Training is one of the most critical elements in safety. Providing workers with the required skills and knowledge to safely do their work is extremely important to OSHA. So important, in fact, that more than 100 of OSHA’s current standards contain specific training requirements, including newly revised Subpart D, “Walking-Working Surfaces.”
Some of these standards require “training” or “instruction,” while others require “adequate” or “effective” training or instruction. Regardless of the precise regulatory language, these requirements reflect OSHA’s belief that training is an essential part of every employer’s safety and health program. This belief is reiterated in the preamble to the walking-working surfaces final rule, which says, “OSHA believes that the new training requirements are necessary, and effective worker training is one of the most critical steps employers can take to prevent employee injuries and fatalities.”