Business Basics: What My Consultant Taught Me

If you feel like you have had some unnecessary accidents or concerns around your shop, and that all of your staff should be OSHA certified, not just some of the managers or shop foreman, this is something that can be done efficiently. There are online options for people to complete their construction OSHA training, or you can have a company come in and train the staff. Here are some of the things to look into, and that you should make as a part of your new hire process as well.

OSHA Construction Training

All of your employees should be completing the OSHA 10-hour training program, especially if they are new to the shop floor and they are new to your company. This training program will educate on the following things:

• Workplace hazards
• Employees rights
• Employer responsibilities
• Safety information

Once the training program has been completed each employee will get a card. This card never expires, but you may want to ask that your employees retake the training every 3-5 years, so everything is fresh in their minds.

OSHA Forklift Training

You can add on or bundle other types of training. If you have people in your facility using forklifts, have this training required by your employees as well. This will be extra time, but worth the time and money if you want to improve and maintain safety around the shop. You don't want anyone on the forklift that hasn't taken the time to finish their safety course, and that has trained effectively on the machine.

CPR and First Aid

Don't just meet the minimum requirements for safety and first aid in your building. Instead, have all your staff sit through the CPR and first aid training classes once every few years so their certification is always up to date. You also may want to inquire about getting more professionals inside the building trained on the defibrillator in case a life needs to be saved because of a heart complication.  

Not only is your place of employment going to be a safe environment because more of the people are trained, but you also can discuss these changes with your commercial property insurance professional. You could qualify for some insurance discounts because you are reducing the chances of a workplace accident with the OSHA training, and you are properly prepared to deal with an emergency because of the first aid and CPR training.