Effective Trainings

I am a current senior studying Construction Engineering Management at Oregon State.  This term I am taking a construction safety class that also qualifies for OSHA 30 training.  This training is typically 30 hours long of training however, in a class room setting there is more time.  This allows the professor to utilize beneficial training methods such as hands-on and group-building activities.  The structure of the class creates a learning environment.  Construction safety is extremely important within the industry, and with everyone having a future career in construction the topic is relevant.  There is a lot of information to be covered as there are many dangers in construction.  The information is split into groups and distributed over the allotted course length, creating chunks of content that are easily absorbed by the trainees.

When the OSHA 30 training is condensed into 30 hours, the effectiveness of the training can be limited.  Last summer, I participated in a OSHA 10 training as an intern.  This is a shortened version of the training session however, the information and delivery are relatively the same.  The training is one and a half days of lecture and some small demonstrations.  This style of training is less effective and makes retaining information much more difficult for the trainees.  With such a short duration, it is hard to create a strong learning environment.  Hands-on methods are typically not utilized as they are time consuming, especially when there are a large number of trainees.  This training is evaluated using a final exam filled with multiple choice questions.  To receive the certificate, the trainee must pass the test with a passing score.  This is an example of the learning level of evaluation and is an effective representation of the level of learning for all participants.

Sources:

OSHA.com. “OSHA 30 Final Exam Practice Test: Questions and Answers.” OSHA.com, 27 Feb. 2025, www.osha.com/blog/osha-30-practice-test.