As
others have noted, the approach that works well in industry won't work
as well in academia. If the people not attending training are
employees of the academic institution (facilities staff, maybe?), you
may be able to implement some of the performance-based consequences
whcih have been suggested. For faculty, undergrads, grad students,
and post-docs, this is not realistic.
We have web-based
training for a number of modules (Haz Waste, General Chem, etc) and we
require documentation of Lab Specific training every year. All
training is also recorded in a system where we can track metrics by PI
and follow up on incomplete training. For continually
non-compliant folks, I try all the usual channels - multiple emails,
reminders of when live courses are given, attempts to give live courses
to an entire research group at a group meeting all at once, etc.
Usually people complete training eventually, if only because they are
sick of my repeated emails. Sometimes it comes down to individual
visits with individual PIs - they may not be actively "avoiding"
training , they may just legitimately be extremely busy. If one
"sells" it right, this can come across not as "You didn't do your
training!" but "How can I help you ensure the safety of your laboratory
in the most effective way?" In the long run, the latter is more
helpful than the former.
A lot of it does come down to the safety
culture that is created within the academic institution. If EHS is
viewed as a helpful partner in ensuring that research proceeds in an
effective manner, and if there is buy-in from University leadership and
Departmental leadership regarding established safety programs, then
"escalating" the continually non-compliant to the next level of
"management" is straight-forward and should produce results. If
EHS is viewed as merely an ancillary part of the campus that enforces
regulatory codes or as a group which tends to impede research being
done, or if top level folks at the University are not interested in or
engaged in safety, the task is much harder.
Good luck.
Dan
Herrick
EHS
Coordinator
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology
Mechanical Engineering
Department, Research Laboratory of Electronics,
Department of
Aeronautics and Astronautics, Civil and
Environmental Engineering Department
herrickd**At_Symbol_Here**mit.edu
Date: Wed,
25 Aug 2010 16:01:19 -0600
From:
ldamon**At_Symbol_Here**FVCC.EDUSubject:
[DCHAS-L] Safety Training
To:
DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDUI am wondering how
others address employees =93blowing-off=94 safety training. There
always seem to be the few employees that invariably are no shows for the
trainings.
Thanks in advance for your
replies=85
Laura Damon
Coordinator of Instructional Safety and Chemical
Hygiene
Flathead Valley Community
College
ldamon**At_Symbol_Here**fvcc.edu
