EHS Training 101: Identifying, Managing, and Tracking Training
By Cory Sander
Setting up an EHS training program takes a lot of planning and time. It’s easy to feel like you’re making mistakes or missing something. But there’s no need to add more stress to your life. We’ve compiled the basics for identifying, managing, and tracking training, so you can achieve EHS compliance.
Identifying EH&S Training Needs
Your first homework assignment: Make sure you have a deep understanding of all the processes and activities at your facility. Go talk with the welding, stamping, and painting departments to find out what’s really happening, from the source. You might be surprised what you discover at your own facility.
Once you’ve logged all these activities, you’ll need to match them up with training requirements. Rely on your past experience, permits and regulations, and peers—either at other facilities within your company or in your professional network. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or understaffed, you can also tap into the expertise of a consulting firm to help you with EHS compliance.
Managing EHS Training
Now that you know your training requirements, how exactly are you going to make it all happen? Start by putting together a plan that outlines how often training needs to happen, who’s going to give the training, and who’s going to attend.
As you build your plan, try to be as specific as possible. List out the names of who needs to attend a given training. Make decisions about who’s giving the training—you or an outside consultant? Think through training curriculum and format, too. Is that SPCC training specific to your facility? Will you conduct it online or in-person?
An online EHS solution can help you manage training, too. EduTRAK allows you to upload training materials then invite your team members to log in and review the training. An online test helps you ensure effectiveness and the system logs it all for you.
Tracking Training
The traditional way to track training is with an Excel spreadsheet. You list out employees and training requirements and log when each training is completed. It sounds simple enough until you realize someone always misses a training class—either due to vacation or a sick day. Then you’ll need to remember to schedule a make-up training and log that training.
If you invest in EHS software, you can automate much of this process. Set up your training program online and both you and your team receive a reminder about upcoming training. Track online training right in the software, and it automatically creates a digital log. You’ll even receive a notification when Bob misses that wastewater training session. Think of it like having a virtual assistant for your training program.
Now that you know the basics, you can start running with your EHS training program. It’s a crucial part of making sure you achieve EHS compliance.