In a new study from the Institute for Work & Health entitled A Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Training & Education for the Protection of Workers, it was determined that training programs (e.g. lectures, classes, printed materials) had a positive impact on the beliefs and behavior of the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) worker, however it was inconclusive that training programs did NOT have a positive effect on the health of those employees the OHS professional had interacted with due to insufficient data.

What does this mean?

The study identifies that there is room for opportunity to determine the effectiveness of training programs, as interpreted and addressed from the leadership of the OHS professional, to the rate of implementation into safety programs and the rates of injury incurred after the safety program was enacted.

Although training programs are needed to maintain and enhance our education and knowledge in topics, particularly within the fields of ergonomics, safety/injury hazards, chemical, biological and physical hazards, it is important to note that a true change in employee health– coming from beliefs learned from these training programs, should be resulting from components added to a company’s safety culture. The OHS professional will learn valuable information pertinent to staying on top of trends, however without interpreting that information to a greater understanding shared amongst employees, how will this affect employee health?

Once the information is shared amongst employees, it will become easier to determine the effectiveness of a safety program by looking at injury rates.

We would like to hear your thoughts: how do you measure the effectiveness of a training program regarding the health of employees?