Last month we examined why the provision of information, instruction & training (IIT) is important with regard to health & safety. We now need to consider the problem of ensuring that we provide the right IIT in a way that employees can understand and take on board.

There are many ways in which training needs can be identified, and there will be many times at which training needs will have to be considered.
For example:
· All employees will require some kind of general induction training when they join an organisation;

· all employees will need to have or develop the skills needed to perform their job safely and efficiently; specific job specifications or job requirements will help to define specific training needs;

· changes in job function, changes in equipment, and changes in procedures will all require a review of training needs leading to a possible requirement to provide further training and development.

In order to determine the need for training and instruction, three simple questions need to be posed:

1. What knowledge and skills do we need people to have?
i.e. what, specifically, do we need people to be capable of doing at the end of training?

2. What knowledge and skills do they currently have?
i.e. what are they capable of now and thus what skills gap exists?

3. How do we get from where we are now to where we want to be?
i.e. what method(s) will be the most appropriate to ensure that the necessary understanding and capabilities are achieved?

Perhaps a fourth question employers should ask is "Why do I need my employees to have such knowledge and skills?"

My own personal experience has shown that, for some employers, the answer to this fourth question is often "so that we can defend ourselves in court if something goes wrong". Whilst this is an understandable consideration - any right-thinking organisation will have one eye on the need to be able to defend litigation cases - it often leads to a skewed view of what IIT is adequate or appropriate, and thus leads to a false sense of security.
Clearly, the answer to this fourth question should be "so that the employee is capable of performing a specific task safely".
If employees have the appropriate skills and knowledge the likelihood of injury or ill health arising will be reduced. If the employer is able to demonstrate that the IIT provided to employers was sufficient to achieve this reduction in risk then a good defence will be possible.

Relevant & Comprehensible IIT
When attempting to identify the specific knowledge and skills required by employees, the employer must consider the whole range of activities to be carried out by each employee, or group of employees and ensure that the provision of IIT is relevant to that employee or group.

Ensuring that IIT is relevant means that it must be:
· no more than is needed by each employee or group of employees;
· detailed enough to enable employees to carry out their required functions safely;
· specific to the workplace, equipment and activities being carried out;
· appropriate in its means of delivery.

It will be necessary for every employee in an organisation to be given instruction in the fire evacuation procedures, so that they can respond safely in the event of a fire; however, is there any point in giving each employee information about the different types of fire extinguisher and then instructing them not to use an extinguisher unless they have had practical training in its use?

If an employer has identified a need to provide manual handling training to a group of employees in order to make them capable of lifting loads safely, the employer may well decide that this requires some in-depth practical training. After two days of practice with boxes and bags in the classroom the employer may declare himself satisfied that the required level of skill has been developed. However, how relevant can such training be considered when the employees are now required to go out and lift live turkeys onto the back of a lorry?

All of the ins and outs relating to the safe operation of a machine could be examined in a classroom using photographs, discussions and operating manuals. However, there is no substitute for practical demonstration and practice by trainees using the machine in question.

Ensuring that IIT is comprehensible means ensuring that it is in a form that is readily understandable by the trainee. In ensuring comprehensibility employers may need to consider:
· The type of training provided and its method of delivery;
· The appropriateness of written information or instructions;
· The need to use pictures, diagrams and other visual aids to understanding;
· The need to use examples, case studies or practical scenarios to aid understanding.

Individuals vary in their ability to take new information and skills on board. Within any group of trainees there are likely to be people who have a good level of technical acumen and others who require a much more practical approach to learning. Some will be able to apply knowledge and learning to a range of situations, whilst others will need to be instructed in what to do for each specific situation.

One of the many skills an effective trainer will need is the ability to recognise when a trainee is struggling with understanding, and then to be able to take a different approach and present information in a different way.

By considering the need for training carefully, by being clear about the specific desired outcomes of the training, and by ensuring that the instruction and training provided is relevant and presented in a way that the trainee understands, employers should end up with a well-trained workforce who understand the dangers they may be exposed to, who know the rules for safe working and who are capable of carrying out their required functions safely. If the employer is able to demonstrate that he has done all of these things then he will be able to present a good defence in any litigation case.

In the final article in this series, we will examine the importance of evaluating the effectiveness of training and monitoring its continued application.