Greater risk of plant accidents when the course is conducted in groups

Although the majority of contractors and facilities have good procedures and properly implement the SSG Entre basic course and local courses, there is still room for improvement.

One scenario we have seen is that when the contracting company is required to complete a course, several contractors gather in a conference room, for example, instead of doing it individually, and then go through the course material together and discuss it.

– This is not to suggest that the contracting companies are trying to cheat when they complete the courses in groups. It is usually done with the best of intentions. There is a type of learning to be gained from this approach, but it’s not the learning intended from e-Learning. A key point of e-Learning is that the individual has the opportunity to complete the courses individually and thus at their own pace – some need to listen to the course, others to read it. If the courses are held in groups, not everyone has the same opportunity to acquire the vital knowledge that the courses convey based on their personal needs when it comes to learning. This will probably not lead to the same increase in knowledge, risk awareness, and safety awareness, says Magnus Björk, service owner for SSG Entre.

Individual knowledge loss

The risk we have identified is that, if the course is held in groups, not all the employees will have the opportunity to acquire all the knowledge. This is when near-accidents and accidents occur, something everyone in the industry wants to avoid.

– We’ve read stories from contractors and facilities where the proficiency test has been offered on a shared computer. Several people stand in line while a course participant completes the test. This makes it easy for the situation to become stressed and pressured. I imagine that this could result in the students helping each other to complete the tests so they can pass and finish as quickly as possible and not keep their colleagues waiting. Although the companies that arrange courses in this way ensure that everything is done properly, I can see a major risk of incorrect methods creeping in. This not only puts individual contractors at risk but also their colleagues and others. I would therefore like to see facilities making it clear, when setting their requirements, that the courses should be carried out individually and not in groups, says Magnus.

Risks of own translation

SSG Entre’s basic course is currently available in 18 different languages based on the needs of our customers, but this is not generally the case for local courses, which are normally offered in Swedish and English.

– Contractors have found it a challenge that the local course is not translated into their language. Not all contractors have the Swedish or English language skills needed to familiarize themselves with the course’s message. Some present the course material through an interpreter, while others bring in a translation company to translate the material into their language. This sounds like a great solution, but the problem arises when they have to administer the tests. If you don’t have the English skills to understand the course material, you will usually not have the English skills to complete the test. They then need someone to translate the questions and multiple-choice answers. This makes it more likely that the test will not be taken independently, says Joel Mårtensson, group manager at SSG Support.

Three tips for making a change

Be clear about the implementation requirements for your facility.

We know that the way the facilities communicate the course requirements to their contractors plays a huge role. Those who are clear in their communication about the implementation requirements for the courses are rarely found in the risk group, while those that are less clear about the implementation requirements are at a significantly greater risk of the courses being implemented incorrectly.

Create procedures for random testing

If, for example, you work as a safety officer at a facility and you suspect that cheating is taking place, please contact us at SSG and we will help you. An extra final test is also available in SSG Access for the SSG Entre basic course, and it is a good idea to ask a few questions about important parts of the local course. Explaining that random testing may be carried out increases the likelihood that greater care will be taken during the learning experience.

Provide translations for local courses

Does the facility know that it will be bringing in several companies over the year, with different nationalities and languages? Be proactive and check which languages the local courses are translated into. If there is a need for language translation, please contact us and we will send you a quote.