ISO 45001 Safety Training Matrix Template

Understanding ISO 45001 and Its Training Requirements

ISO 45001 is the international standard that specifies requirements for an occupational health and safety management system. It is designed to help organizations manage occupational health and safety matters, and achieve the highest standard of employee wellbeing and safety at work, through proactive risk control processes. It sets out requirements for a management system that focuses on the continual improvement of occupational health and safety performance.

ISO 45001: The Two Clauses That Specify Training Needs

The standard requires that an organization establish, implement, maintain, and continually improve an occupational health and safety management system. Within the management system, there are two clauses that specify the requirements of training. The first one is:

7.2 Competence

The organization shall determine the necessary competence for workers performing work under its control that affect the organization’s occupational health and safety performance, and ensure that workers are competent by providing training or other actions. The organization shall retain documented information as evidence of the competence of its workers.

And the second clause is:

7.3 Awareness

The organization shall ensure that workers are aware of the occupational health and safety policy, including any applicable occupational health and safety objectives, and their role in achieving the anticipated occupational health and safety performance. The organization shall ensure that workers are aware of the significant hazards affecting their work and, where relevant, the consequences related to failure to comply with the organization’s occupational health and safety management system requirements and of how to report incidents, including occupational health and safety events and injuries. Furthermore, the organization shall ensure that workers know how to respond to situations that could cause them to be exposed to imminent and dangerous conditions.

As you may have noticed, training is a key aspect of the standard. In other words, training is required to meet the requirements of ISO 45001. A safety training matrix will help you demonstrate compliance with the standard.

What Is a Safety Training Matrix and Why Is It Necessary for ISO 45001?

A Safety Training Matrix is a table or spreadsheet that lists all the health and safety training required for each job task or worker. In addition, it can also indicate the status of these trainings, i.e., who has been trained, when the training was achieved, and when it is due for renewal.

If your organization is ISO 45001 certified or is striving to be certified, you need a safety training matrix for the following reasons:

• It ensures that all your employees (including contractors) are competent in their roles, as per ISO 45001:2018 Clause 7.2. This is because the matrix will show that they have undertaken the required training courses.
  
  
• It will serve as documented evidence, as required by the standard.
  
  
• It helps identify training needs because it indicates what training an employee has had and what they still need for the job.
  
  
• It allows you to plan and budget for future training needs.
  
  
• It promotes a positive health and safety culture within the organization.
  
  
• It prevents incidents and mishaps at the workplace by ensuring that employees are competent and aware of the dangers involved in the tasks they perform.
  
  
• It helps keep training records up-to-date and organized.

Key Elements of an ISO 45001 Safety Training Matrix Template

An ISO 45001 Safety Training Matrix Template is a document that should contain all the key elements to help identify and organize the training needs of the organization. Here are the elements that should be included:

1. Employee Information

This section will help you identify the employee and their role in the organization. It should include the following:

• Employee Name: This will indicate the employee’s or contractor’s full name.
  
  
• Department/Team: This will indicate the department or team the employee belongs to.
  
  
• Employee Role/Position: This will indicate the employee’s role or position.
  
  
• Employee ID: This is an employee’s unique identification number.

2. Required Training Courses

This section is the body of the matrix. It contains the list of all required training courses for the employees to undertake. The courses should be specific and relevant to the jobs performed by the employees. It should include the following:

• Training Course Name: This will indicate the name of the training course. Some of the courses that may be necessary for your employees are: General Safety, First Aid, Fire Safety, Manual Handling, Lockout/Tagout, Confined Space Entry, HAZWOPER, [Specific Machinery], Risk Assessment, etc. You may include others that your employees may need.
  
  
• Required For (Job Roles): This will indicate the roles or positions that are required to undertake the training.
  
  
• Frequency/Renewal: This will indicate how often the training should be renewed. For example, every three years.

3. Training Status and Dates

This section will indicate the status of training, as well as the dates when the training was done and when it is due for renewal. It should include the following:

• Status: The status of the training includes Completed, Due, Expired, N/A.
  
  
• Date Completed: This will indicate the date when the training was completed.
  
  
• Next Due Date: This will indicate the date when the training is due for renewal.
  
  
• Expiry Date: This will indicate the date when the training expires.

4. Certification and Record Details

This section is for the certificate number and provider of the training course undertaken. It should include the following:

• Certificate Number: This will indicate the certificate number of the training course.
  
  
• Training Provider: This will indicate the training provider.
  
  
• Record Link: This will indicate the link to the training record or certificate.

5. Notes

This section includes any additional information relating to the training course. It should include the following:

• Notes: This will indicate any additional information relating to the training course.

How to Develop and Implement Your ISO 45001 Safety Training Matrix

To develop the matrix, you need to carry out a training needs analysis.

Step 1: Conduct a Training Needs Analysis

The first step in developing a health and safety training matrix is to carry out a training needs analysis (TNA). A TNA will enable you to determine what training your employees need. Conducting a TNA involves the following:

• Identifying all the roles in the organization. These include management roles, employee roles, and even your contractors’ or temporary workers’ roles, if any. If you are not sure what roles your organization requires, speak with your management or HR department.
  
  
• Performing a risk assessment. This includes conducting a hazard identification and risk assessment for each task and activity to determine the risks and the controls needed to manage the risks. This will also help you identify the skills and competencies required. In addition, you need to review legal and other requirements for the work activities that the organization carries out. These requirements will also dictate the training needed.
  
  
• Reviewing incident records and near misses. This is to help determine the root causes of incidents that have occurred and what training was deficient or inappropriate.
  
  
• Consulting with the workers. Workers can provide a wealth of information to help determine the training needs. In fact, consulting with them supports worker participation, which is a key requirement of the ISO 45001 standard.

After completing the steps above, you will be in a position to determine the training needs for the roles identified. You can then proceed to the next step, which is to complete the matrix.

Step 2: Populate the Matrix

Once you have completed a TNA, you can populate the matrix. For instance, using the template provided above, you can start by entering employee information, such as the employee’s name, employee ID, role, and department. Once you have populated the employee information section, you can enter the required training courses in the next section. The courses should be those identified during the TNA.

Step 3: Develop Your Training Programs

After filling out the training matrix, you can use it to determine the training programs and resources needed. For instance, you need to develop training courses or hire training providers to deliver the training courses to your employees. In addition, you need to set a training schedule and budget.

Step 4: Carry Out the Training

This is the fourth step, which is relatively straight forward. Using the training matrix, you need to deliver the training to the employees. After you have successfully delivered the training, you need to update the training matrix. For instance, you need to update the status of the training and the date when the next training is due. In addition, you also need to ensure that you update the training records, such as the training record file, as documented information.

Step 5: Monitor, Review, and Continually Improve

This is the final and the most important step. An ISO 45001 management system should not be static; rather, it should continually be improved upon to enhance occupational health and safety performance. As such, you need to continually monitor and review the training matrix to ensure that it remains relevant and accurate. This will involve reviewing and updating the matrix when the following occurs:

• New employees join the organization or existing employees change roles.
  
  
• New equipment or technology is acquired.
  
  
• There is a change in legal or other requirements.
  
  
• There is a change in the organization’s processes or procedures.
  
  
• New hazards are identified.
  
  
• Lessons are learned from incidents and near misses.

In addition, you need to carry out a training needs analysis on a regular basis to ensure that your employees continuously acquire the necessary skills and competencies and that the training programs offered are relevant. It is also important to evaluate the effectiveness of the training in order to determine its impact on the occupational health and safety performance of the organization. Such an evaluation will also support the continual improvement of the management system, as required by ISO 45001:2018 Clause 10.

How to Use a Safety Training Matrix in an ISO 45001 OHSMS

The safety training matrix is a key component of your occupational health and safety management system. As such, it should be fully integrated into the management system and utilized extensively to achieve the following:

1. Meeting ISO 45001:2018 Requirements

The safety training matrix can be used to demonstrate compliance with the requirements of ISO 45001:2018, including competence requirements. In particular, it will be necessary to use it to demonstrate that employees are competent, as required by ISO 45001:2018 Clause 7.2 and that they are aware of the necessary occupational health and safety matters, as required by Clause 7.3.

2. Achieving Organizational Occupational Health and Safety Objectives

Using the safety training matrix can help the organization achieve its occupational health and safety objectives by ensuring that the employees have the necessary skills and competencies to carry out their tasks and roles.

3. Promoting a Positive Occupational Health and Safety Culture

A positive occupational health and safety culture will be achieved if the employees are aware of the importance of occupational health and safety matters and their roles in promoting a healthy and safe working environment.

4. Making Informed Decisions

Having access to the information contained in the safety training matrix can help the organization make informed decisions, including decisions about the allocation of resources for training purposes.

Addressing Common Challenges in Managing Safety Training

There are several challenges that may arise in managing safety training. Some of these challenges include:

1. Keeping it Up-to-Date

The biggest challenge in managing safety training is keeping it up-to-date. The biggest challenge in managing safety training is keeping the matrix up-to-date. This requires regular updating and review. As such, it is important to have a clear policy and procedure for reviewing and updating the matrix.

2. Ensuring Worker Participation

Another common challenge in managing safety training is ensuring that workers participate in and benefit from the training. In other words, it is important to ensure that the training provided is relevant and that the workers understand the benefits of the training. One of the best ways to address this challenge is to consult the workers during the development of the training needs analysis and the matrix itself.

3. Allocating Time and Resources

Time and resources should be allocated to carry out the training. In other words, it is important not to ignore the time and financial resources that are needed to provide the training.

4. Keeping Track of Training Expiry Dates

Since different training courses have different expiry dates, it is important to keep track of them.

5. Keeping Training Records

Training records need to be kept and organized in a manner that allows them to be retrieved easily. This is particularly important if the organization is preparing for an audit.

Conclusion

The ISO 45001 Safety Training Matrix Template can help your organization ensure that all of its employees are trained and competent to perform their roles. It will also help you keep track of all the training courses that your employees have undertaken or are due to undertake. Moreover, the matrix will help you comply with the requirements of ISO 45001:2018 and promote a positive occupational health and safety culture within the organization. It will also help you make informed business decisions based on the information it contains.