HR Management & Compliance

Use These Budget-Friendly Resources to Get the Biggest Return on Your Training Bucks

To recap: Safety training is one of those areas where shaving service or quality can have a seriously negative impact. For one thing, training your workers is your duty under the law. What’s more, not keeping up with a regular safety training schedule exposes your employees to risk without giving them the tools they need to identify and avoid it. Then there’s the cost of an accident.
So what do you do when cutting back isn’t an option, but saving money is a mandate? Check out these sources for effective and inexpensive training resources.

Budget-Friendly Resources

If you’re resourceful, you can find free, low-cost, and grant-funded training. The following are just a few examples. Many more are available nationally and through state and local organizations.
From labor. Whether your employees are unionized or not, you may find useful training materials on the websites of labor organizations, such as the www.AFLCIO.org. Union locals may have their own resources. For example, Tulsa Local 1180 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) recently provided grant funds to hundreds of workers in the city’s Department of Environmental Quality. The AFSCME saved the city a great deal of money by instructing trainers, who, in turn, trained front-line employees.


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From OSHA. Millions of dollars for safety training are awarded each year to nonprofit organizations through OSHA’s Susan Harwood Training Grants program. The money is provided to projects that address recognition, avoidance, and prevention of safety and health hazards in the workplace. OSHA holds a national competition for the grants, which average around $175,000 each. In 2007, there was nearly $7 million available for the program. Learn more at www.osha.gov/dte/sharwood/index.html. Another source of training assistance is OSHA’s state-run consulting program. Personnel—who are not connected to the agency’s enforcement arm—visit workplaces, typically smaller ones, to assess safety and health, make recommendations, and conduct training.
From insurance companies. Insurers, especially those that write workers’ compensation policies, commonly offer a variety of resources. These include consultants, training, materials, customized programs, and more. Depending on the financial arrangement, these services may be provided at no additional cost.
From state safety organizations. The Utah Safety Council, for example, has a tab full of training resources on its website (www.utahsafetycouncil.org/). Like safety councils in other states, the Utah organization operates a scholarship program for safety training. Its goal is to increase the knowledge and skill levels of safety professionals, especially those in small businesses.
From industry groups. The Police Officers Safety Association, Inc. (www.posai.org) is the training arm of the American Police and Sheriffs Association (APSA), a nonprofit organization that runs two grant programs. One awards money to under-funded police departments to help them acquire safety equipment and supplies. The other provides assistance to families of fallen officers. Industry organizations across the board offer training and assistance.

Focus on Value

As you contemplate ways to keep your training affordable, think about the value you’re getting for your dollar. Whether you’re creating your own courses, relying on a professional association or union, sharing modules with other business units, or buying from a reputable vendor, you need to establish metrics. It’s only by measuring the results of your investment that you can know what to keep and what to reconsider. So, even if you don’t have a sophisticated system of assessment, make sure your training includes pre- and postquizzes to ensure employees are getting the message you’re sending.


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At the end of the day, this is no time for skimping on training. It’s the law. It’s your duty. And it will save you money in the end.
 

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