Policy
All employees shall complete mandatory general safety training classes as determined by their job classification and associated tasks. For assistance in identifying training needs for a particular job classification and the frequency for training, please refer to the Training Class List or use the “Determine What Training You Need” tool.
Note: The Office of Research Safety (ORS) establishes research safety training requirements.
Authority and Responsibility
Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) is responsible for:
- Identifying institutional general safety training requirements;
- Communicating general safety training requirements to departments;
- Developing and providing either online or in-person general safety training classes;
- Publishing dates, times, and locations for in-person general safety training classes;
- Providing online registration for in-person classes;
- Creating training profiles based on job activities;
- Assisting supervisors on how to identify and provide training for specific workplace hazards;
- Monitoring institutional compliance with general safety training compliance; and
- Providing departments with follow-up summaries of employees attending each training class as requested.
Departments are responsible for:
- Ensuring employees take online or in-person general safety training;
- Tracking employee compliance for general safety training or department specific safety training;
- Providing or arranging for department specific training (e.g., aerial lifts, cranes, forklifts, CPR/AED); and
- Establishing and maintaining a disciplinary action system for employees failing to comply with safety training requirements.
Employees are responsible for:
- Completing general safety training and department specific safety training; and
- Notifying your supervisor if a hazard is encountered for which you have not been trained.
Purpose
The purpose of safety training is to provide the knowledge necessary to perform a job safely by establishing expectations and responsibilities for employees on how to perform job tasks. Knowledge acquired by participation in training is one of the methods used to create an effective safety culture. Failure to participate in mandatory safety training exposes the individual to risk of injury. This not only impacts our ability to conduct our mission, but it also places the University in a state of non-compliance with various safety regulations.
Training Class List
Refer to the Training Class List for information on who is required to take each class, job classifications, and frequency.
Class Frequency
Initial Training
All general safety training required by a specific job classification and associated tasks is considered initial training. Initial training is required:
- When an employee first begins work;
- When an employee is given a new assignment for which training has not previously been provided;
- Whenever new hazards are introduced into the workplace by new substances, processes or equipment; and
- Whenever a supervisor is made aware of a new or previously unrecognized hazard.
Refresher Training
Some training classes also have a refresher component associated with them and will need to be taken in the future at the prescribed frequency.
Level of Training
Safety training takes place on two levels:
- Level one training is provided by EHS and includes general information pertinent to the University workplace about safety administration, programs and procedures; and
- Level two training is provided or arranged for by the department and includes specific information pertinent to special hazards of their work and specific protocols and procedures to be performed by the individual.
EH&S Assistant (EHSA)Training Module
The EHSA Training Module provides safety lecture course registration, online safety training courses, training profiles, training histories, and it will send notifications when training is due. User guides are available on the EHSA Training Module page.
Competency Assessment
All employees attending in-person training or completing an online training course shall be required to demonstrate adequate knowledge retention as shown through a learning measurement exercise. Employees not demonstrating adequate knowledge retention shall be retrained and retake the exercise until adequate retention is demonstrated. The passing criteria for the learning measurement exercise is 70 percent.
During inspections, a representative from EHS has the right to interview employees to determine the adequacy of safety training compliance.
Recordkeeping
All employees attending required in-person safety training classes shall sign an attendance roster. The information from this attendance roster in conjunction with the learning measurement exercise shall be maintained in a tracking system maintained by EHS. Employees or departments can obtain individual training profiles or departmental reports through the EHSA Training Module.
Supervisors shall document department specific safety training regardless of the style (e.g., classroom-style, video, one-on-one, safety meetings). At a minimum, training records shall include the employee name, job title, supervisor, date, trainer, and training content.
Performance Standards
Managers and supervisors shall establish and maintain a disciplinary action system for employees failing to comply with safety training requirements. This system shall be utilized to promote positive health and safety practices.
Reviewed: November 2020