose. Third, it had a lot of built-in practice exercises, checklists, and diagrams. And finally, it was written in the conversational, joking style that Mager uses in all his books. So, all told, was it a worthwhile book to read? Yep. Check it out if you get a chance.     The post Book Review: Robert Mager’s Goals Analysis appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

Here’s another installment in our look at ANSI Z490.1, the standard that lists "Criteria for Accepted Practices in Safety, Health, and Environmental Training." This post focuses on best practices for evaluating how well your employees learned from their EHS training and, of course, evaluating your training itself. That’s what the standard covers in section 6. Before we begin, just a quick reminder of the posts we’ve written about already in this series: Introduction to ANSI Z490.1 Section 1 (Scope, Purpose, and Application); Section 2 (Definitions); and Section 3 (EHS Training Program Administration and Management) Section 4 (Designing Effective EHS Training) Section 5 (EHS Trainers and EHS Training Environments) It’s not necessary to read those earlier articles before you read this one. On the other hand, if you’re the kind of person who likes to get the full story in the right order all at once, it may not be a bad idea to back up and read those earlier ones first. Need help with your EHS training program? Check out the EHS e-learning courses from Convergence Training, or our LMSs, or just contact us. Evaluating EHS Training As you probably guessed, the purpose of evaluating EHS training is to see if it the training was effective. Are your employees "learning" from the training? Does the training lead to the desired change in their behaviors? Does one or more individual employee need additional help after the training? Do you need to modify the training? Section 6 of ANSI Z490.1 provides best practices and criteria for EHS training evaluation. Let’s look at some of those criteria in the order in which you’d come across them as an EHS training manager or EHS training developer. While Developing/Designing EHS Training Before you deliver the training to employees, you’ve got to design it and develop it (that’s what’s covered in Section 4 and our article about that section, How to Develop Effective EHS Training). Even that early, you should be thinking about your post-training evaluation of the learners and evaluation of the training materials themselves. During the design and development phase, you should: Determine if it’s appropriate to provide a pre-test that would allow the learner to skip the training if he/she can pass the pre-test and, if so, to develop the pre-test Determine how the learners will be evaluated post-training Determine what the learner must do to successfully complete the evaluation Create procedures for helping or retraining workers who do not successfully complete the evaluation The Post-Training Learner Evaluation Now that you know the work you’re supposed to do during design and development, let’s turn our attention to the nature of effective evaluations. First, the evaluation of the learner should be based on the learner’s ability to satisfy the learning objectives for the training. Click here or here to read more about learning objectives, or read our overview of the Section of ANSI Z490.1 that addresses creating learning objectives. In addition, the evaluation should be both "reliable" and a "valid measure." What does this mean? Here’s what the standard says: Reliable: Gives consistent results over time Valid measure: Reflects the knowledge, skills, abilities, or attitudes specified in the learning objective As you’d guess, evaluations must comply with all applicable EHS regulations. For example, a regulation may include a minimum acceptable level of training. Be sure your learners can at least meet that minimum, although of course it’s alright if they exceed the minimum. Next, let’s turn our attention to the type of evaluation to use. The evaluation should include one, and may include all, of the following approaches: Learner reaction: Surveys or other methods to get the trainees feedback about the training, including how well they learned, how well the training materials were designed, and how well the trainer performed. Knowledge, skill, ability evaluation/test: This can include a written test, oral exam, a demonstration of a real-life job skill in the real or simulated work environment, the completion of a project, or other forms of evaluation. The test should align with the learning objective and the type of test will be influenced by the learning objective. Pre-tests and post-tests may be used as a way to determine how much the trainees learned. Technology, including online or computerized assessments, may be used. On-the-job performance observation: Observing the employee’s real on-the-job behavior at the workplace to see if the employee is correctly applying the knowledge, skills, abilities, or attitudes the training was intended to convey. This may include a comparison of observations made before and after training, and can include observations from customers, coworkers. Effect of training on organization as a whole: Analyzing data to determine the effect of the training on key performance indicators (KPIs) such as safety behaviors; safety records; implementation of preventive measures; increased use of PPE; reduction in injuries, illnesses, and near-misses; reduction in workman’s comp claims; increased regulatory compliance; and higher revenues and ROI. This four-level evaluation method is essentially the same as what learning professionals know as Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Evaluation. Click to read more about Kirkpatrick’s evaluation theory. Learner Evaluation Results for EHS Training Now let’s see what you should do with the information from the evaluation. Trainers should provide trainees with the results of any training evaluation. The learner should then have the opportunity to use this feedback as a way to ask for more information, help, or practice. If the learner did not perform satisfactorily on the evaluation, he or she should be provided with additional assistance and/or more training until he or she can satisfy the objectives. As regulations require, learners should be periodically re-trained and re-evaluated. Evaluation the EHS Training Itself and Continuous Improvement EHS training developers and trainers should use the results of the learner evaluations and all other training evaluations to periodically review the effectiveness of the training materials and training presentation themselves. Evaluation should include course content, training delivery methods, additional training materials, trainer performance, learning environment, and more. Conclusion: The Importance of Evaluating EHS Training No doubt you recognized the importance of evaluation the effectiveness of your EHS training and the learning of your employees even before you read this article. With luck, this article has given you some best practices you can use to evaluation your EHS training more effectively. Of course, we encourage you to go get the ANSI Z490.1 standard as well. Hope you found this helpful. Stay tuned for our next post in this series, which will look at documentation and recordkeeping for EHS training.     The post Evaluating EHS Training Effectiveness: ANSI Z490.1, Section 6 appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

We recently published an article titled What is the Hierarchy of Controls? It turns out the article was quite popular-we had a lot of folks visiting that page to read it. As a result, we decided to create this e-learning course about the hierarchy of controls and offer it to you for free. What’s not to like about a free hierarchy of controls training course? That it, below (scroll down). You can enjoy this in one of two ways (or, both). First, you can watch it right here. Watch it right here, right now, or bookmark this page and come back whenever you want to. Or second, you can download it and import it into your learning management system (LMS). Notice that we just said "and import it into your LMS." What you’ll get when you download this course is a zipped folder in a standard e-learning format called SCORM (read more about SCORM here). If you just try to open the zipped folder and watch something, it won’t work. But if you import the zipped folder into your learning management system (read more about LMSs here), then you can view the course through your LMS and even assign it to your workers. Don’t have an LMS? No problem. You can watch the course right here as much as you want, or you can check out the LMSs that Convergence Training has to offer. Here’s some information about how you can improve your safety training program with e-learning safety courses and an LMS, and here’s a free LMS buyer’s guide for you. Or just contact us and we’ll get you moving in the right direction. Hope you enjoy this. Download Free SCORM Module The post Free Hierarchy of Controls Training Course appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

We’re happy to announce the completion of a year-long initiative to grow the company’s library of pulp and paper industry training content We recently added 60 more eLearning courses added to our mill employee technical training curriculum. Previous courses, also covering fundamental pulping and papermaking processes, were released in four phases during 2014. This final run of 58 courses includes titles such as "Paper Machine Refining", "Papermaking Process Testing", and "Bleaching Basics", and brings the total number courses in the Convergence pulp & paper training catalog to 185. The courses aim to provide foundational knowledge to new hires or to existing employees transitioning to new jobs within a facility. The nearly 200 courses provide fundamental training to help familiarize new employees with pulp and paper manufacturing facilities and processes. The computer-based eLearning courses are 10-40 minutes each in length, and feature a combination of video-based instruction and interactive knowledge assessments. Developed using our signature blend of detailed 3D models and studio-quality graphics, the contemporary training materials leverage experience gained during our decades-long history in the pulp and paper industry. The training allows for an employee’s understanding of the material to be assessed and reported electronically, within a learning management system, or tested in the field via our tablet-based Mobile training platform. Randy Kohltfarber, President of Convergence Training, says the courses meet a growing need for skills training in the manufacturing industry. "There are large numbers of experienced workers reaching retirement age and the young people being hired to replace them just don’t have the skills to start performing their jobs efficiently right away," said Kohltfarber. "That’s true for manufacturing in general, and it’s especially true for the pulp and paper industry. The courses we’re producing are designed to help speed up that onboarding process." With the completion of the new courses, Kohltfarber believes Convergence has established itself as the foremost provider of computer-based pulp & paper training. "We’ve developed a large content library," says Kohltfarber, "but we’re not done. We’ve committed to producing at least 10 new pulp and paper courses each year, and we’ll continue to make updates to our existing content based on feedback from our customers. The courses have been very well received - people like the way we’ve presented the training and we continue to get suggestions for topics we haven’t covered yet. I think we can continue to develop training on these topics for quite some time."   The post Convergence Pulp & Paper Training Course Catalog Continues to Grow appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

We just read Robert Mager’s Analyzing Performance Problems, or, You Really Oughta Wanna, one of six books in the classic "Mager’s Six Pack" series. In this article, we’ll give you a short book review. We have another article if you’d like to study his performance problem analysis method in more detail. Before we begin, know that this is part of a series of articles looking at the books and ideas in Mager’s Six Pack. So far, we’ve also got articles on the following: Book Review: Mager’s Preparing Instructional Objectives Book Review: Mager’s Goals Analysis Mager’s Instructional Objectives-How to Write Performance-Based Learning Objectives Mager’s Goals Analysis-How to Analyze and Set Goals Mager’s Analyzing Performance Problems-Or, You Really Oughta Wanna With that out of way, let’s get to this book review. Need any help with your training program at work? Check out the e-learning courses from Convergence Training, our family of learning management systems, or just contact us. Mager’s Analyzing Performance Problems  Mager’s book outlines a simple and orderly method you can use to determine the cause of a performance problem at work and find the best solution(s) for that problem. We’ve described that method in more detail in our Closing Skill Gaps article, so click that link you just passed by if you want to read about the method in depth. But read on for a more superficial understanding. In short, Mager’s method helps you answer the following questions about a perceived performance problem at work: Is it really important? Is the problem that the workers don’t have the necessary skill(s)? If it’s truly a skill gap, why does the skill gap exist and what’s the best way to close it? If it’s not a skill gap (meaning employees DO have the skill but don’t use it), why aren’t they using it? Is there a better way to do the work so that the employees don’t have to perform the skill? Is the individual employee (or employees) incapable of performing the skill no matter how much training is provided? Given the answers to all the above questions, what is the best solution (or the best combination of solutions) to solve the problem?  Great. But How Was the Book? Now that you know what the book’s about and have a general idea of Mager’s method, let’s turn to the fun part of the review. Does it teach worthwhile stuff? Was it a fun read? Would I recommend it? Yes, yes, and yes. To elaborate on that a bit, he provides a method that would be useful for analyzing a performance problem and finding the right solution. So that’s answers the question about "worthwhile stuff." On the "fun read" angle, all of Mager’s books are pretty fun and this is no exception. As he does in other books, in this one he keeps it short, uses a conversational writing style, and is funny. And those are just some of the reasons why my answer to the "would you recommend it" question is a big YES.     The post Book Review: Robert Mager’s Analyzing Performance Problems (or, You Really Oughta Wanna) appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

If you know the vocabulary and methods of lean manufacturing, you know the terms "kaizen" and "kazien event." You may even have participated in a kaizen culture or a kaizen event. On the other hand, you may have never heard these terms, or maybe you’ve heard them but don’t yet know what they mean. If so, this article is for you, because we’re going to tell you what "kaizen" is. In a future article, we’ll clue you in on what a "kaizen event" is as well, and we’ll explain the differences. Convergence Training makes tools to help companies be more efficient. We offer learning management systems (LMSs), training materials, and applications for performance support on mobile devices at the workplace. Check out our website to learn more or just contact us if you’ve got a question. What Is Kaizen? Kaizen is a Japanese word that translates to something like "change for better." The concept of kaizen is one of the cornerstones of lean manufacturing theories, and in that context, kaizen can be defined more specifically as "a philosophy and approach for the continuous incremental improvement of performance." (See note 1.) We can learn more about kaizen by looking at some of the terms in the definition above in more detail. (See note 2.) Philosophy: Although people tend to think of kaizen in the context of the workplace, it’s a philosophy that can be applied to all aspects of life. Applying kaizen in all walks of life makes it more likely that you’ll apply it consistently at work, too-instead of it being something you "turn on" when you enter work and "turn off" when you head home. Approach: Kaizen can manifest itself in countless ways in everyday life and/or at the workplace. But it’s not a random thing with no method. Instead, kaizen has its roots in the scientific method that we all learned in grade school, especially in the belief that a theory must be tested and evidence must be gathered and analyzed to see if the theory was correct. Or, in terms that may be more familiar to those in a workplace or manufacturing environment, it has roots in the Deming Improvement Cycle (also known as Plan/Do/Check/Act or the PDCA Cycle), which applies the ideas of experimentation and evidence gathering/analysis to workplace improvement efforts. Continuous: Kaizen is not something that happens at only a certain time or in only a specific part of the work area. Instead, it’s a continual, on-going, never-ending process. All employees are asked and expected to participate in kaizen, in every level of the organization, every day. Kaizen and change become the norm, not the exception. Change becomes a given. Incremental: Kaizen isn’t about making major changes that turn the world (or at least the workplace) upside down. Instead, it’s a continual series of small changes. While each change (and its resulting benefit) may be small or even minor, the total effect of kaizen over time is significant. And because the individual changes are small, they’re unlikely to "rock the boat" so much that people get disoriented or overwhelmed. Improvement: Kaizen isn’t change for the sake of change. Instead, it’s change for the sake of improvement. And that improvement is primarily measured in two ways: increasing value (as perceived by the customer, not by you) and decreasing waste (defined as things your company does or time your company spends during production that don’t increase value to the customer). These concepts of value (as perceived by the customer, not you) and waste (also known as "muda" in lean talk) are key to lean manufacturing concepts and we’ll write separate blog posts about each later. Performance: Kaizen aims to improve everything an organization does as it creates its products and/or services. Performance includes attention to both efficiency and quality. Kaizen and Lean Manufacturing The application of the kazien "continuous improvement" philosophy is a core part of lean manufacturing theory. It’s often one of the first elements of lean implemented at a manufacturing company-along with 5S. Kaizen and Other, Non-Manufacturing Companies The use of kaizen to increase workplace efficiency and quality began in manufacturing. And you’ll probably most often hear kaizen discussed in a manufacturing and/or lean manufacturing context. But kaizen can be and has been used successfully in other industries, including high-tech, financial, government, healthcare, and more. So if you’re not in manufacturing, don’t think kaizen can’t be implemented at your workplace. In Kaizen, Employees Are the Experts In many companies, change comes from above-from management. This can create a few problems. First, managers often don’t know the work processes, work flows, and work situations as well as their workers do. And so they wind up directing change "from above" even though workers in each work area know the work process better and are typically more able to suggest effective improvements. And second, when managers dictate change from above, it’s often difficult to get employees to buy in. Workers get tired of being told what to do instead of having a say  in what happens. This is true even if the ideas from above are good ones. But, as noted above, that’s not always the case, so this lack of employee buy-in can quickly multiply. But kaizen flips the traditional order upside-down. In kaizen, employees are given the power to make suggestions. In fact, one of management’s key roles in a kaizen culture is to train workers about kaizen and to encourage workers to make suggestions for continuous improvement. Once workers understand their role in kaizen and get used to doing it, they’ll become more active, engaged workers, and the process of continuous improvement will begin moving forward, little bit by little bit. When employees see their suggestions implemented, and see the improvements that result over time, they’ll get even more excited and become even more active participants in the kaizen culture at your workplace. Kaizen will help you create a continuous self-improvement cycle-lather, rinse, repeat. Management’s Role in Kaizen If kaizen calls for having employees come up with suggestions for continuous improvement, it’s management’s job to support, review, and help implement these ideas. As mentioned above, this starts with introducing workers to kaizen, training them to use kaizen and to focus on key "lean" concepts (such as increasing value as perceived by the customer and decreasing "waste"), and encouraging workers to continually make suggestions for continuous improvement. For example, some companies set a specific target for the number of suggestions from each employee, team, or department. It also means reviewing the employees’ ideas, implementing the good ones quickly, and making sure employees know their ideas have been implemented-or explaining why they haven’t. Employees will quickly lose interest in any improvement effort at work if their input isn’t sought, if it seems to them that their input isn’t valued, if their ideas are implemented but only after a very lo-o-o-o-o-ng time, or if they never receive notice or feedback when their idea was put into action (or why it wasn’t). Kaizen and Kaizen Events You may have heard of "kaizen" and also heard of "kaizen events," and maybe you’ve wondered if they’re the same thing. Short answer: they’re not. Kaizen is a never-ending process of continuous improvements in all areas of the workplace based on suggestions from all employees. Each change is small, but the sum total effect of those changes over time is large. By contrast, a kaizen event is a short-term (2-5 day), focused burst of improvement that is directed toward one work process or area and is performed by a specific kaizen team. The scope of a kaizen event is larger than the scope of any one suggested improvement during "every day kaizen." And likewise, the resulting change from a kaizen event would almost always be more significant. While a company can use both-and there’s good reason to do so-they’re not the same thing. Keep your eye on our blog, as we’ll write an article about kaizen events soon. More Kaizen Resources: Here are some additional kaizen resources to check out. Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success by Masaaki Imai Gemba Kaizen: A Common Sense Approach to A Continuous Improvemen Strategy by Masaaki Imai The Kaizen Pocket Handbook by Kenneth W. Dailey The Kaizen Event Planner by Karen Martin and Mike Osterling The US EPA’s Lean/Kaizen webpage What is Kaizen? from Graphic Products What is Kaizen? from Lean Manufacturing Tools The "kaizen page" on Wikipedia Notes: 1. The Kaizen Pocket Handbook, Kenneth W. Dailey, DW Publishing Company, 2005, p. 4. 2. The technique of breaking down the definition of kaizen and looking more closely at the words philosophy, approach, continuous, incremental, improvement, and performance is taken from The Kaizen Handbook already listed above. The post What Is Kaizen? appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

March Madness. It’s all you hear about these days, it seems. Given that excitement in the spring air, Convergence Training is once again jumping into an otherwise-unfilled chasm to fulfill a desperate societal need: safety and other workplace training suggestions for March Madness. That’s right, it’s another highly relevant, desperately needed set of suggestions from the provider of learning management systems (LMSs) and e-learning training materials that brought you these "just-in-time" classics from the vault: Super Bowl Party Safety Training Suggestions Workforce and Safety Training Suggestions for Thanksgiving Workforce Training Suggestions from TV Series "Breaking Bad" Sharknado Safety Training Valentine’s Day Safety Poem Safety Training for the Mayan Apocalypse Zombie Safety Training Let’s get on with it, shall we? Let’s tip the ball so we can run the floor and slam the dunk, no? (Hope we got the lingo right-it seems quite specialized). The Big Picture: The NCAA Mens’ Basketball Tournament (The So-Called "March Madness Malady") We suggest the following training courses due to what we see as "tournament-level" issues: Pedestrian Safety-Walking, even in the seemingly safe lockstep unison of an organized march, presents many hazards. Don’t let the comfort of your co-marchers lull you into ignoring dangers. Forklifts are never far away. Conflict Management-It would be nice to believe we’re an advanced society that knows how to resolve our differences without losing our collective temper. Yet, every spring this special "madness" spreads throughout the country like a scourge of locusts, threatening to wipe out all in its path. We recognize that the great bard William Shakespeare tried to justify the NCAA tournament when he said "Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t," but we respond to Shakespeare in his own words: "This way madness lies." Hand and Power Tools-Brackets, brackets, brackets. They don’t seem problematic, but apparently the whole nation is struggling with them. Let’s be careful when we’re working with tools and hardware, friends. Heat Stress-There’s much talk about seeds and seeding, evidently pointing to some agricultural nature of this springtime event, one perhaps lost in ancient history. While it’s still frosty in some areas of the country, in others it’s hot enough to get heat exhaustion, heat stress, or even heat stroke while planting seeds and otherwise working outdoors. Be sure to get plenty of rest, shade, and fluids. Bloodborne Pathogens-Nobody’s quite sure how this madness is passed from person to person, generation to generation. Still, doctors at the CDC recommend caution in all things, and suggest you tend to your handwashing as well. March Madness: The Teams Next, let’s turn our well-trained training eyes to some of the teams in the tournament.  5S-For the very-spartan Spartans of Michigan State University. Orderly and tidy. Everything in its place. Go Sparty go! What’s that? Did I attend Michigan State? No, no, I’m just a big an of order and tidiness. Really. Why do you ask? Stress Prevention and Management-For the Duke Blue Devils. Feeling "blue" is a sign of depression, and depression is often brought about by stress. Hey Cameron Crazies-don’t let stress build up and your blueness won’t be so demonic. Electric Shock and Arc Flash Safety-For the Shockers at Wichita State. Actually, in this sense, "shocking" means to harvest wheat. Didn’t know that, did you? Safety Showers and EYEWashes-For the BuckEYES of Ohio State, the HawkEYES of Iowa, and the Eagles of Eastern Washington. Meeting Customer Expectations-For the Sooners of Oklahoma. Because you’re going wanna learn this lesson sooner rather than later. Ha! Any title in our Mining Safety/MSHA library-For the Mountaineers of West Virginia. These folks were born to mine, no? Speaking of mining, are you all Boyd Crowder (Justified) fans? I think he’s funny-I love this scene when he gets a Dairy Queen franchise. Oh, right…back to March Madness. Speaking of mining, how about Physical Characteristics of Surface Mines-For the Hoyas of Georgetown. Why, you ask? Well, you’ll have to read up to appreciate this little bit of nerdy history-as I just did myself. Hey, what rocks! Emergency Action Plan-For the Red Storm of St. John’s and the Cyclones of Iowa State. Don’t end up on the wrong side of a tornado. That didn’t work out too well for our friend Dorothy. Pedestrian Safety-For the Runnin’ Utes of Utah. Slow down, gentlemen-you can get injured running at work. Sexual Harassment Awareness-For the Badgers at Wisconsin. It’s not nice to badger people at work for anything, and especially not this. Just say no. Stormwater Pollution Prevention-For the Ducks of Oregon and the Terrapins of Maryland. What’s that? You don’t know what a terrapin is? Truth be told, I didn’t either-but it turns out their one of the cutest little turtles you’ve ever seen, and the state reptile of Maryland. Do you know YOUR state reptile? Gotcha there, huh? Alert Driving-For the Mustangs of SMU. Great to see a team named after an American car. Gotta love it. What’s that you say about wild horses? Our Safety Training for the Mayan Apocalypse blog post-For the Aztecs of San Diego State. I know, I know-this is a blog post, not an e-learning course. And it’s about Mayans, not Aztecs. But still-it’s close. How many safety training companies do you know of that have safety training for any ancient American civilizations? We’re probably one up on everyone else on that score, huh? Machine Guarding-For the Lumberjacks of Stephen F. Austin. Come home with ten fingers and ten toys, lumber-men! That’s 100% compliance (10 x 10 = 100). Fire Safety-for the Blazers of UAB. Keep it contained, UAB. Violence in the Workplace-For the Musketeers of Xavier, the Cowboys of Wyoming and Oklahoma State, the Cavaliers of Virgina, the Colonials from Robert Morris, the Pirates that hail from Hampton, the modern-day Crusaders of Valparaiso, and of course the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame go without saying. Let’s be civil and not resort to fisticuffs, swordplay, or musketry. Fall Prevention and Protection-For the Fliers of Dayton, skyin’ their way ala Dr. J to the hoop, baby. Power Boiler Basics (or any of our many courses about boilers)-For the Boilermakers of Purdue. Who else? Measurement-Distance-for the LONGhorns of Texas. The folks in Texas seem to have issues with size. What’s with that? Diversity in the Workplace-For the Wildcats of both Kentucky, Arizona, AND Davidson; the Bulldogs of Butler, Georgia, AND Gonzaga (what’s a "zag?"); the BEARcats of Cincinnati, the Bears of Baylor, and the Bruins (no more than a bear by another name, some might say) of Belmont AND UCLA; the Panthers of Georgia State and UNI; the Wolfpack of North Carolina State and the Lobos (Espanol for "wolves") of New Mexico State; and the Tigers of Texas Southern AND LSU. Folks-it’s OK to go out and get a cute little nickname of your own-no need to use one everyone else is using already. And although we’ve got no safety training tips for the following teams, we want to tip our hat to the following teams for having especially unique nicknames (this is a tip for you, all you Cats and Bulldogs and Bears and Wolves and Tigers): Coastal Carolina Chanticleers: Who doesn’t like some fine singing during a national sporting event? North Carolina Tarheels: The etymology is disputed and the phrase has a long and mixed history, but it’s unique. Harvard Crimson: Named after a color. Nice. Providence Friars: Who knew guys in brown robes could hoop like that? Albany Great Danes: I like their pride in their Danish heritage. UC Irvine Anteaters: Come on. Best name in the tourney. ‘Nuff said.   The post Safety and Other Work Place Training Suggestions for March Madness appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

We all want to motivate our learners. Motivating learners during the training so they’ll have a better chance to learn is important, obviously. And it’s also important to motivate learners AFTER the training so they’ll be more positively disposed toward the topic in general and more likely to apply the training at work. But how exactly does a good trainer motivate learners? One good place to look for tips is in the book Developing Attitude Toward Learning (or SMATs ‘n’ SMUTs) by the noted human performance improvement/learning theorist Robert Mager. A quick note about Mager’s title: Mager is a funny guy and his books often have humorous subtitles. In this book, he explains that a "SMAT" is a "subject matter approach tendency" and a "SMUT" is a "subject matter unapproach tendency." These originated as joking phrases he used around the house with his family while writing the book. A SMAT-or subject matter approach tendency-is a learner’s tendency to have a continued interest in the subject matter after the training is over. A SMUT-or subject matter unapproach tendency-is a learner’s tendency to avoid the subject matter after the training. Mager designed the book to teach us ways to increase SMATs for our learners and decrease SMUTs for our learners-in other words, try to make them want to engage with our topic and try to avoid turning them off our topic. In this article, we’ll pass on some of the tips from Mager’s book. Of course, we recommend you buy the book and read it yourself. In fact, we recommend that you buy and read the entire "Mager Six Pack," which we’re currently in the process of reading and writing about ourselves. Currently, here are the articles we’ve got about the Mager Six Pack: Book Reviews: Book Review: Mager’s Preparing Instructional Objectives Book Review: Mager’s Goals Analysis Book Review: Mager’s Analyzing Performance Problems Explanations of Techniques Described in Mager’s Books:  Mager’s Instructional Objectives-How to Write Performance-Based Learning Objectives Mager’s Goals Analysis-How to Analyze and Set Goals Mager’s Analyzing Performance Problems-Or, You Really Oughta Wanna With that out of way, let’s see what Mager has to teach us in this book (Developing Attitude Toward Learning). Need any help with your training program at work? Check out the e-learning courses from Convergence Training, our family of learning management systems, or just contact us. Motivating Learners with Your Training Mager begins his book by making a few bedrock arguments. First, the reason we train learners is because we want them to perform certain desired behaviors on the job after the training is over. Second, our learners are more likely to put their new knowledge, skill, or attitude to use on the job if they feel positively about the subject and they are less likely to apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes if they feel negatively about the subject. Third, trainers can influence how learners feel about the training topic-either positively or negatively. And fourth, the obvious goal is to create a training experience that leaves learners with a positive feeling about the topic, meaning they’re more likely to perform the desired behaviors on the job. Or, at minimum, to avoid creating negative feelings that turn the learners off from the topic. Simple enough, no? Learner Responses to the Training Topic: Approach (They Like It) or Avoidance (They Don’t) After a training, the learner is going to respond to the training topic in one of two ways. An approach means the learner somehow wants to get "closer" to the topic. In short, this means they feel positively toward it. A learner who feels positively about the training topic is more likely to be interested in the topic and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes covered in the training on the job. An avoidance means the learner wants to "distance" him or herself from the topic. This means the learner has a negative feeling about the topic. Learners may feel positively or negatively about a topic, and therefore display approach or avoidance behavior, for any number of reasons. One thing that can influence a learner’s reaction to a topic is the training they went through. And so it’s a trainer’s job to design and lead training that does two things: Creates no negative feelings about the topic and therefore doesn’t cause avoidance behaviors-in other words, the training shouldn’t turn the learner off from the topic. Creates positive feelings about the topic and therefore helps contribute to approach behaviors-in other words, you want the training to help the learner develop an interest in the topic. In short, you want to help facilitate some form of interest or passion in the topic, and you don’t want to turn your learners off from the topic. Motivating Learners: Training Conditions, Training Consequences, and Training Modeling Mager notes that there are a few different ways that a trainer can motivate a learner or turn the learner off from a topic. He offers the three categories below. Conditions: These are the conditions that the learner experiences when preparing for the training or during the training. This includes things like the temperature in the room; the speed at which online training is delivered; boredom; or anxiety caused by a hostile, abusive, or nervous trainer. Obviously, the goal is to reduce the number of negative conditions that the learner will associate with the training topic and  increase the number of positive conditions. For example, make sure the room’s not too hot and provide comfortable chairs to sit in. To use the language from the previous section, negative training conditions will make the learner more likely to display "avoidance" of the training topic, and positive training conditions will make the learner more likely to display "approach" behavior toward the topic. Mager goes to lengths to point out this doesn’t mean that the training has to be "fun" or that people can’t be expected to ‘work" during training. Instead, he says "…do your best to see that these activities are associated with positive conditions and with as few aversion (negative) conditions as possible." Consequences: These are the things that happen to the learner as a result of the training. This can include things like the trainer’s reaction to a learner’s question. Responding to the learner in a positive, supportive, encouraging manner will make the learner more positively disposed to the topic. Responding in a short, condescending, or rude manner is more likely to cause the learner to feel negatively about the topic. Mager makes two additional points about consequences. First, he reminds us that the positive consequence should happen AFTER the desired learner behavior, not before. And second, he notes that the LEARNER must see the consequence as positive-don’t fall into the trap of creating a consequence the trainer thinks is positive but the learner doesn’t. Modeling: This is how others, notably the trainer, react toward the training topic. Showing an interest in and enthusiasm about the topic is more likely to lead to your learners having a similar interest. You’ve probably seen this happen in real life-if a trainer thinks a training topic is fascinating and shows real enthusiasm, you might be more inclined to give it a shot yourself. Modeling negative feelings and behaviors about the topic is more likely to lead to negative feelings in your learners. Think about it-would you be excited about a training topic if the trainer spent all day saying it was boring? Positive Conditions and Consequences: How to Motivate Your Trainees Mager lists some positive conditions and consequences that increase the chances your learners will be interested in and excited by your training topic. Here are some elements from his list: Make sure training is relevant to the learners and their job Teach only material that learners don’t yet know; don’t cover material they already know Give learners as much choice and control as possible over training topics, sequence, and methods Give learners as much choice as possible over the length of training and timing of breaks Making instructional/learning objectives clear in advance Make sure learners know in advance what to expect from each part of the training (return to the relevant learning objectives, etc.) Be and act happy to see learners Treat learners as individual people, not faces in a crowd. Get to know their names; talk to them during breaks. Deliver training in small, appropriate-length "chunks" of time to reduce fatigue Relate new information to information the learners are already familiar with Help learners develop confidence Acknowledge learners’ questions, comments, and responses Give immediate and specific feedback Use supportive, accepting language Reinforce and/or reward positive responses from learners; let others see you doing that Use good student behavior as an example for other learners Test learners only on materials covered in training and included in learning objectives; don’t randomly test learners on things you never covered Negative Conditions and Consequences: How to Turn Off Your Trainees Mager also lists some positive conditions and consequences that decrease the chances your learners will be interested in and excited by your training topic. Or, in other words, the things that might turn them off from the training topic. These include: Physical pain (kinda goes without saying, huh?) Fear Anxiety Frustration Humiliation Embarrassment Boredom Physical discomfort Doing the opposite of anything listed above in the Positive Conditions section Modeling Positive Reactions to the Training Topic Another thing that makes learners more likely to feel positively toward the training topic is if others model feeling positively toward the topic as well. With that in mind, Mager gives some related tips. Because people learn by watching and imitating, they will often behave in the same way that they see others behave. So, during the training, the trainer should behave the way that he/she wants the learners to behave after training. That means you should model good behavior, including having a positive attitude toward the training topic. In addition, remember that people are more likely to imitate someone they admire. So, if the training can include a respected, admired figure, that’s great. But know that people often respect "average people" who are in a training role as well (like you and me) , so don’t underestimate your own awesomeness. Finally, keep in mind that people are also more likely to imitate a desired behavior if they see someone else being praised/rewarded for performing that behavior. So, if one learner performs the desired behavior during a training, praise that person. Doing so will make the other learners more likely to want to perform the desired behavior correctly too. The Training Environment, The Training Materials, The Trainer/Instructor, and the Instructional Policies/Procedures Mager wraps up his book by listing some negative conditions and consequences to look for and try to avoid in four different areas: the training environment, the training materials, the trainer/instructor, and the instructional policies and procedures. We recommend you buy his book to check out his list, and then cross-reference it against the training sessions you lead. Additional Resources: Some More Tips for Motivating Learners There are LOTS of great folks writing about learning, so we figured we’d  browse the web a bit to see if we could find some more good tips about motivating trainees for you. Here are a few good ones we found: Connie Malamed, 30 Ways to Motivate Adult Learners Articulate Rapid e-Learning Blog (Tom Kuhlman), Motivate Your Learners with These 5 Simple Steps  Christopher Pappas (e-Learning Industry Blog), 17 Tips to Motivate Adult Learners Hope you found that helpful. The next book by Mager that we’ll look at is going to be his Making Instruction Work, and then we’ll end the series with a look at his Measuring Instructional Results.               The post Motivating Learners: Tips from Robert Mager’s Book "Developing Attitude Toward Learning" appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

We’ve recently added some more firepower to our programming team, and as a result we’ve been able to push out a number of long-awaited enhancements that improve the look and feel of the Convergence LMS. Modernized UI While we made quite a few minor updates to make for a smoother user experience, the most visible changes involve updated icons, flattened layout, and improved fluidity of the overall design. Style Switcher The UI enhancements come paired with a built-in style-switcher that allows you to select among 6 standard color schemes. Use the theme that best fits your brand or that you just enjoy using the most. Customization Options Make this LMS your own. In addition to the ability to configure custom landing pages, LMS admins can now replace the Convergence LMS logo with their own company logo to further customize the training experience. Contact convergence support for help implementing this feature in your LMS. The post Convergence LMS Gets a New Look appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

We’re excited to give you a preview of an eagerly anticipated new feature of the Convergence LMS - Electives. With the option of elective-based training, not only will you be able to assign training to individual employees and groups, but your employees will also be able to self-register and complete training proactively, putting themselves in a better position to be promoted or to be successful when training up ahead of starting a new job. Elective-based training appeals to employees’ desire to be in charge of and direct their own training. Turn your training library into a reference library and allow learners to enroll in supplemental courses so they can sharpen their skills and increase their knowledge as they see fit. Administrators can designate individual training activities or entire qualifications as "electives" to make them accessible from an employee’s training plan. Add and remove courses from your elective training curriculum at any time. Employees can freely enroll in any course designated for elective training. Contact convergence support for help implementing this feature in your LMS. The post First Look: Elective-Based Training appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

Those of you looking to add a little more of your company’s style and personality to your Convergence LMS can now take advantage of our new customizable Landing Pages to do just that. Where before your LMS users were greeted with a simple and plain login form, you’re now able to present them with virtually any information you’d like when they sit down to take their assigned training. Configure your custom dashboard to display blog posts, announcements, news, or other data from an RSS feed. Upload a static image, like your company logo, or display an entire webpage by entering a simple url. Landing page layouts can be re-arranged and configured to suit your needs. Take advantage of custom landing pages to integrate your brand with your training. Contact convergence support for help implementing this feature in your LMS. The post Introducing New LMS "Landing Pages" appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

It is hard to believe, but over the past 18 months, we’ve created or updated almost 300 courses! Along the way, we’ve adopted some new standards and made some improvements to the course functionality. The result is that some of the older courses aren’t consistent with the newer ones. This year, we’ll be making a big effort to get all of our courses up to the highest standards. We wanted to give you a heads up of what you can expect to see in the next few months: Updated Course Skins If you have any of our new courses, you probably noticed immediately that they have been updated with a new skin that takes design cues from our recently re-styled website. Change is good, and in this case the design decisions we made help align the courses more closely with our goal of providing a "modern" training experience, in addition to helping to keep the training feeling fresh and interesting. Improved Drag/Drop Questions IE 11? Project Spartan? Chrome 41, Safari 8, Firefox 37… There are tons of web browsers out there, and we think we’ve done a commendable job of making sure our courses play smoothly on all of them. Unfortunately, incompatibility issues arise as browsers age, and we’ve experienced some occasional issues with the drag-and-drop question types not working correctly in some older versions of Internet Explorer. We’ve addressed this in this recent batch of updates, however. Our new courses offer multiple ways to drag and drop to provide maximum compatibility with all browsers and special compatibility modes. iPad-Friendly Videos Going forward, we’ll be swapping out all of our flash-based FLV videos with MP4 alternatives. MP4 videos provide HTML5 compatibility, which basically means they’re encoded to perform well across many devices, including Apple devices like iPads. This optimizes our course functionality across all browsers, offering better quality and faster playback. Full-Course, Full-Screen Our older courses had a full-screen button, but that would only work on one video at a time. Our newer courses will have the ability to view the entire course full screen and auto-play all of the videos. This is a great feature for presenting to groups or classes on a projector, or for those learners who prefer a video-only experience, without the aid of the accompanying text. Passing Score Most of our courses require 80% to pass the test. This has worked great for the majority of our customers, so we will be standardizing all courses to require 80% to pass the test. We’d like to thank you all for your patience and continued support as we get all of our courses upgraded to the latest and greatest! As we make progress, we’ll send out additional communications about which courses will be affected and our plans for rolling them out. If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to preview the new features, email us at support@convergencetraining.com. The post Spring/Summer Course Development Notes appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.

Some of you are seasoned hands well aware of the MSHA Part 46 training requirements. But maybe a refresher would help. Others may be new to the field and might find this article a helpful introduction. So let’s dive in and take a closer look at MSHA Part 46. We’ll start by learning about MSHA, Part 46, and various aspects of Part 46, including: MSHA Part 46 Training Programs, including New Miner, Newly Hired Experienced Miner, New Task(s), Annual Refrsher, and Site-Specific Hazard Awareness MSHA Part 46 Training Plans Records of training for MSHA Part 46 Training Compensation and Part 46 Training Contractors and Part 46 Training In future articles, we’ll show you how you could use mine safety e-learning courses for part of your Part 46 Training Plan, and how using a learning management system (LMS) can help you assign, deliver, track, report on, and create documentation of that training. What Is MSHA? MSHA is an acronym that stands for the Mine Safety and Health Administration. They’re the government agency tasked with safety and health issues at mines. One aspect of their responsibility is to make sure miners receive proper safety training. What Is MSHA Part 46? Part 46 is a part of CFR Title 30 Mineral Resources. It deals with mandatory training and training documentation requirements at certain mine sites (see below to learn which mines). Convergence Training is a training provider that provides training solutions for the mining industry. Check out our MSHA Learning Management System (LMS) and our library of mine safety e-learning courses that are appropriate for Part 46 Compliance Training. Intrigued? If so, contact us for more information or a demo. At Which Mine Sites Does MSHA Part 46 Apply? Part 46 applies to "miners engaged in shell dredging, or employed at sand, gravel, surface stone, surface clay, colloidal phosphate, or surface limestone mines." (46.1) What Are the Training Plans and Training Programs that MSHA Part 46 Requires? Part 46 requires operators of mines covered by the scope of Part 46 (see above) to create a "training plan" (46.3) for the mine site that includes a number of required "training programs." In this article, we’ll explain both training plans AND training programs. We’ll look at training programs first. What Is an MSHA Part 46 Training Program? Part 46 requires mine operators to provide certain "training programs" to certain workers at a mine site. A training program is a set of training on specific topics (mandated by Part 46) that must  be delivered to different workers and/or to workers at different times. These training programs are: New Miner Training Program Newly Hired Experienced Miner Training Program New Task Training Programs (one for each new task) Annual Refresher Training Program Site-Specific Hazard Awareness We’ll go into detail about each of these in the sections below. New Miner Training Program (46.5): Typically, every newly hired miner who has not completed this type of training before at a different job must complete 24 hours of new miner training  before that miner can work without being observed by an experienced miner. (See the definitions of New Miner and Newly Hired Experienced Miner below for more on this distinction.) In addition, of these 24 hours, four hours must be completed before the new miner can begin work at all. After the first four hours of training have been completed, the miner can work where an experienced miner can observe that the new miner is performing his or her work in a safe and health manner until the full 24 hours of training is reached. Let’s pause for a moment for some definitions relevant to the paragraph above. These are taken from 46.2, Definitions. New Miner: A person who is beginning employment as a miner with a production-operator or independent contractor and who is not an experienced miner. [46.2(i)] Experienced Miner: (i) A person who is employed as a miner on April 14, 1999; (ii) A person who has at least 12 months of cumulative surface mining or equivalent experience on or before October 2, 2000; (iii) A person who began employment as a miner after April 14, 1999, but before October 2, 2000 and who has received new miner training under §48.25 of this title or under proposed requirements published April 14, 1999, which are available from the Office of Standards, Regulations and Variances, MSHA, 1100 Wilson Blvd., Room 2352, Arlington, Virginia 22209-3939; or (iv) A person employed as a miner on or after October 2, 2000 who has completed 24 hours of new miner training under §46.5 of this part or under §48.25 of this title and who has at least 12 cumulative months of surface mining or equivalent experience. [(46.2(d)(1)(i-iv)] Finally, there are some exceptions for miners who did work at a mine in the past, received new miner training there, but never reached "experienced miner" status. For more information on these exceptions, see 46.5(f) and 46.5(g). When New Miner Training Must Occur Subjects Required by New Miner Training Program Before new miner begins work 1. An introduction to the work environment. Includes a visit and tour of the mine, or portions of the mine that are representative of the entire mine (walk-around training). The method of mining or operation utilized must be explained and observed. Before new miner begins work 2. Instruction on the recognition and avoidance of electrical hazards and other hazards present at the mine. Instruction can include things such as traffic patterns and control, mobile equipment (e.g., haul trucks and front-end loaders), and loose or unstable ground conditions. Before new miner begins work 3. A review of the emergency medical procedures, escape and emergency evacuation plans, in effect at the mine, and instruction on the fire-warning signals and firefighting procedures. Before new miner begins work 4. Instruction on the health and safety aspects of the tasks to be assigned. Includes the safe work procedures of such tasks, the mandatory health and safety standards pertinent to such tasks, information about the physical and health hazards of chemicals in the miner’s work area, the protective measures a miner can take against these hazards, and the contents of the mine’s HazCom program. Before new miner begins work 5. Instruction on the statutory rights of miners and their representatives under the Act. Instruction should be based on the Federal Mine Safety & Health Act of 1977. Before new miner begins work 6. A review and description of the line of authority of supervisors and miners’ representatives and the responsibilities of such supervisors and miners’ representatives. Before new miner begins work 7. An introduction to your rules and procedures for reporting hazards. Before new miner begins work 8. Site-specific hazards. Note: Part 46 doesn’t specifically call out training on "site-specific hazards" in the same way that it does the other topics listed above (or below), but instead notes that the training topics listed above "must also address site-specific hazards." As a result, we’ve chosen to call them out specifically so it’s less likely you’ll miss this. No later than 60 calendar days after a new miner begins work at the mine 9. Instruction and demonstration on the use, care, and maintenance of self-rescue and respiratory devices, if used at the mine. No later than 60 calendar days after a new miner begins work at the mine 10. A review of first aid methods. No later than 90 calendar days after a new miner begins work at the mine 11. The balance, if any, of the 24 hours of training on any other subjects that promote occupational health and safety for miners at the mine. Newly Hired Experienced Miner Training Program (46.6): Newly hired experienced miners (remember the definition of "experienced miners" above) must receive a different training program than newly hired (non-experienced) miners do. The two training programs are similar and there’s overlap, but in general, newly hired experienced miners have to complete less training than new miners do. Some of this training must be completed before the newly hired experienced miner can begin work. The rest of it must be completed within the first 60 days. There’s a partial exception for an experienced miner "…who returns to the same mine, following an absence of 12 months or less…"-see 46.6(f) for the details. Newly hired experienced miners must receive no less than four hours of training on the subjects numbered 1-8 below before they begin work at the mine. In addition, they must receive training about self-rescue and respiratory devices, if used at the mine, no later than 60 days after beginning work. It’s all explained in detail in the table below. When Newly Hired Experienced Miner Training Must Occur Subjects Required by Newly Hired Experienced Miner Training Program Before new miner begins work 1. An introduction to the work environment. Includes a visit and tour of the mine, or portions of the mine that are representative of the entire mine (walk-around training). The method of mining or operation utilized must be explained and observed. Before new miner begins work 2. Instruction on the recognition and avoidance of electrical hazards and other hazards present at the mine. Instruction can include things such as traffic patterns and control, mobile equipment (e.g., haul trucks and front-end loaders), and loose or unstable ground conditions. Before new miner begins work 3. A review of the emergency medical procedures, escape and emergency evacuation plans, in effect at the mine, and instruction on the fire-warning signals and firefighting procedures. Before new miner begins work 4. Instruction on the health and safety aspects of the tasks to be assigned. Includes the safe work procedures of such tasks, the mandatory health and safety standards pertinent to such tasks, information about the physical and health hazards of chemicals in the miner’s work area, the protective measures a miner can take against these hazards, and the contents of the mine’s HazCom program.Note: According to 46.4(d), "Practice under the close observation of a competent person may be used to fulfill the requirement for training on the health and safety aspects of an assigned task in paragraph (b)(4) of this section, if hazard recognition training specific to the assigned task is given before the miner performs the task." Before new miner begins work 5. Instruction on the statutory rights of miners and their representatives under the Act. Instruction should be based on the Federal Mine Safety & Health Act of 1977. Before new miner begins work 6. A review and description of the line of authority of supervisors and miners’ representatives and the responsibilities of such supervisors and miners’ representatives. Before new miner begins work 7. An introduction to your rules and procedures for reporting hazards. Before new miner begins work 8. Site-specific hazards. Note: Part 46 doesn’t specifically call out training on "site-specific hazards" in the same way that it does the other topics listed above (or below), but instead notes that the training topics listed above "must also address site-specific hazards." As a result, we’ve chosen to call them out specifically so it’s less likely you’ll miss this. No later than 60 calendar days after a new miner begins work at the mine 9. Instruction and demonstration on the use, care, and maintenance of self-rescue and respiratory devices, if used at the mine. Various "New Task" Training Programs (46.7): A miner must be complete a "New Task" Training Program every time the miner "is reassigned to a new task in which he or she has no previous work experience." This training must be completed before the miner can begin the new task. In addition, the miner must receive similar safety training "If a change occurs in a miner’s assigned task that affects the health and safety risks encountered by the miner." Again, let’s pause for a definition from the regulation: Task: a work assignment or component of a job that requires specific job knowledge or experience. [46.2(n)] So, for example, you might have New Task Training programs like the ones listed below (and obviously, there could be many more). Dozer Operator Haul Truck Operator Welding Operating a Crusher According to part 46.7, the training must include "the health and safety aspects of the task to be assigned, including the safe work procedures of such task, information about the physical and health hazards of chemicals in the miner’s work area, the protective measures a miner can take against these hazards, and the contents of the mine’s HazCom program. " There’s an exception for miners "who have received training in a similar task or who have previous work experience in the task. " These miners must "demonstrate the necessary skills to perform the task in a safe and healthful manner." See 46.7(c) for more details. Annual Refresher Training Program (46.8): Once you’ve provided your "new hire" miners with the New Miner Training Program or the Newly Hired Experienced Miner Training Program, and you’ve delivered any New Task Training Programs necessary, the next thing to do is to turn your attention to the Part 46 requirement for Annual Refresher safety and health training. All miners must receive eight hours of annual refresher training. This training must be provided "No later than 12 months after the miner begins work at the mine" and "Thereafter, no later than 12 months after the previous annual refresher training was completed." (46.8) Again, let’s take a look at a key definition here from 46.2. Miner: (i) Any person, including any operator or supervisor, who works at a mine and who is engaged in mining operations. This definition includes independent contractors and employees of independent contractors who are engaged in mining operations; and (ii) Any construction worker who is exposed to hazards of mining operations.  The standard goes on to say that "The definition of "miner" does not include scientific workers; delivery workers; customers (including commercial over-the-road truck drivers); vendors; or visitors. This definition also does not include maintenance or service workers who do not work at a mine site for frequent or extended periods." This training can include repeats of the training that was provided as part of the New Miner and the Newly Hired Experienced Miner Training Programs. We’ve covered that above, so we won’t go into detail about that here. In addition, however, 46.8 says two things that are of particular interest here. First, the standard says that you "must include instruction on changes at the mine that could adversely affect the miner’s health or safety." And second, the standard lists some additional topics for which you could provide annual refresher training. This list is informative, so we’ll copy a rather large section of the standard here [46.8(2)(c)]: "Refresher training must also address other health and safety subjects that are relevant to mining operations at the mine. Recommended subjects include, but are not limited to: applicable health and safety requirements, including mandatory health and safety standards; information about the physical and health hazards of chemicals in the miner’s work area, the protective measures a miner can take against these hazards, and the contents of the mine’s HazCom program; transportation controls and communication systems; escape and emergency evacuation plans, firewarning and firefighting; ground conditions and control; traffic patterns and control; working in areas of highwalls; water hazards, pits, and spoil banks; illumination and night work; first aid; electrical hazards; prevention of accidents; health; explosives; and respiratory devices. Training is also recommended on the hazards associated with the equipment that has accounted for the most fatalities and serious injuries at the mines covered by this rule, including: mobile equipment (haulage and service trucks, front-end loaders and tractors); conveyor systems; cranes; crushers; excavators; and dredges. Other recommended subjects include: maintenance and repair (use of hand tools and welding equipment); material handling; fall prevention and protection; and working around moving objects (machine guarding)." Site-Specific Hazard Awareness Training Program (46.11): According to 46.11(d), "Site-specific hazard awareness training is information or instructions on the hazards a person could be exposed to while at the mine, as well as applicable emergency procedures." The training requirements for site-specific hazard awareness training apply to two large groups of people: First, the miners performing miner operations. In most cases, this site-specific hazard awareness training would be provided initially as part of the New Miner Training Program or the Newly Hired Experienced Miner Training Program. In addition, it could be covered in various New Task Training Programs (which can be included in the previous two). And finally it might be included in the yearly Annual Refresher Training Program. Second, it must be provided "to any person who is not a miner as defined by §46.2 of this part but is present at a mine site." All together, that means mine operators must provide site-specific hazard awareness training to the following people [46.11(a, b, and c)]: Newly hired miners and experienced miners, as defined above. This training can be part of their new miner and newly hired experienced miner training programs. Miners, such as drillers or blasters, who move from one mine to another mine while remaining employed by the same production-operator or independent contractor (provide site-specific hazard awareness training for each mine) Office or staff personnel Scientific workers Delivery workers Customers, including commercial over-the-road truck drivers Construction workers or employees of independent contractors who are not miners under §46.2 of this part Maintenance or service workers who do not work at the mine site for frequent or extended periods Vendors or visitors Who’s NOT required to receive and complete site-specific hazard awareness training? According to 46.11(f), "Site-specific hazard awareness training is not required for any person who is accompanied at all times by an experienced miner who is familiar with hazards specific to the mine site." In terms of the training topics/subjects to be covered, the standard has this to say: "Information or instructions on the hazards a person could be exposed to while at the mine, as well as applicable emergency procedures. The training must address site-specific health and safety risks, such as unique geologic or environmental conditions, recognition and avoidance of hazards such as electrical and powered-haulage hazards, traffic patterns and control, and restricted areas; and warning and evacuation signals, evacuation and emergency procedures, or other special safety procedures." What Is an MSHA Part 46 "Training Plan?" So we’ve now covered the 5 "basic" Part 46 Training Programs. To refresh, they are New Miner, Newly Hired Experienced Miner, Annual Refresher, Site-Specific Hazard Awareness, and any number of New Tasks. Now let’s take a step back and learn about what Part 46 calls a Training Plan (46.3 and 46.4). A Training Plan is "a written plan…that contains effective programs for training new miners and newly hired experienced miners, training miners for new tasks, annual refresher training, and site-specific hazard awareness training." [46.3(a)] Mine operators regulated by Part 46 must develop an implement a Training Plan. What Must a Training Plan Include? The Training Plan is a written plan for delivering your various Part 46 training programs. According to 46.3(b), here’s what your Training Plan has to include (at minimum): "The name of the production-operator or independent contractor, mine name(s), and MSHA mine identification number(s) or independent contractor identification number(s)" [46.3(b)(1)] "The name and position of the person designated by you who is responsible for the health and safety training at the mine. This person may be the production-operator or independent contractor" [46.3(b)(2)] "A general description of the teaching methods and the course materials that are to be used in the training program, including the subject areas to be covered and the approximate time or range of time to be spent on each subject area" [46.3(b)(3)] "A list of the persons and/or organizations who will provide the training, and the subject areas in which each person and/or organization is competent to instruct" [46.3(b)(4)] "The evaluation procedures used to determine the effectiveness of training" [46.3(b)(5)] Do You Have to Submit Your Part 46 Training Plan to MSHA? Typically, you don’t have to submit your Part 46 Training Plan to MSHA. Note that 46.3(a) says just that "You must develop and implement a written plan…" and that the plan is "considered approved" if it includes the elements listed above and in 46.3(b). However, you CAN "voluntarily submit a plan for Regional Manager approval" if you want [see 46.3(c) for more about this]. Also, if your Training Plan DOES NOT include the items listed in the section above [taken from 46.3(b)(1-5)], then you’ll HAVE TO submit your Plan to your MSHA Regional Manager for approval. Here’s what the standard says: "A plan that does not include the minimum information specified in paragraphs (b)(1) through (b)(5) of this section must be submitted to and approved by the Regional Manager, Educational Field Services Division, or designee, for the region in which the mine is located." Submitting Your Training Plan to the Miner’s Representative You must ALWAYS submit a copy of your Training Plan to your miners’ representative, if any, "at least 2 weeks before the plan is implemented" [46.3(d)]. In addition, IF you intend to submit your Training Plan to MSHA for approval,you must make the plan available to the miner’s representative "at least two weeks before you submit the plan to the Regional Manager for approval"  [46.3(d)]. If the mine has no miner’s representative, "you must post a copy of the plan at the mine or provide a copy to each miner at least 2 weeks before you implement the plan or submit it to the Regional Manager for approval." After you’ve made the plan available to miners and/or their representative, know that "within 2 weeks following the receipt or posting of the training plan under paragraph (d) of this section, miners or their representatives may submit written comments on the plan to you, or to the Regional Manager, as appropriate" [46.3(d)]. Finally, if you DO submit your plan to MSHA and they approve it, "you must provide the miners’ representative, if any, with a copy of the approved plan within one week after approval. At mines where no miners’ representative has been designated, you must post a copy of the plan at the mine or provide a copy to each miner within one week after approval" [46.3(d)]. Keeping Training Plan Available for Inspection by MSHA, Miners, and/or Miner’s Representative Here’s what you’ve got to know about keeping your Training Plan available for inspection: "You must make available at the mine a copy of the current training plan for inspection by us and for examination by miners and their representatives. If the training plan is not maintained at the mine, you must have the capability to provide the plan within one business day upon request by us, miners, or their representatives." [46.3(i)] Implementing Your MSHA Part 46 Training Plan Having a Training Plan is great. First, because you’re required to. But second, because it’s good to have a plan for your mine safety training. But having a plan is only the first part of the solution. The second part is to put that plan into action. You’ve got to deliver the safety training to your workers-and that’s what Part 46 means by "implementing the plan," which is what 46.4 is all about. When you provide the training, you’ve got to ensure that it’s: Conducted in according with the written training plan Presented by a competent person Presented in a language that the miners who are receiving the training understand. Before we go further, let’s backtrack a bit (within Part 46, that is) and make sure we know the definition of "competent person." Competent Person: "a person designated by the production-operator or independent contractor who has the ability, training, knowledge, or experience to provide training to miners in his or her area of expertise. The competent person must be able both to effectively communicate the training subject to miners and to evaluate whether the training given to miners is effective." (46.2, Definitions) Who Can Conduct the MSHA Part 46 Training? You can conduct your own training, but you don’t have to. Here’s what Part 46 has to say: "You may conduct your own training programs or may arrange for training to be conducted by: state or federal agencies; associations of production-operators or independent contractors; miners’ representatives; consultants; manufacturers’ representatives; private associations; educational institutions; or other training providers." [46.4(b)] What Training Methods Can You Use for MSHA Part 46? MSHA places few, if any, restrictions on you for the training method you use to deliver your Part 46 training. In their own words: "Training methods may consist of classroom instruction, instruction at the mine, interactive computer-based instruction or other innovative training methods, alternative training technologies, or any combination of training methods." [46.4(c)] Can Training Required by OSHA Satisfy MSHA Part 46 Training Requirements? In short-yes. According to 46.4(c), "You may substitute, as applicable, health and safety training required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), or other federal or state agencies to meet requirements under this part." Of course, as 46.4(c) goes on to say, "This training must be relevant to training subjects required in this part." So you can’t just give any OSHA-based safety training and then say it applies to MSHA’s Part 46 requirements. And finally, even if it OSHA-based safety training, if you’re going to use it as part of your MSHA Part 46 Training Plan, you’ll have to document it in the terms required by MSHA in 46.9 (which we’ll discuss soon). Can Employee Health and Safety Meetings Help Satisfy MSHA Part 46 Training Requirements? Yes. According to Part 46.4(e), "Employee health and safety meetings, including informal health and safety talks and instruction, may be credited under this part." That’s true, at least, for the following training programs: New Miner Training Program Newly Hired Miner Training Program Annual Refresher Training Program (Note that Part 46 DOESN’T say it’s ok to apply this training time for New Task Training Programs or for Site-Specific Hazard Awareness Training Program). As we learned about OSHA training earlier, if you’re going to use health and safety meetings as part of your Part 46 Training Plan, you’ve still got to document each session in according with Part 46.9, Records of Training. In addition, when you’re recording the amount of training during one of these meetings, only include the portion of the session actually spent in training-discussions about families, the weekend, sports, and donuts don’t count. Records of Training for MSHA Part 46 Training OSHA requires that you create records of training on a form call the 5000-23 OR on a similar form that "on a form that contains the information listed" below [46.9(a and b)]: The printed full name of the person trained The type of training The duration of the training The date the training was received The name of the competent person who provided the training The name of the mine or independent contractor, MSHA mine identification number or independent contractor identification number, and location of training (if an institution, the name and address of the institution) The statement, "False certification is punishable under §110(a) and (f) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act," printed in bold letters and in a conspicuous manner A statement signed by the person designated in the MSHA-approved training plan for the mine as responsible for health and safety training, that states "I certify that the above training has been completed." When Must Records of Training Be Made for Training in Different MSHA Part 46 Training Programs? You must make records of training at times times depending on which Training Program is being satisfied. Here’s the key information: For New Miner Training Program The training within the New Miner Training Program has three different delivery and recording deadlines, as listed below: For training delivered to meet 46.5(b) requirements, no later than when the miner begins work For training delivered to meet 46.5(c) requirements, no later than 60 calendar days after the miner begins work at the mine For training delivered to meet 46.5(d) requirements, no later than 90 calendar days after the miner begins work at the mine For Newly Hired Miner Training Program The training within the Newly Hired Experienced Miner Training Program has two different delivery and recording deadlines, as listed below: For training delivered to meet 46.6(b) requirements, no later than when the miner begins work For training delivered to meet 46.6(c) requirements, no later than 60 calendar days after the miner begins work at the mine For New Task Training Programs Records of training for New Task Training programs must be created upon completion of the new task training [46.9(c)(3)]. For Annual Refresher Training Programs Records of training for the Annual Refresher Training Program must be created "after each session of annual refresher training under 46.8″ [46.9(c)(4)]. For Site-Specific Hazard Awareness Training Programs Records of training for Site-Specific Hazard Awareness Training Programs must be created upon completion by miners of site-specific hazard awareness training under §46.11 [46.9(c)(5)]. But there’s a special exemption in Part 46 that applies to this requirement. Here’s what 46.9(i) has to say (pay special attention to the bold letters): "You are not required to make records under this section of site-specific hazard awareness training you provide under §46.11 of this part to persons who are not miners under §46.2. However, you must be able to provide evidence to us, upon request, that the training was provided, such as the training materials that are used; copies of written information distributed to persons upon their arrival at the mine; or visitor log books that indicate that training has been provided." Since the definition of "miner" as defined in 46.2 is key here, let’s review that [46.2(g)(1-2)].  Miner means: (i) Any person, including any operator or supervisor, who works at a mine and who is engaged in mining operations. This definition includes independent contractors and employees of independent contractors who are engaged in mining operations; and (ii) Any construction worker who is exposed to hazards of mining operations. (2) The definition of "miner" does not include scientific workers; delivery workers; customers (including commercial over-the-road truck drivers); vendors; or visitors. This definition also does not include maintenance or service workers who do not work at a mine site for frequent or extended periods. Maintaining Records of MSHA Part 46 Training So how long do you have to keep these records of training, you ask? According to 46.9(h), you’ll have to keep most copies of training certificates and training records during his or her employment AND for at least 60 calendar days after a miner terminates employment. An exception here is that you only have to keep records and certificates of annual refresher training under 46.8 for two years. As you might have guessed, MSHA will want to be able to view your records of training. As explained in 46.9(g), "You must make available at the mine a copy of each miner’s training records and certificates for inspection by us and for examination by miners and their representatives. If training certificates are not maintained at the mine, you must be able to provide the certificates upon request by us, miners, or their representatives." Finally, you’ve also got to give miners a copy of their training records and certificates when they leave your employment [46.9(f)]. Paying Miners for Training Basically, you’ve got to provide training during work hours and you’ve got to give miners normal pay for completing the training. In addition, if the training involves travel, you’ve got to pick up the bill. Here’s how 46.10 puts it: (a) Training must be conducted during normal working hours. Persons required to receive training must be paid at a rate of pay that corresponds to the rate of pay they would have received had they been performing their normal work tasks. (b) If training is given at a location other than the normal place of work, persons required to receive such training must be compensated for the additional costs, including mileage, meals, and lodging, they may incur in attending such training sessions. Contractors and MSHA Part 46 Training Because it’s common for contractors to work at a mine site, the question arises: "Who is responsible for providing Part 46 training to contractors?" Let’s break it down into two categories to see who’s responsible for what. First, the production-operator: Has the "primary responsibility for ensuring that site-specific hazard awareness training is given to employees of independent contractors who are required to receive such training under 46.11 of this part." "Must provide information to each independent contractor who employs a person at the mine on site-specific mine hazards and the obligation of the contractor to comply with our (MSHA’s Part 46) regulations, including the requirements of this part." And next, the independent contractor who employs a miner: "Each independent contractor who employs a miner, as defined in 46.2, at the mine has primary responsibility for complying with 46.3 through 46.10 of this part, including providing new miner training, newly hired experienced miner training, new task training, and annual refresher training." "The independent contractor must inform the production-operator of any hazards of which the contractor is aware that may be created by the performance of the contractor’s work at the mine." And here’s the definition of "independent contractor" from 46.2: Independent contractor: "Any person, partnership, corporation, subsidiary of a corporation, firm, association, or other organization that contracts to perform services at a mine under this part." Conclusion: What Is MSHA Part 46? Hopefully by this time, you’re no longer asking yourself "What is Part 46?" By now we hope we’ve given you an effective overview, including getting you up to speed on each of the following: What is MSHA? What is MSHA Part 46? What is a Training Program? What are the Required MSHA Part 46 Training Programs? What is an MSHA Part 46 Training Plan? How to Keep Records of MSHA Part 46 Training-and How Long? And more, including contractors, compensation, and other issues The safety training required in Part 46 is critical for keeping a safe and healthy work force at mines. And there are all sorts of reasons to comply if you’re a mine production-operator. It’s the right thing to do, there are heavy compliance penalties if you don’t, studies show a direct link between workplace safety and the financial bottom line of companies, and more. But complying with all the requirements can take some doing. There are logical issues involved in delivering the training, in knowing who has to take what training and when, and in creating the Training Plan and training records required. That’s why many companies today are integrating technological means to help them comply with Part 46. In particular, e-learning courses on mine safety delivered along with other types of training in a "blended learning" approach, and a learning management system (LMS) to help deliver, assign, track, and report on that training. We’ll learn more about each in following posts in this series. The post What Is MSHA Part 46? Training Requirements for Surface Mines appeared first on Convergence Training Blog.