Oregon OSHA offers employers new online training suite

Salem, OR — Employers across Oregon now have a more comprehensive and efficient way to train safety committee members thanks to improvements Oregon OSHA has made to its free online educational offerings.

The agency has translated into Spanish three courses – Safety Meetings and Committees, Accident Investigation, and Hazard Identification – and housed all of them in a central location: the new Safety Committee Suite web page.

“These changes provide employers and workers with a clearinghouse of training resources designed to meet key regulatory requirements and to reach a broader audience,” said Roy Kroker, consultation and public education manager for Oregon OSHA.

Oregon OSHA urges employers to blend the training offered by the Safety Committee Suite with policies and practices that are specific to their workplaces. This will increase the effectiveness of the training and help ensure all requirements are met.

Most employers in Oregon must have a safety committee or hold safety meetings. Such committees or meetings enable workers and managers to regularly discuss and address on-the-job safety and health concerns. They are critical components in helping make continuous improvement to safety and health programs.

To be effective, however, safety committee members need training. That’s where the Safety Committee Suite comes in. Completing the three courses that make up the suite satisfies the basic requirements for training safety committee members. The courses are as follows:

• Accident Investigation teaches you the fundamentals of conducting a workplace accident investigation, including securing the scene, collecting facts, and conducting interviews.
• Hazard Identification walks you through the types of workplace hazards, correcting hazards, conducting safety and health inspections, and writing an effective safety inspection report.
• Safety Committees and Meetings delves into the safety committee and meeting requirements for your business, including the number of committee members, how often to meet, and functions to perform as a committee member or while attending a meeting.