Friday, October 21, 2011

Safety Education

Safety education in the United States has been mandatory for workers since the existence of the Occupation Health and Safety Administration or OSHA in the 1970's. It's hard to believe that before this time there were no laws requiring employers to provide a safe workplace to their employees. Today there are two main reasons that people receive safety education. The first is voluntary and the second is mandatory.

Voluntary Safety Education

Becoming a safety educator, Health and Safety (H&S) officer, coordinator, or any other professional is a fast growing career choice. Today there are literally thousands of laws and regulations that require such training. Many companies employee in-house health and safety professionals. In addition to their own training, a safety professional is responsible for keeping the workplace free of hazardous conditions for all employees. A H&S professional often voluntarily receives and presents training in several topics. Most often they do it to enhance their own career or as a function of their job. Voluntary education is a great way to promote yourself to a prospective employer or to enhance your current career.

Mandatory Safety Education

The second reason that people receive H&S training is that they are required to. Since the OSH act was created into law, employers are required to provide training and education on topics that relate to specific jobs and duties. Many companies will dedicate specific days to training in safety. Safety is often looked upon as unnecessary or as waste of time. This is a wrong conception. It is a trainers job to reflect to employees just how important safety education is. It may be necessary to show examples of tragedies or accidents that could have been prevented had safety measures been taken more seriously. It's a training that should never be considered a waste of time. A company that is not doing regular training is probably not in compliance with state and federal laws. Mandatory training is required in almost every work place in the United States today.

Safety is not an option. As an employer, you have an obligation to keep your workplace as safe as possible. Keep current with these trainings with Training For Safety. If you are an employee, know that you have the right to work in a safe environment. Find out more about safety training, certifications and safety education at http://www.training-for-safety.com

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