OSHA Sounds the Alarm Over Digital Safety Training

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) wants employers to know that digital safety training courses aren't sufficient for compliance with its guidelines.

Over the past decade, hundreds of websites have emerged that offer safety training. By enrolling in an online course, workers can learn more about common workplace hazards and how to avoid them. According to OSHA, however, these digital safety training courses aren't sufficient, and employers who rely on them could face fines or other penalties.

What OSHA Says About Digital Safety Training

According to OSHA, digital safety training alone isn't enough to meet its federal training requirements. Employers can offer computer or online training courses to their workers, but they must be offered in conjunction with conventional training courses to comply with its training requirements.

In the United States, all workers who encounter hazards must be properly trained. Whether it's a retail store, a restaurant, a manufacturing facility or a welding shop, each workplace has its own unique hazards. Safety training ensures that workers are able to identify common hazards in their workplace so that they don't result in an injury.

" One of the keys that OSHA emphasizes in all of its efforts is the importance of training," said OSHA Chief Loren Sweatt. "Training must be provided to workers who face hazards on the job. It’s the law, and it’s also good for every business. A highly trained workforce can minimize unnecessary costs and disruptions from an illness, injury, or fatality."

Why Hands-On Training Is Recommended

When compared to digital safety training, hands-on training is superior in its ability to teach workers how to identify and protect themselves from hazards. It doesn't just tell workers how to perform a specific task; it shows them firsthand. With hands-on training, workers are able to train in a real-world environment while seeing exactly how a specific task is performed. As a result, it's a more effective form of training than computer or online courses.

The biggest problem with digital safety training is that it often fails to teach workers everything they need to know about on-the-job safety. Workers will likely learn some safety concepts from a computer or online course, but they won't learn everything. Hands-on training offers a more complete and personalizes approach that results in a lower risk of work-related injury.

In Conclusion

OSHA doesn't necessarily prohibit the use of digital safety training; it does, however, require conventional hands-on training to ensure compliance with its training guidelines.