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Who Can Provide Fall Protection Training in Your Industry?
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), competent individuals must undergo required fall protection training. With proof of certification, these trained competent persons will, in turn, train other employees.
Fall hazards constitute the highest-risk hazard and the main cause of death in the construction industry. Because of this, they are specifically referenced and mandated in construction safety regulations.
What Is a Competent Person?
OSHA considers competent persons to be the most crucial people on construction sites nowadays. The term “competent person” appears in many OSHA rules, publications, and documents. It also is used in several private standards and recommendations. OSHA defines the phrase as follows:
“One who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them.”
Competent persons frequently act on behalf of their employer. Though the actual responsibilities vary, a competent person must have the ability to train personnel in different situations. A skilled person must also be able to anticipate, protect, and prevent injuries and illnesses. Whether this is applied to tasks performed by themselves or by other employees.
When a regulation requires the use of a competent person for a job, the employer is responsible to choose a competent person based on the individual’s ability and understanding of the job at hand. The competent person should be chosen because they have the appropriate knowledge of the standards, experience, and ability to take corrective action.
How To Become a Competent Person That Can Provide OSHA Training & Compliance
Becoming a competent person does not always necessitate a formal qualification or class. However, it does require you to be familiar with OSHA Requirements and safety regulations. It is also helpful if you have experience and are approved by your employer. While OSHA does have a definition for a competent person, there are no set qualifications for attaining the title. Consider the following steps to become an OSHA-certified competent person:
Gain Experience – A competent person on a job site should have enough experience to understand the specific nature of their tasks and duties. This could imply that they have years of experience working in the construction industry in a number of roles. It could also imply that a skilled person has spent fewer years in the industry but has put in the work to receive a certificate or degree.
Complete Training – This is where we, here at Hard Hat Training, come into play. We offer a Fall Protection Train the Trainer Course. This course is used to train the instructor-to-be in the safety standards that apply to fall protection. The trainer will also learn how to perform a pre- shift and post-shift inspections along with other necessary safety topics. The ultimate goal of this course is that the trainer will be able to take the safety information and train employees.
Earn the Title – Once their training or education is complete, they should speak with their supervisor or employer about becoming a competent person. ONe way to do this is by submitting a résumé detailing their experience and the training they have completed. They could also submit course certificates and training exam scores.
Define Qualified Person
Qualified refers to a person who has successfully proved the capacity to address or resolve challenges associated with the safety matter. They can do this by holding a recognized degree, certificate, professional standing, or by considerable knowledge, training, and experience. In order for a qualified person to become a fall protection safety trainer, they must meet competent person requirements.
Why Does a Fall Protection Safety Trainer Have To Be a Competent Person?
As stated previously, competent persons generally act on the employer’s behalf as it is ultimately the employer’s decision on whether or not to designate any individual as a competent person. As a result, the obligations of a competent person are very similar to those of an employer. These duties include the ability to predict, safeguard, and eliminate hazards.
Not having a competent person is consistently one of the most frequently recognized OSHA violations. This reflects a large number of accidents and fatalities caused by falls. Not having one leads to uncertainty. This can lead to a false sense of alignment and, worse, a false sense of security for workers. This is especially true in the case of falls, which continue to be the leading cause of fatality in the construction business. However, the right utilization of genuine and effective competent people gives us the best chance of saving lives.
What Should Employers Look for When Hiring an Instructor for Fall Protection Training?
Below are some ideas for employers looking for employees to become fall protection and rescue trainers.
Work, Skills, & Hourly Experience
Choose someone who has experience working at heights. The trainer should be able to connect with others who have done similar work. The risk of falling is constant among all employees who operate at heights, and it is this element that you are looking for in your trainer. Unless you’ve been exposed to the risk, it’s difficult to communicate the warnings as genuine. Your trainer does not have to be a 20-year veteran, but they must have experience working at heights.
Ability To Communicate
In every organization, communication performs two critical functions. It disperses information to employees in order for them to complete tasks. It also fosters trusting and committed relationships between employees and employers.
Therefore, trainers must be effective communicators. They must explain concepts, deliver existing knowledge, provide encouraging comments, and so on. Trainers do not need to be performers, but they must be genuine and assertive.
Technical & Physical Demonstrative Skills
Choose someone who possesses both intellectual and physical ability. These skills are required for fall protection and rescue. These abilities must be taught through training. Because of this, your trainer must be physically capable of performing these tasks. They must be able to put on a harness, climb, lift, and rescue a trainee if they become tangled or freeze during training.
OSHA Aligned Competent Person Online Training Implementation
Regulations recommend that every workplace develops and implements a competent person program. The goals of this program are efficiency and the ultimate safety of working employees. These goals should stay the same regardless of how employers come to the decision of who can be a competent person in their workplace.
Uncertainty in this program can frequently lead to a false sense of alignment and security for employees. This is especially true in the case of falls, which continue to be the leading cause of fatality in the construction business.
However, the appropriate use of effective competent persons gives us the best chance at increasing safety in the workplace. This competent persons program should illustrate how to implement, maintain, and work within an effective competent person program. It will also serve as a functioning model for training workers in fall protection hazard recognition, awareness, and prevention.
This program should ideally assist employers, managers, and employees in becoming acquainted with the expectations of an effective competent person program and how it will impact their current safety programs.