A Model for Research on Training T I Effectiveness E R

[Pages:28]National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

A Model for Research on

T raining E ffectiveness

TI ER

DISCLAIMER

Mention of any company or product does not constitute endorsement by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

This document is in the public domain and may be freely copied or reprinted.

Copies of this and other NIOSH documents are available from National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Publications Dissemination 4676 Columbia Parkway Cincinnati, OH 45226-1998 Fax number: (513) 533-8573 Telephone number: 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674) E-mail: pubstaft@

To receive other information about occupational safety and health problems, call 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674), or visit the NIOSH Web site at niosh

October 1999

DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 99-142

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CONTENTS

1. Occupational Safety and Health Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Training Perspectives in the United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

2. What Makes Training Effective? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Approaches to Effectiveness Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 The TIER Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Study Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Independent Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Dependent Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Modifying Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Intervening Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Confounding Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Four Stages of the Tier Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Stage 1: Formative Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Stage 2: Process Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Stage 3: Outcome Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Stage 4: Impact Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

3. Application of TIER Model to Occupational

Safety and Health Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Emerging Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Readiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

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Acknowledgments

This document was prepared by Gregory P. Loos, Ed.D., and Thaddeus Fowler, Ed.D., Education and Information Division (EID) of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Karen Miles, Ph.D., helped develop the model concept. The authors wish to thank Richard Carlson, Pauline Elliott, and Anne Stirnkorb (NIOSH, Education and Information Division) for their contributions to the graphics and design of this document.

1 Occupational Safety and Health Training

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1Occupational Safety and Health Training

Background

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (Public Law 91-596) was enacted to assure, so far as possible, safe and healthful working conditions for every working man and woman in the Nation. The Act mandated improved research, regulation, and training aimed at reducing the incidence of occupational injury and illness. To achieve these goals, provisions were made for two distinct Federal agencies: the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA develops and promulgates safety and health regulations in the workplace. NIOSH serves the occupational safety and health research needs of the Federal government and the public. Both agencies are charged with delivering occupational safety and health training.

The act states the following about occupational safety and health training:

[The Federal government] . . . shall conduct, directly or by grants or contracts . . . educational programs to provide an adequate supply of qualified personnel to carry out the purposes of this Act . . . [and] is also authorized to conduct directly, or by grants or contracts, short-term training of personnel engaged in work related to . . . responsibilities under this Act . . . [and] provide for the establishment and supervision of programs for the education and training of employers and employees in the recognition, avoidance, and prevention of unsafe or unhealthful working conditions in employments covered by this Act [29 USC* 1900].

In response to this mandate, NIOSH and OSHA have provided direct occupational safety and health training and sponsored training programs within universities, labor unions, secondary schools, and other institutions. Currently, NIOSH administers training through a network of colleges and universities supported by the Institute. Internally, NIOSH researches the effectiveness and impacts of training. This document offers a guide to such research.

*United States Code. See USC in references.

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Occupational Safety and Health Training

Training Perspectives in the United States

More than 100 OSHA standards for controlling workplace hazards contain requirements for worker training to reduce risk factors for injury and disease. Other standards limit certain jobs to workers considered competent by virtue of special training [Cohen and Colligan 1998]. However, the documented outcomes of occupational safety and health training are varied and inconclusive. Moreover, the newly proposed OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Program Rule [DOL 1998] redirects compliance audits to training outcomes and impacts (in the past, such audits focused on hours of training delivered). Given this shift in priority, research will be needed to identify strategies for improving the measurable performance of mandated training programs.

Each year, corporate America provides nearly 2 billion hours of training to approximately 60 million employees at a cost of $55 to $60 billion [Industry report 1997]. Effectiveness research can maximize the impact of this investment on worker safety, productivity, and profits.

To equip America's workforce with the skills necessary in today's economy, the U. S. Departments of Education and Labor have recently cosponsored several initiatives that reflect the national importance of worker training. Examples of such programs follow:

s School-to-Work, established through the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994, links school programs to local businesses and civic organizations. Employers and educators combine resources to provide skill training and job placement. Currently, funding for School-to-Work programming is being transferred to State and local authorities.

s Tech-Prep is a broad initiative of the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998. This program teaches students transferrable skills and abilities that employers favor when selecting personnel. These include the "hard" skills needed to perform tasks and the "soft" skills such as problem solving, teamwork, and leadership.

s National Skills Standards Board (NSSB), a provision of the National Skills Standards Act of 1994, establishes competency standards for defined occupational sectors. The goal of NSSB is to help schools provide relevant vocational education, reduce job training costs, and fill industry's needs for skilled workers.

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s The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) takes a holistic approach to training. WIA has consolidated 60 Federal job training programs into three block grants targeting disadvantaged youth, adult workers, and families. WIA requires participating programs to integrate job training, placement, and family support services into a "one-stop" system of career development.

s The American Competitive and Workforce Improvement Act of 1999 funds training programs in mathematics, engineering, and science. Such programs are designed to prepare the domestic workforce for high-technology work environments and to reduce U.S. dependence on imported labor.

These initiatives illustrate the growing emphasis on occupational skill development and worker readiness. Although it may seem logical to assume that an educated workforce will be safer and more productive, researchers do not fully understand precisely how training influences the actions of workers. Educational research should be conducted to investigate this relationship so that optimum training effectiveness can be achieved.

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