TOSHA Required Training

TOSHA standards and regulations that have training requirements are LAW. Failure to comply with the training requirements not only places your employees at risk but can also result in citations and civil penalties from TOSHA.

Why Should Your Workers be Trained?

No matter what reasons you come up with, they can all be condensed into three reasons. They are:

  • It's good business
  • It’s the right thing to do
  • It’s the law.

It's Good Business

The direct costs of accidents and injury in the workplace include the medical costs associated with the incidents and workers compensation costs. However, there are a multitude of indirect costs that make up the bulk of the losses. These include the costs of loss of workers (replacement/training), spoiled product, damaged equipment, legal/clerical fees, disruption of workforce, and others. A single accident can cost a company as much as $3000, and if the same accident involves legal fees, the cost can climb to $10,000.

It's the Right Thing to Do

No one wants to see their employees and co-workers injured on the job. Lives and families can be destroyed in a few minutes when a workplace injury, illness, or fatality occurs. Training may not solve all problems and may not prevent all accidents resulting in workplace injuries and illnesses, but failure to have an effective training program is a component of most accidents.

It's the Law

TOSHA standards and regulations that have training requirements are LAW. Failure to comply with the training requirements can result in citations and civil penalties from TOSHA.

Of these three reasons for training employees, which is the most compelling in your facility?


Conducting Effective Training

Training given to employees as required by TOSHA laws must be effective training. “The proof is in the pudding,” and the pudding is what the employees learned during, and retained after, the training session. During a TOSHA inspection, compliance officers will interview employees to determine if the training was effective. Non-effective training is no training. Training records, while required to be kept by some standards, do not prove training. Employee recall of information they learned in the training session proves training.

There is a common myth that anyone with the key skills and information can train anyone else on those skills or information. Training adults is different from training children. Adults have preconceived concepts that often must be overcome, and adults need to know why they are supposed to do things a certain way. Telling adults to “Do it this way because I’m the boss” does not work.

10% of what they READ
20% of what they HEAR
30% of what they SEE
50% of what they HEAR AND SEE
70% of what they SAY
90% of what they SAY AND DO at the same time

And adults, after they have been trained, like to try out their new skills and information as soon as possible.

  1. Remember the 3 most important aspects of effective training – Preparation, Preparation, Preparation
  2. Use different kinds of training media such as overheads, pictures, videos, etc. so that the training does not become flat or boring
  3. Present the material at the educational and experience level of the audience
  4. Keep it simple – the training does not have to be lengthy or complicated
  5. Don’t forget to train supervisors and managers
  6. While conducting training, be enthusiastic about the material you are presenting. If you don’t think it’s interesting and important, neither will your audience
  7. If you run out of time, leave out material and plan another class, but do not speed up and try to “cram” in all the information at the end
  8. The best class size for effective training 15 to 25 students
  9. Get the students involved via discussions, workshops, etc.
  10. After the class, periodically evaluate the effectiveness of the training