January 18, 2012

Training is a required component of your hazard communication (hazcom) program--but training on hazcom can be a bit tricky. Concepts like gleaning useful information from labels and material safety data sheets (MSDSs) are often complex, and the message can easily pass way over employees' heads. Here are some tips to help ensure that your hazcom training hits the mark.

Heard of the global harmonization initiative? Join us on January 31 for a 90-minute webinar, Global Harmonization: What You Need To Know—and Do—To Prepare for the Upcoming Changes, and learn how it's going to bring significant changes to your hazcom program. » Learn more

1. Narrow the training as much as possible: When training employees on hazard communication, stick to the categories of chemicals that employees will actually come into contact with in your workplace. Be cautious about using generic training-in-a-box programs that include exhaustive lists of materials your employees will never see in your workplace; tailor off-the-shelf training materials to your workplace.
2. Consider multiple, short training sessions: Hazcom can complicated and difficult for employees to grasp. To help them fully comprehend the information, consider breaking up the training into shorter sessions that focus on a specific concept and/or class of chemicals or chemicals found in a specific area of your workplace. For example, hold one session that concentrates on the selection of personal protective equipment (PPE), another session on cleaning chemicals, and a third session on handling petroleum products. It may take longer to complete the training, but it will help to ensure that employees become fluent in the material and are better able to apply it.
3. Test comprehension along the way: Don't wait until the end of your training session to test whether your employees are getting what you're telling them. Intersperse hands-on exercises where employees put concepts into action, "what if" question-and-answer sessions, and short quizzes throughout your training to make sure employees are learning the concepts. If they aren't, review and discuss the topic rather than proceeding to the next one.
4. Solicit feedback from trainees: One of the best ways to be sure your hazcom is effective is to ask employees how useful the training was to them, encouraging them to be specific about was or was not helpful. Using feedback requires the willingness to accept criticism and constructively apply it to your training curriculum--it could turn out that the exercise you thought was really cool is a confusing mess to your employees. But soliciting and incorporating feedback will help make your training more effective in conveying the information your employees need to stay safe when handling chemicals in the workplace.

The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) is likely to bring significant changes to your workplace. Changes to federal OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) as part of the alignment with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) will affect safety data sheet formatting, chemical classification, labeling elements, and worker training. Now is the time to prepare for these sweeping changes. Join us for an in-depth, timely webinar, Global Harmonization: What You Need To Know -- and Do -- To Prepare for the Upcoming Changes. You'll learn: The basics of OSHA's HCS, including the 5 keys to HCS compliance The changes to the HCS to expect as part of the GHS alignment The difference in compliance obligations for chemical manufacturers, distributors, and importers vs. employers and end-users Why users of hazardous chemicals should be prepared to update their entire MSDS library within a short timeframe The new elements included on GHS-compliant safety data sheets and labels (including pictograms, precautionary statements, and more) Why training is a crucial part of GHS implementation Steps your organization can take now to prepare for the transition to GHS Register today!