Key Takeaways:

• Training contract workers is critical, as inadequate training can lead to accidents, injuries, and legal liabilities for the hiring company.
• Effective contract worker training programs involve a variety of key stakeholders, and must be driven from the executive leadership level down through the organization.
• There are many challenges and risks associated with training administration, including adapting to learning styles, maximizing engagement, and satisfying relevant regulations.
• Training programs must constantly be evaluated and updated to align with changing regulations, best practices, and site-specific needs.

Introduction to Worker Training

Worker training is a cornerstone of effective risk management in any organization. It ensures employees have the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their jobs safely and efficiently.

Many companies consider only their direct employees when training workers, but temporary and contract workers must also be included. Any worker on a company’s property or job site must be sufficiently trained, and the responsibility for enforcing that training standard falls on the hiring company.

Ensuring all workers have the appropriate training to perform their tasks safely and effectively is no easy feat. Worker training risk management involves the strategic approach to identifying, assessing, and addressing risks associated with worker training programs while adhering to legal and industry standards. 

This blog will explore worker training in the supply chain, including challenges, roles and responsibilities, and key terminology. It is the first in a series of blogs examining worker training in the supply chain.

‍Contract worker training is essential

Contract workers, though temporary, are often tasked with handling the same complex duties as permanent staff, requiring equal familiarity with company policies, equipment, and safety protocols. Without adequate training, contract workers may pose significant risks to themselves, others on the job site, and the overall operations. Those risks include accidents, injuries, operational disruptions, legal liability, and project delay.

Unsafe acts or behavior by contract workers threaten the safety of everyone on-site, leading to serious injury or death. Those tragic scenarios also have rippling downstream effects, often in the form of lawsuits, regulatory fines, reputation damage, equipment failure, project delays, and operational disruption for the hiring company.

One 2005 example saw BP fined millions of dollars by OSHA when safety violations at a Texas oil refinery resulted in a massive explosion. 15 people died and 170 more were injured as a result of unsafe work practices.

Key terminology related to worker training

The following are some essential terminology related to the topic of worker training.

• Competency-Based Training: Worker training designed to build specific skills and knowledge required for particular job roles or tasks, to ensure the worker is equipped with the precise competencies needed to perform a job effectively.
• Compliance Training: Training focused on ensuring employees understand and adhere to legal, regulatory, and company policies related to ethics, safety, and workplace conduct.
• Safety Training: Instruction on practices, knowledge, and procedures to maintain safety and reduce the risk of workplace accidents.
• Learning Management System (LMS): A digital platform used to create, manage, and track employee training programs, streamlining training administration and ensuring easy access to training materials.
• Training Needs Analysis: A process used to identify gaps in employee skills and knowledge to determine necessary training, ensuring training is targeted, relevant, and effective.
• Training Matrix: A tool that outlines the required training and frequency for different job roles to help organize training program efforts.
• Onboarding or Induction Training: Initial training given to new contract workers to learn hiring company policies, safety protocols, expectations, and job duties.
  

Roles and responsibilities in worker training

Many organizational stakeholders contribute to a successful worker training program, both for company employees and third-party contract or temp workers. The specific departments and job titles responsible for training may shift depending on the organization, but the same five functions are typically filled.

Executive Leadership

As with all risk management and safety initiatives, effective worker training programs must start with executive leadership buy-in. Safety among employees and contract workers must be part of the company culture and expectations; otherwise, training programs may not be prioritized.

Hiring/Procurement

• Role: Manage the hiring, vetting, and onboarding processes for suppliers and contractors
• Responsibility: Finding qualified companies/workers, verifying credentials and training qualifications, and onboarding those contract workers 
• Owner: Typically, Human Resources (HR) and/or Procurement 

Training Drivers & Administrators

• Role: Design, implement, monitor, and evaluate all worker training programs
• Responsibility: Develop training materials, coordinate training sessions, align training with company standards and industry regulations, ensure that all workers meet required competency levels
• Owner: This role may be filled by several different departments or may be a collaborative effort, including HR, Training Managers, Health & Safety Officers, QHSE Professionals, and Compliance Officers

Supervisors

• Role: Monitor worker performance and ensure training is applied
• Responsibility: Supervise workers’ day-to-day activities, enforce safety standards and procedures, assess training effectiveness, and provide additional training as necessary
• Owner: Whoever supervises contract workers for the hiring company, which could be Project Managers, Site Managers, and/or Contractor Supervisors

Workers

Finally, it is the workers' responsibility to actively participate in training programs, follow safety protocols, and apply the knowledge gained to their daily work.

Common worker training challenges and risks

Designing, managing, executing, and overseeing contract worker training is an immense undertaking that naturally involves a variety of challenges and risks.

Compliance Challenges

Worker training must satisfy many regulations and industry standards, and ensuring that the program meets those requirements can be complex and time-consuming. Non-compliance can result in legal penalties, fines, and increased liability on the part of the hiring company. 

Learning Styles & Adult Learning Principles

Research shows that adults learn differently from children, which means effective adult training must take specific adult learning principles into consideration. Some examples include the fact that adults prefer to learn by doing, must understand the relevance of training, and like to self-direct their learning development. In addition, different people learn in different ways, whether visually (through reading and diagrams), audibly (through spoken instruction), or through hands-on training. Training programs must be varied in their delivery and incorporate adult learning principles to be effective for all workers.  

Quality & Consistency

Variability in the quality or frequency of training across different departments, worker types (employee vs. contractor), job sites, or shifts can lead to uneven competency levels among workers. Without consistent training quality and frequency, the risks of accidents, errors, or operational efficiencies increase.

Time & Resource Constraints

Balancing the allocation of time, budget, and human resources for training programs can be challenging for any organization. Additionally, the company must be willing to commit the time required for the workers, knowing the safety investment is worth pulling workers off the job temporarily for training. Insufficient training resources or a lack of training prioritization can significantly reduce worker performance, safety, and compliance. 

Retention and Engagement 

For training to work, the trainees must be engaged in the content and exposed thoroughly enough for long-term learning to take effect. Training leaders are challenged to make training programs relevant and engaging for workers to promote learning retention. Cadence and frequency are additional keys to effective training outcomes. For instance, one training session may not be sufficient to teach a particular skill or protocol, especially if the worker rarely faces the hazard in question. Conversely, workers also must be reminded of proper procedure with repetitive tasks to ensure comfortability with the task doesn’t lead to dangerous shortcuts.

Continuous Evaluation and Improvement 

Training programs are never done. Sites, regulations, client compliance standards, and industry best practices can often change, meaning training materials must be constantly updated and kept current to provide the correct information to trainees. Training must also be continually assessed to ensure it is as effective as possible, requiring regular evaluation and refinement.

Conclusion

Contract worker training is essential to overall workplace safety and operational efficiency. The risks of inadequate training are significant, from legal liabilities to serious workplace accidents and operational disruptions. Creating an effective contract worker training program involves many stakeholders who must overcome several challenges and risks. 

In our upcoming blogs, we will dive further into those challenges, then review best practices of successful contract training programs.

Avetta supports hiring companies with contract worker training tools, including digital collection and storage of worker qualifications, custom training program configuration, a learning management system (LMS) to deliver and track training, global eLearning modules on safety best practices, and site access control to ensure only qualified workers enter a job site.

Avetta offers a suite of supply chain risk management solutions, including tools to help you holistically handle worker management. Learn more about how Avetta can support your worker training and management efforts and ensure the resilience of your supply chain.