It’s not too late to conduct your 2024 refresher safety training! Many OSHA regulations have a requirement to provide annual training. Even when yearly refreshers aren’t mandatory, it’s always considered best practice to reinforce important safety policies and procedures to ensure a safe and compliant workplace.
Included below are OSHA standards applicable to many of our clients that have a specific annual training requirement.
- Bloodborne Pathogens Standard [29 CFR 1910.1030] – This regulation specifies that annual training be provided to employees with exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM). This training must be given within one year (i.e., 12 months) of the previous training and include all of the training topics that are required for the initial training.
- Portable Fire Extinguishers [29 CFR 1910.157] – The standard requires that when fire extinguishers are provided to employees for use in the workplace, they must receive annual familiarization and operational training. This is a commonly overlooked annual training requirement!
- Respiratory Protection Standard [29 CFR 1910.134] – Included in this regulation is a requirement for annual refresher training at all workplaces that have a mandatory respiratory protection program, including programs for N95 use. Retraining may be needed sooner if the type of respirator being used changes, or inadequacies in employees’ knowledge or use of the respirator indicate that they have not retained the appropriate understanding or skill. The requirement for additional training may also be triggered by any other situation that arises in which retraining appears necessary to ensure safe respirator use.
- Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) [29 CFR 1910.120] – Annual refresher training requirements of this standard vary by job duty and responsibility. Emergency response employees must receive annual refresher training of sufficient content and duration to maintain their competencies. First Responders at the Awareness Level (FRAL) and Operations Level (FROL) can generally meet this requirement within 4 hours. Other responder levels specifically require 8 hours of refresher training.
For other standards, including those listed below, retraining is required when there are changes to workplace conditions, especially when new or different hazards are introduced, or employee responsibilities change. Recurrent or updated training may also need to be performed when there are changes to the regulations or the program, even if annual training is not a specific requirement.
- Emergency Action Plans [29 CFR 1910.38] – Retraining must be conducted when employees’ responsibilities under the plan change (e.g., a new Emergency Coordinator), or when the plan itself is updated (e.g., when a different rally point is assigned). Annual refresher training is considered best practice to reinforce policies and procedures, even if there are no changes to the Emergency Action Plan.
- Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories [29 CFR 1910.1450] – The Lab Standard requires retraining when new hazards are introduced that create new exposure situations, but the frequency of refresher training can be determined by the employer. Once again, annual refresher training is always recommended and is particularly important in a laboratory setting to ensure employee safety.
- Hazard Communication Standard [29 CFR 1910.1200] – Similar to the Lab Standard, the HazCom Standard specifies that refresher training must be provided whenever a new chemical hazard is introduced into the work area. Information and training may be designed to cover categories of hazards (e.g., flammability, carcinogenicity) or specific chemicals.
This isn’t an exhaustive list of OSHA standards that address the need for annual refresher training and/or periodic retraining. Additional information on these and other regulations can be found in the Agency’s guidance document Training Requirements in OSHA Standards.
Although many of the regulations have specific content requirements for refresher training, there are many different options for how to present the information. When determining the agenda, think about how the program has evolved throughout the year, and consider the improvements that have been made, as well as where additional focus is needed.
Often, the more creative you can get with the method of conveying the information, the more effective the delivery, and the greater the retention of the material. For ideas on different ways to present your training, check out our blog on how to Refresh Your Refresher Training!
Safety Partners can help! We offer a variety of training and professional development services and can plan for and deliver your instructor-led initial offerings or refreshers. In addition, we have various web-based courses that are available at your fingertips any time of day. Please contact us.
This blog was written by Beth Graham, Safety Partners’ Director of Quality, Research, and Training
