Best practice: Safety Essentials as industry standard

The East Harris County Manufacturers Association (EHCMA) is championing a shift in accepted industrial safety training.

In the ever-evolving arena of industrial safety — our industry’s paramount concern — there is one true option for training excellence: Safety Essentials, offered by the Health and Safety Council. 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.

Richard Bass, HSES manager with Kuraray America and EHCMA Best Practices Committee Chair, underscored the significance of this recommendation, emphasizing the program’s comprehensive approach and its pivotal role in fostering safer work environments. Bass said, "Not only is Safety Essentials an excellent program, but it also offers reciprocity across industry, and that’s critical."

Additionally, Bass noted that the EHCMA Executive Board has taken the time to research and consider viable options, and "It is recommending that all member companies use Safety Essentials starting January 1, 2025." Further details on Safety Essentials include:

Opportunity. Safety Essentials offers comprehensive training that is exclusively required for process safety management orientation to satisfy OSHA 1910 and 1926 standards, ensuring employees and contractors are equipped with the knowledge and skills to navigate hazardous environments safely.

Efficient. Safety Essentials offers a streamlined solution with a three-hour foundational course and a 90-minute refresher, which is updated annually. Additionally, training records are kept permanently, providing a hassle-free experience for individuals and organizations for record retention. Access to The Safety Essentials Suite of products enhances education by providing a comprehensive and customizable learning experience.

Effective. Through the implementation of innovative adult learning techniques and continuous knowledge verification, Safety Essentials engages learners and enhances retention. Highly notable training material includes real-world analogies and scenarios that make the coursework relevant and relatable while reinforcing key concepts.

Everywhere. Safety Essentials offers flexible training delivery using face-to-face and live online proctoring, ensuring accessibility to the East Harris County area, or any geographic location. Reciprocity is key. With an established base of reciprocity among owner/operator companies and 42 councils delivering Safety Essentials nationwide, the program is accessible to all.

Case for Change. Contractors are increasingly calling for a single reciprocal solution to eliminate redundant training requirements. Safety Essentials addresses this need with its nationwide reciprocity and online delivery. This means reduced expenses and higher-quality training for safer workplaces.

Safety Essentials has garnered widespread acceptance and recognition across the industry with more than 105 companies and 420 sites accepting the primary safety learning tool. EHCMA highly recommends Safety Essentials be the required standard because of its commitment to excellence, dedication to safety and ability to be accepted throughout the industry. We will continue to be a proponent of the highest standards for best practices in industrial safety training, and urge all member companies to adopt Safety Essentials in a transformative step toward unified safety standards across the industrial manufacturing landscape.

To find out how to elevate your safety standards, visit thesafetyessentials.com.

For more information, visit ehcma.org.