Usually, when you ask someone why training is important, they point to safety. Of course, safety is a huge driver of training and in many cases is a regulatory mandate. There are other values to effective training, however, beyond the obvious. Particularly in technical fields, training ensures repeatability. That is, every tech or operator does it the same way, every time. Ever try to copy a recipe your mother cooked when she doesn’t use a recipe? It never quite tastes the same as when your Mom makes it. Can you imagine the chaos in fast food restaurants if there weren’t rigorous training programs? Your Big Mac would be a little different at every location. Training to standards and defined methodologies improve repeatability. Repeatability means less variability. Less variability equals more accuracy. Whether you are conducting Infrared testing or Arc Flash studies, accuracy is king. The importance of training can’t be emphasized enough.
The value of consistent training
Training, when consistent, means every operator or technician does the task the same way. Consistency means more efficiency on the job. Efficiency means fewer mistakes and more production. Jobs get done quicker and with fewer mistakes. That means more profit, or less cost – depending on which side of the service equation you are on. Have you ever been given a tool, platform, or process that you received minimal training on? How comfortable were you using that tool? Or rather – did you project confidence? C3 Engineering’s employees reflect our company and culture. Confidence and competence in our staff project well to our customers. A big portion of that comes from consistent, ongoing training to ensure the service we provide is the very best. Recognizing the importance of training has helped elevate our company and provide better service for our clients.
It’s also important to recognize that methodologies and techniques improve over time. Standards change, rules change. Consistent training ensures that employees are using the best methodologies, to the most current standards. A “one and done” training session does not accomplish that. In almost every case, industry training, especially electrical safety training, needs to be consistent, current, effective, and ongoing. In the case of training related to safety, it may need to meet specific requirements. In the electrical industry, regulations, requirements, etc. are updated to reflect the ever-changing industry. To stay on top of these changes, ongoing training is imperative. A good example of training as it pertains to the electrical industry includes updates to NFPA 70E. NFPA 70E helps companies and employees avoid workplace injuries and fatalities due to shock, electrocution, arc flash, and arc blast. With the release of the latest edition for 2021, NFPA 70E clearly establishes safety processes that use policies, procedures, and program controls to reduce these risks to an acceptable level. Updates to NFPA 70E are made every three years. any employer whose workers deal with electricity can benefit from staying up to date with NFPA 70E.
What training ensures
Training ensures safe and proper activity and mitigates damage to equipment and harm to people. Training ensures repeatability and accuracy; it promotes confidence and efficiency. Training ensures best practices and current standards are being utilized – there are many more reasons to have an effective training program than safety. We recommend that companies evaluate their training programs regularly and focus on the importance of training. As mentioned above, NFPA 70E training is required every 3 years for employees exposed to electrical equipment. Keeping up to date ensures everyone is following the most complete, up-to-date safety standards. If you’re unsure if your company has received the most recent training, contact us! We offer training throughout the year as well as customized training classes to suit your company’s specific needs. C3 Engineering is here to support your ongoing training or if you need any other training support.