DCHAS-L Archives Aug 26 2010 - Re: Safety Training

Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:53:36 -0400
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From: Dan Herrick <herrickdan**At_Symbol_Here**HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Safety Training
In-Reply-To: <975FA6B99931624499BC3BAD910E4F6FA1854F18**At_Symbol_Here**exchange3.fvcc.fvcc.edu>

As others have noted, the approach that works well in industry won't work as well in academia. If the people not attending training are empl oyees of the academic institution (facilities staff, maybe?), you may b e able to implement some of the performance-based consequences whcih have b een suggested. For faculty, undergrads, grad students, and po st-docs, this is not realistic.

We have web-based trainin g for a number of modules (Haz Waste, General Chem, etc) and we require documentation of Lab Specific training every year. All training is also recorded in a system where we can track metrics by PI and follow up o n incomplete training. For continually non-compliant folks, I try all the usual channels - multiple emails, reminders of when live courses are given, attempts to give live courses to an entire research group at a group meeting all at once, etc. Usually people complete trainin g eventually, if only because they are sick of my repeated emails. ; Sometimes it comes down to individual visits with individual PIs - they may not be actively "avoiding" training , they may just legitimately be extremely busy. If one "sells" it right, this can come across not as "You didn't do your training!" but "How can I help you ensure the safet y of your laboratory in the most effective way?" In the long run, the latter is more helpful than the former.

A lot of it does come d own to the safety culture that is created within the academic institution.& nbsp; If EHS is viewed as a helpful partner in ensuring that research pro ceeds in an effective manner, and if there is buy-in from University lead ership and Departmental leadership regarding established safety programs, then "escalating" the continually non-compliant to the next level of "mana gement" is straight-forward and should produce results. If EHS is v iewed as merely an ancillary part of the campus that enforces regulatory co des or as a group which tends to impede research being done, or if top le vel folks at the University are not interested in or engaged in safety, t he task is much harder.

Good luck.

Dan Herrick
EHS Coord
inator
Massachusetts Institute o
f Technology
Mechanical Engineer
ing Department, Research Laboratory of Electronics,
Depart
ment of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department
herrickd**At_Symbol_Here**mit.ed
u

Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:01:19 -0600
From: ldamon**At_Symbol_Here**FVCC.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Safety Training
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here** LIST.UVM.EDU

I am wondering how others address employees =93bl owing-off=94 safety training. There always seem to be the few employees that inv ariably are no shows for the trainings.

Thanks in advance for your replies=85

Laura Damon

Coordinator of Instructional Safety and Chemical Hygiene

Flathead Valley Community College

ldamon**At_Symbol_Here**fvcc.ed u

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