113 Introduction to Safety Leadership

Leaders Educate Everyone

Competent trainers should possess experience, have completed a train-the-trainer course or its equivalent, and been assessed and certified for their adequate knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to lead training sessions. Consider the following actions leaders can undertake to effectively instruct employees about their safety roles and responsibilities:

• Understanding their roles as managers and supervisors and recognizing the rights of workers under the OSH Act.
• Adopting best practices when addressing workers' reports of injuries, illnesses, and incidents in a constructive manner.
• Grasping fundamental concepts and techniques for identifying hazards and methods for controlling them, including understanding the hierarchy of controls.
• Acquiring knowledge on hazard analysis, controls, and techniques for investigating incidents/accidents, inclusive of root cause analysis.

Leaders Train Why and How

One of the most significant leadership activities that demonstrates a commitment to safety is making sure that worker safety training is led by capable individuals. Refer to the points below for more on the measures leaders can implement to instruct employees about their safety roles and duties effectively:

• Establish a safety training function and appoint competent individuals as trainers. These individuals should have experience, have undergone a train-the-trainer course, and have been assessed and certified for their knowledge, skills, and ability (KSAs) to instruct.
• Guide workers on the procedures for reporting injuries, illnesses, incidents, and concerns.
• Educate workers on how and why they should fulfill their safety duties, including: recognizing hazards, undertaking Job Hazard Analysis (JHA), performing incident/accident investigations, and participating in safety committees and inspections.
• Train workers on techniques for controlling hazards, emphasizing the importance of the hierarchy of controls.
• Instruct workers on the correct circumstances and methods for wearing mandatory PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).
• Offer further training as required when there are changes in facilities, equipment, processes, materials, or work organization.
• Create avenues for workers to raise queries and provide feedback, both during and post-training.

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.