For agribusiness owners making the first-time commitment to implement employee safety training, the question often arises at some point: Will videos alone satisfy OSHA requirements, or do I have to hire a safety expert to come on site and conduct some kind of formal training?
Depending on your operation and your objectives, a safety contractor might make sense, but compliance shouldn’t be the deciding factor. After all, a video-training program, if comprehensive enough, can satisfy OSHA quite well.
Here’s what you need to know...
Videos vs. Live Training
In-person training does have such advantages as one-to-one Q&A. But, on the farm, when time is always of the essence and cost-efficiency impacts every operational decision, video training offers unique benefits.
- On the most fundamental issue of cost, videos tend to be less expensive than hiring or contracting with a full-time safety expert.
- Videos give employees the ability to control the pacing of their information intake. They can even rewind and watch them again, if needed.
- Unlike live training, videos ensure each worker consistently receives the same information and instruction.
- Web-enabled safety-training videos, in particular (versus a “come one, come all” lunchroom video session), allow employees to attend classes when and where it’s convenient for them on an individual basis—even, say, on a 10-minute break in the field, using a smartphone.
- Building on the web-enabled advantage, anytime-anywhere remote viewing means safety meetings can be far more productive. Instead of spending the hour or so watching a TV, employees can discuss and troubleshoot safety issues specific to their workplace.
- Many agricultural operations are spread over many miles, and may have multiple production sites. Some of these sites are segregated for biosecurity reasons and employees from some sites are intentionally kept away from other operations. Providing web-based training reinforces biosecurity procedures and brings the training to the person, rather than everyone having to meet at the exact same time in a common area.
Video Training’s Big Compliance Caveat
So, all that said, the answer is, “Yes,” safety videos without in-person “expert” training can meet OSHA compliance, but only as part of a comprehensive program.
It’s important to remember that, for OSHA compliance, you need to verify and document that employees completed the training and truly understand what they learned after watching the videos. This kind of documentation—much like injury reports, your operation’s safety policies and procedures and so forth—is the kind of material that OSHA inspectors will want to see if and when they pay you a visit.
For more information, download The Beginner’s Guide to Running a Farm Safety Program—a FREE ebook from Good Day’s Work, providing a five-step approach, including documentation, to building your OSHA-compliant ag safety and health program.
