Across an industry with a vast national and international presence, owners and contractors have called for high-quality, reciprocal and accessible safety training that evolves with the kinetic industrial environment.
The importance of comprehensive, effective and innovative safety training cannot be overstated. For decades, the industry has relied on traditional programs to ensure worker safety, but as the demands and dynamics of the workforce change, so too must the training programs that support it.
Enter Safety Essentials, developed, delivered and powered by the Health and Safety Council (HASC) — a groundbreaking suite of safety training courses that sets a new standard for training excellence.
With a globalized workforce, training methods must adapt to meet the needs of today's learners. Over the past two years, Safety Essentials has revolutionized safety training, becoming the preferred Process Safety Management (PSM)-compliant orientation in the industry. Safety Essentials complies with OSHA 1910 and 1926, meets all relevant or applicable ANSI standards and offers content developed by SMEs to resonate with adult learners. Unlike traditional programs that recycle outdated content, Safety Essentials continuously updates its curriculum, ensuring it remains relevant and engaging.
Reciprocity and endorsement for Safety Essentials
Since its introduction to industry, over 450 sites nationwide have accepted or require Safety Essentials as the preferred compliance course. Over 215 sites have evaluated the available options and mandated Safety Essentials and Safety Essentials Enhancer Refresher for their general orientation programs. The Safety Essentials Suite eliminates redundancy and maintains long-term sustainability through centralized recordkeeping kept in perpetuity. Records follow individuals throughout their careers. Adoption of Safety Essentials is evident in the numbers — over 90% of the largest refineries in the U.S. accept or require Safety Essentials. Not only are companies embracing this shift in training, but associations such as the East Harris County Manufacturers Association (EHCMA) and the Industry Business Roundtable have endorsed it as the singular solution for contractor orientation. "EHCMA is recommending Safety Essentials as the premier and accepted standard for training excellence. Endorsed by industry leaders and backed by meticulous research, Safety Essentials emerges as the definitive choice for ensuring quality, continuity and industry-wide reciprocity in safety education," said MaryJane Mudd, executive director with EHCMA.
A holistic approach to safety education
Safety Essentials (SE-SAFE) and its annual refresher, Safety Essentials Enhancer (SE-SAFER), are meticulously designed to equip workers with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate hazardous work environments safely. Using innovative learning techniques, the foundational course requires three hours to complete, compared to the traditional training duration of six to eight hours. The Safety Essentials Enhancer (Refresher) is a 90-minute course offering new content each year and reinforcing key topics relevant to the petrochemical industry. These courses go beyond mere compliance, offering a comprehensive approach that utilizes adult learning theories to enhance knowledge retention and engagement.
Superior value with Safety Essentials include:
Engaging and interactive content. The Safety Essentials courses utilize HASC's R4 Learner Retention Model™, which emphasizes rigor, relevancy, reinforcement and reflection. This model ensures that learners not only receive information but also retain and apply it effectively. Designed and developed by industry experts with decades of experience, the suite uses a diverse array of learning methods, including video, animation and interactive exercises. This ensures participants are well-informed and actively engaged throughout the training process. Unlike traditional programs, Safety Essentials incorporates knowledge verifications throughout the course, reducing testing anxiety. Flexible delivery methods. Safety Essentials offers unparalleled flexibility with its online courses available both in-person at safety councils and anywhere via Live Online Proctoring (LOP) seven days a week. This approach reduces travel time and costs, allowing workers to complete training at their convenience and ensuring minimal disruption to their schedules. Live proctors employed by HASC protect the integrity of the training process by overseeing trainees after confirming their identity, reinforced with AI observation.
HASC
Continuous improvement and relevance. Each year, the Safety Essentials Enhancer introduces new content, ensuring the training remains up to date with industry trends and best practices. The annual refresher course builds on the foundation laid by the initial training, focusing on areas of improvement identified through data collection. Themes and content for Enhancer courses are developed by industry experts based on demand and relevance, guaranteeing that workers build upon their safety knowledge each year.
Comprehensive curriculum. Safety Essentials covers a wide range of topics, from safety principles such as heat stress and confined space to more complex subjects like emergency evacuation procedures and hazard control methods. The curriculum is developed in collaboration with safety experts, adult learning specialists and interactive designers, confirming it meets and exceeds safety training expectations. Existing safety orientation course curriculum has been in place for nearly three decades without benefiting from the innovation and evolution necessary to meet today's industry needs. These instructor-led courses must accommodate frequent breaks and adjust to the slowest learner in the class, doubling training and travel time and costs. Traditional content remains foundational but lacks the dynamic and interactive elements utilized in Safety Essentials.
Beyond compliance: Embracing a safer future
Safety Essentials is the foundation of The Safety Essentials Suite of products which includes over 30 topic-specific courses called Safety Essentials Elements. These courses go beyond mere compliance, offering more in-depth safety training that delves into critical work activities such as confined space entry, hot work and elevated work. The program's commitment to continuous learning and improvement sets it apart, with new courses regularly added to the suite, replacing outdated content and incorporating the latest industry knowledge and best practices.
LOP: A modern solution
The entire Safety Essentials Suite and all HASC eLearning courses are available for delivery via LOP at all HASC locations and at over 40 safety councils nationwide. This service was developed to support industry by providing reciprocal training in areas without access to a physical council location. Unlike monitoring technology, LOP uses the highest security standards to ensure the integrity of training sessions while providing the flexible delivery needed to accommodate today's workers. Proctors actively observe learners throughout training and testing, mirroring the in-person safety council proctoring experience. This method ensures scoring is immediately available and allows access to digital badges via LINKmobile, the platform used to register and complete courses.
The path forward to a single solution
As industries evolve, so must their approach to safety education. HASC's commitment to innovation and excellence is demonstrated through the consistent release of cutting-edge courses in the Safety Essentials Suite. These courses represent a significant leap forward, offering a holistic and dynamic approach to safety training. By choosing Safety Essentials, organizations invest in their workers' well-being, the adaptability of their operations and society's overall prosperity.
For more information, visit hasc.com and thesafetyessentials.com.
