7-9. Planning and Measuring the Effectiveness of Regular and Refresher Training

In the EHS (Environmental, Health, and Safety) field, regular training and refresher courses are essential for maintaining a safety culture and keeping employees' knowledge and behaviors up-to-date. Many occupational and environmental accidents are caused by knowledge erosion and a decline in attention due to routinization, making it critical to implement regular training programs. This article explains key points for planning and methods for measuring the effectiveness of these programs.

Key Points for Planning Regular Training

The fundamental principle of regular training is to make the content practical by incorporating past accident and near-miss case studies. It is also essential to update the content to reflect revisions to safety and health laws and new regulatory requirements. Furthermore, it is effective to customize the training content according to the trainees' positions and job descriptions. For example, it is effective to emphasize risk management and supervisory responsibilities for managers while focusing on specific safety actions and emergency responses for on-site workers.

The Necessity of Refresher Courses

Refresher courses play a role in helping employees reconfirm the knowledge they have learned and raise their awareness of safety rules that may have become a mere formality. It is especially important to re-familiarize employees with dangers through regular training, as safety awareness tends to decline in workplaces that have not experienced an accident for a long time. Additionally, incorporating mock drills and case studies can encourage trainees to think and act on their own.

Methods for Measuring Effectiveness

To visualize the effectiveness of education and training, pre- and post-training tests and surveys are useful. While comprehension tests measure knowledge retention, it is also necessary to confirm actual behavioral changes through on-site observation. By monitoring the number of near-miss reports and the reduction of unsafe acts for a certain period after the training, the effectiveness of the education can be quantitatively evaluated. Furthermore, by setting "training participation rate," "increase in the number of safety proposals," and "changes in the number of accidents" as KPIs, continuous improvement can be achieved.

Improving Efficiency with DX

Recently, the efficiency of regular training and refresher courses has been improved by using online learning systems and EHS management systems. Automatic management of training history, centralized management of effectiveness measurement data, and on-demand provision of educational content make it possible to grasp employees' learning status in real time and make improvements as needed.

Conclusion

Regular training and refresher courses are the foundation for maintaining a safety culture, and effective planning and accurate measurement of effectiveness are the keys to success. By making the training content directly relevant to practical work and repeatedly improving it through quantitative evaluation, companies can contribute to raising their EHS standards and achieving sustainable growth.