Seven hundred thirty-nine workers at Merck's Stonewall plant in Elkton, Virginia, have a safer and healthier workplace because four of them were enthusiastic about health and safety training they received from the union's training center in Cincinnati, Ohio. What emerged was not only that all 739 plant employees received OSHA 10-hour General Industry training, but that it was delivered by “OSHA-authorized” members of the International Chemical Workers Union Council who worked at the plant. Merck created a new fulltime position in its Learning and Development Department and hired one of the four workers who had received the initial training. Strong plant leadership promoted discussions both during the training, in evaluation, and in newly energized joint labor-management meetings following the training. These discussions identified safety and health issues needing attention. Then, in a new spirit of trust and collaboration, major improvements occurred.
BackgroundAnnual health and safety refresher training is mandated for workers in a number of employment sectors and also is used to maintain and enhance skills when not legally required.MethodsOne year following training, hazardous waste worker training participants were asked if the training had been applied at their work or in the community, corresponding to Kirkpatrick levels of training evaluation. Likely response themes were drafted by the authors using qualitative data coding.ResultsOf the 1,726 refresher participants, 1,094 (63%) provided an entry. Eight theme categories were adapted from the originals, spanning the activities trainees reported as applications of their training: events, actions, awareness, emergency response, equipment, planning and standard operating procedures, training, and use of written resources.ConclusionsAsking participants to reflect on how training has been applied provides an opportunity to describe workplace changes made during the past year. Participants documented that training resulted in actions to protect them from hazardous exposures. Specific events where training was used and where actions were taken to improve health and safety represent Kirkpatrick Levels III and IV applications of training. Collecting similar data may be useful to others wishing to identify impacts of training and can be integrated into routine program assessment.
Introduction of facilitated hands-on drills as often as monthly and the use of online modules prior to annual refresher training for emergency response teams were investigated through surveys and group discussions. This research explores how these drills are perceived by emergency response team members, emergency response team coordinators, instructors, and management at the company. Using these tools throughout the year, members of emergency response teams from automobile manufacturing facilities reported an increased ability to maintain their skill sets, build teamwork, and continually refresh and strengthen their ability to protect their fellow workers as well as plant operations and equipment. The results also document examples of how this innovative program that incorporates frequent training has led to workplace improvements.
The way to win the cost-benefit debate is to have clearly defined outcome measures. Most critical is a full accounting-i.e., long and short run, indirect and direct, nonquantitative and quantitative costs and benefits to all the relevant stakeholders. In this way externalities are eliminated, and eliminating externalities is a goal of every economist, regardless of political persuasion.
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