Beer and OSHA safety training don't mix

Last week, New York city mayor Michael Bloomberg called for a federal crackdown on fraudulent construction safety programs after a New York Daily News investigation exposed some dangerous practices.

Undercover Daily News reporters found that trainers were teaching 10-hour federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) courses in two hours. During breaks, some students allegedly drank beers at the bar below the training classroom.

"It's very worrisome. We depend on OSHA to train the workers here so that you're safe when you walk by a construction site, so that the people who work on that site are safe," Bloomberg said.

In a recent MSNBC article, “Would You Like a Beer with That OSHA Training?” the author chronicled how New York has been “dangerously negligent” in carrying out the mandatory safety training.

“Cheating is rampant. I hear lots of stories about guys getting OSHA cards in the back of a bar,” Martin Daly, head of training for the District Council of Carpenters told The News.

The $125 safety course was designed to prevent the types of construction accidents that have killed 19 people and injured 181 others last year alone.

But The News reporter found that instead of fostering, discussing and outlining procedures to deal with live electricity or prevent falls the course trainer simply showed the class a few videos and slideshows.

This attitude toward workplace safety isn’t an isolated occurrence. Studies show that negligence and cutting corners on safety training is a growing national problem.

According to a December survey of workers in the mechanical, electrical, facilities, utilities and plumbing (MEP) fields, almost half of respondents said their employer did not have a budget for training in 2009. One in four workers could not remember or had not been trained yet in a work-related safety procedure or process.

As a result of the recession, businesses have been cutting training and important safety initiatives out of the budget. It’s a decision that puts employees in danger of serious injuries and has businesses risking serious OSHA fines.

Read some of our related posts on the dangers of cutting safety initiatives out of the budget and how to save money on employee training:

Investing in leadership development during a downturn

Recession-proof employee training tips

Is our economy causing more workplace injuries?

Employee training and the 2009 budget battle

Employee safety training: Ten tips for working in the summer heat

Long summer days have arrived and they’re hotter than ever. Without the proper safety training, your employees may not know how to work safely in the summer heat. Overexposure to heat may cause serious illness and even death.

During the summer months, employees should be trained on how to prevent heat-related illness when temperatures and humidity are high. Workers should know how to identify and respond to the onset of heat stress.

When someone is not able to cool off by sweating, heat-induced illness may creep in and can be severe enough to cause death. Exposure to heat may cause heat cramps, rashes, heat stroke and heat exhaustion. Symptoms of dangerous heat exposure include confusion, irrational behavior, loss of consciousness, hot/dry skin, and abnormally high body temperature.

Here are ten quick tips for employees working in the summer heat:

1. Drink plenty of cool water before working outdoors and drink small amounts of water frequently while you work.
2. Reduce physical activity when you start to feel lightheaded or overheated.
3. Take regular breaks in cool, shaded areas.
4. Wear light-colored, lightweight, and loose-fitting clothing. Cotton is usually a safe bet.
5. The sun is at its hottest from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., so try to reschedule outdoor jobs outside of that time frame.
6. Wear sunscreen to protect against ultraviolet (UV) rays.
7. Wear a wide-brimmed hat to protect your face and neck from the sun.
8. Avoid caffeine, alcohol and too much sugar before and during work activities. Eat small meals before working outdoors.
9. Try to keep work in shaded areas.
10. Ask your doctor if any medications you’re taking can be dangerous in the sun.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) created two free fact sheets on how to protect employees from the dangers of working in hot outdoor environments: Protecting Workers from the Effects of Heat explains heat stress and how to prevent it; Working Outdoors in Warm Climates recommends ways to protect employees from overexposure to ultraviolet radiation (UV) and offers information on insect-caused illnesses such as West Nile Virus and Lyme disease.

Employee safety training: Teens on-the-job

If you’re planning on hiring teens to fill summer job positions, be sure that you have the proper structure and employee safety training programs set up to keep these young employees safe at work.

Last week, the Department of Labor (DOL) kicked off the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) national 2008 Teen Summer Job Safety Campaign in downtown New York city.

The campaign is part of a large effort to reduce work-related injuries among teens by teaching proper on-the-job safety, with a goal to reach more than three million teens. By reaching out to workers at a young age, OSHA hopes these teens will carry important safety lessons through as they grow older.

Before considering bringing teens into your workplace, first educate yourself on the laws protecting young workers:

OSHA. Depending on where you do business, employers must comply with certain hazard-specific job safety and health standards. Federal or state OSHA offices can help with regulations and standards. Visit osha.gov for more information.

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The FLSA protects minors by restricting the amount of hours they are able to work and the types of jobs they can work. Your local Employment Standards Administration office can help with questions, or visit the OSHA site for more information.


If you decide to employ teens, be sure your workplace is ready:

Make employee safety training a top priority.

Review work sites to spot and eliminate potential hazards, ensuring employees are working in a safe environment.

Train adolescent and teen employees how to recognize workplace dangers and how to perform their jobs safely.

Training should include, but is not limited to topics such as fire and accident prevention, workplace accidents, violent situations and what to do if someone is injured on the job.

Educate teen employees on their rights, in the case they are injured on the job, including how to file a claim to cover medical benefits and lost work time.

Choose well trained supervisors who know how to spot workplace hazards and follow safe work practices to monitor new, young employees.

Supervise teens to be sure they are following safe work practices and know how to spot hazards on their own.

Implement a shadowing program where teen employees follow older, experienced employees to teach them valuable safety skills.

Promote an open-door policy and encourage young workers to always ask questions about anything that is unclear.


Keep your teen employees safe this summer while employed with your company. Be sure you know the rules when hiring teens and train your workforce regularly on safety. A safe and healthy work environment will create a rewarding work experience for teen workers and your business.

Employee security training: How to catch ‘phish’

Do your employees know how to spot phishing when they see it or even know what it is?

Phishing is a popular scam where Internet crooks spam potential victims to gain access to personal financial information. These ‘phishers’ use clever ways to lure unsuspecting victims into handing over credit card information, bank account numbers, passwords and other personal information. It is a criminal activity that can result in identity theft, financial theft or malicious computer viruses.

This type of fraud isn’t limited to sweet old ladies. Recent major scams have gone after the big fish - corporate CEOs.

Earlier this month, scammers sent emails telling CEOs that their company was being sued in federal court and to follow a link that will download the court documents. After downloading malicious software disguised as a special browser plug-in, the criminals gained access to everything on the victim’s computer.

This technique is a new form of “spear phishing” where phony emails are written as if they were coming from within the organization, or from a sender with close ties to the organization, like U.S. federal courts. Many times these emails contain believable information, complete with the victims name, company name and phone number.


How do you keep your company safe?

Make sure to provide thorough employee security training with tips on how to avoid phishing scams and what to do if someone suspects they are a victim.

The federal government created a resource, OnGuardOnline.gov, to provide the public with information on a variety of Internet scams.

They offer some tips on how not to get ‘hooked’ by a phishing scam:

• If you receive a message asking for personal or financial information do not reply to the email or click on any links.
• Some scams involve calling a phone number to update account information. While the phone number may look legitimate, with a correct area code, the number you call will draw you right into the scam.
• Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software, along with a firewall. Make sure all are updated regularly. Without these tools, there could be software on your computer tracking every move you make and you wouldn’t know it.
• Never email personal or financial information.
• Keep a close eye on credit card and bank statements for unauthorized charges.
• Call your HR department or whoever is responsible for online security and report the email immediately.

Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

Maybe if we as HR managers, trainers or other kinds of leaders could help people find their path...or maybe just give them the freedom to do so, the results for everyone...the individual, the company, the country, the world...would be far more than we could imagine.

Instead, we focus on shaping, teaching at, directing, controlling -- and very seldom on inspiring or empowering. Almost never on creating a place for taking chances and learning what we COULD do.

Watch this video, listen and think. What could we do differently as trainers to achieve a better result?