How much safety training do supervisors need?

OSHA has some specific training requirements for employees. You have to train workers before they are exposed to hazardous chemicals, on the right way to use PPE, on how to operate forklifts, and a multitude of other health and safety issues.

But are you training everyone who needs to be trained? Just because an employee happens to be a supervisor doesn't mean he or she can skip training sessions. In some cases, OSHA says supervisors need extra training.

While there is no one federal OSHA general industry training requirement for supervisors, several standards do specify supervisor training requirements, including:

1. 1910.120 – HAZWOPER requires training for on-site hazardous substance clean-up operations are found at 1910.120(e)(4).
2. 1910.146 – Permit-Required Confined Spaces for the duties of entry supervisors.
3. 1910.156 – Fire Brigades for fire brigade leaders and trainers.
4. 1910.252 – Welding, Cutting and Brazing refers supervisors and managers to the Standard for Fire Prevention in Use of Cutting and Welding Processes, NFPA Standard 51B, 1962, (incorporated by reference) for more information on welding precautions.
5. 1910.253 – Oxygen-Fuel Gas Welding and Cutting states that those in charge of oxygen or fuel-gas supply equipment must have instruction and be judged competent by their employers.
6. 1910.269 – Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution – Overhead Lines requires that supervisors be trained for live-line bare-hand work on energized circuits.
7. 1910.410 – Qualifications of Dive Team states that the designated person-in-charge must be trained to conduct of the assigned diving operation.

Train 'em up
Keep in mind that these “extra” training requirements for supervisors are in addition to other required training that would apply to all covered employees. Employers should always review the detailed training requirements in each applicable OSHA standard to be sure their training programs are complete.

And that is where KellerOnline can help. Not only do you have access to the standards, but KOL provides you with a variety of training tools. The Online Training feature provides you with access to more than 125 online training courses – providing you the ability to train on a variety of topics on your schedule.

There are also a variety of classroom-based training programs within the Safety Training area that include five-minute safety segments on many health and safety topics that you can customize to meet your operation's specific needs. Finally, KOL provides you with integrated recordkeeping for both online and classroom-based training, which includes thorough reporting to track attendance and completion of courses.

For more information, visit the J.J. Keller & Associates Web site at www.jjkeller.com.