The booklet lover's choice
August 1st 2008

For those on the training front line, it is easy to become cynical about the process. Retention of even simple information can sometimes be measured in days, and real changes in behaviour which are observable on the shop floor can feel like isolated victories. While it is easy to become cynical, the training process remains an influential rite of passage for recent recruits looking for clues about their employer, says Michael Whitcroft Everyone knows that the law requires you to provide the information, instruction and training needed to ensure the health and safety of your employees. Approach the task as a burdensome obligation and the activity will have little value beyond basic legal compliance and paying lip service to the law. But use the opportunity to demonstrate to staff that their training and welfare is valued and they in turn will value and implement what they learn.

Absenteeism, productivity, motivation and staff retention are all affected by how a staff respects and feels respected by its employer; these views are often rooted in those early training days when views were formed and attitudes set.

Selecting the appropriate training and choosing the right support materials is vital, but then by adapting and personalising this material to reflect values and culture you can increase its effectiveness.

Take five The HSE document 'Health and Safety Training and What you Need to Know' breaks the training process into five steps. Deciding what is required is first, and determined by historical health and safety issues that need to be addressed and skills gaps that need to be filled. The second step is to prioritise training needs, and this is determined by regulatory demands as much as by changes in the workplace like an influx of recruits, new work processes or changes in roles and responsibilities.

Choosing appropriate methods and resources is the third step, and involves choices about external or internal training, giving information or instruction, and delivering in classroom or on-site. Researching the means of delivery is the fourth step and involves researching the range of materials and formats on the training market. With the computer, DVD, intranet, internet and what is collectively called e-learning among the options, the fourth step can be challenging and sometimes unnecessarily expensive.

Step five is post-training review. This involves asking if employees now understand what is required of them. The fifth step involves assessing the post-training world and looking for the new behaviours and attitudes promoted by the training.

Training in practice With the forthcoming show Health and Safety '08 at Bolton's Reebok stadium bringing a focus on health and safety to the the North West, it is appropriate to look at how companies and training providers there handle these questions. Two training leaders in the region are the North Lancs. Training Group and the Bailey Engineering Academy; North Lancs Training Group operates out of Accrington and delivers Government Funded training programmes to over 3000 learners.

"In some instances there is no longer a mandatory requirement to undertake a health and safety NVQ unit to gain the full qualification however we strongly encourage learners to take it as one of their optional units,"said health, safety and quality manager, Simon Clarke. "We give Scriptographic booklets for self-study as a personal resource because the manner in which the booklets are written and presented is interesting and easy to absorb.' The Bailey Engineering Academy trains 100 new apprentices a year and in 2007 alone the NG Bailey Group invested £4.2m in training and development. Booklets help it cover a broad range of health and safety and personal development subjects, and students are presented with all titles relevant to their course as they begin their studies.

Probably the biggest name in the region is the Co- Operative Group, with more than 85,000 employees in a variety of businesses. 'On one occasion we had a need to communicate to several hundred garage mechanics quickly about vibration and white finger, and the booklets were an effective and fast way of doing so, ' said compliance manager Terry Auckland. 'We had invited an HSE inspector around the garages and he was complimentary about what we were doing. However when we asked what else we could do and he mentioned white finger and HAVS.' Measurable results "We do health and safety surveillance within the workforce and know there is now an awareness of the vibration issue." he added.

The Co-Operative Group uses booklets for in-house training, as well as distributing them direct to employees as required. Potential issues can be addressed immediately, and employees in isolated environments like garages, farms or warehouses can access information even when formal training is not scheduled and office technology not to hand.

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