Why refresher training is important

What was the address again? Where did I put my keys? What did I eat for breakfast? What temperature did the instructions say to cook that pizza?

 
Don’t panic! Forgetting things like this is pretty normal for all of us. It is commonly known that if you teach something new to someone, they’ve already forgotten half of what was said within the first hour. Within a week, most will remember less than 30% of what they learned. This is known as the forgetting curve. 

The forgetting curve is the hypothesis that states people will rapidly forget most new information if it is only presented to them once. 

In the many studies conducted since it was first hypothesised by psychologist Hermann Ebbinghouse, the speed and degree to which information is forgotten has been extensively evaluated. 

All studies come to the same general conclusion: people are just not that great at remembering new information, particularly when that information isn’t regularly used or revisited.

The same holds true for vocational training. When a new worker enters the workplace, they are often bombarded with new information. This can take the form of orientations, training sessions, user manuals, and instructions. It’s a lot for anyone to take in. 

This abundance of information makes it difficult to remember each detail. But as workers start doing the tasks assigned to them, this acquired knowledge starts to stick. Further, regular reinforcement of information increases retention and slows down the phase of ‘forgetting’. This is great because in industries such as construction, repairs, maintenance etc., knowledge is the key to safety.

In fact, information retention and competence are very important legal requirements in occupational health and safety compliance across Ontario worksites. 

As employers, you can adopt several strategies to ensure your employees check both boxes, including enrolling them in refresher training courses such as working at heights training, forklift operator training, and more.

Act First Safety is the leading provider of worker safety courses in Ontario. We have spent years training workers, and we are to share with you why refresher courses are more important than you think. 

Why is Competency Critical in the Workplace?

The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) presents a very specific idea of who qualifies as a competent person. As per the act, they must be:

• Well-qualified because and possess the knowledge, training and experience required to carry out job-related tasks
• Familiar with the Act and its regulations that apply to their specific work
• Knowledgeable of any potential or actual danger to health or safety in their workplace

Persons who fail to meet this criteria are not considered competent under the legislation. This can pose significant risks to both safety and compliance as most tasks mentioned in the OHSA treat competence as a mandatory skill.

In fact, competence is a must-have for supervisors too. That said, it can seem like a monumental task for an employer to ensure that competency is not only developed in their workforce, but also maintained. Thankfully there are many strategies that you can use to ensure your workers and supervisors are competent. We have outlined the key ones for you below:

Job Shadowing

For thousands of years, the primary way people learned their jobs was by watching others and following their example. As children, it is our first method of learning. We learn and copy our parents’ and sibling’s behaviors. 

When learning new things, job shadowing offers the ability to put knowledge to practice. Being actively involved and applying what we have learned is an excellent way to improve information retention.

While job shadowing is a fundamental teaching method, we must emphasize that it should not be the only way for workers to learn. This is because it can lead to the adoption of not only good habits but also bad ones. It may also result in inconsistent training, where some individuals receive different or incomplete information compared to others. 

This is why job shadowing needs to be paired with more structured forms of learning, like a certified refresher course - whether it’s working at heights training or aerial lift training, for example. 

Toolbox Talks

Like job shadowing, toolbox talks offer small bursts of information as a method to review safety topics on a regular basis. Often guided by a supervisor, they are delivered at the start of a shift. 

Their core purpose is to help combat the effects of the forgetting curve. These snack-sized training tools are developed internally, often by the Joint Health and Safety Committee, Health and Safety department, and/or supervisors.

Toolbox talks can be interactive and include demonstrations and discussions related to the topic. They are most effective when the content is relevant to the day's work or current site conditions. 

Toolbox talks are also a valuable method of microlearning—an approach where information is delivered in short, focused segments that are easier to absorb. In a health and safety context, microlearning can reinforce more comprehensive training programs by reintroducing key concepts in the days, weeks, or even months following the initial course.

Structured Training

Following a curriculum, structured training ensures that information provided to workers and supervisors is consistent. This training may be delivered in an electronic format with online training modules or in person facilitated by an instructor that can answer any questions and provide support to learners in real time. 

This type of training is often used for site-specific orientation and to cover broad topics like working at heights. Structured training is formatted to cover information that is critical to working safely, such as:

• Regulations
• Hazards
• Safety Practices

Frequently, these courses include a method for verifying the knowledge of the workers in the training, usually in the form of a quiz, exam, and/or practical demonstration.

Some of these courses have strict requirements on content and course duration such as CPO-approved Working at Heights training, a course required for all those under the jurisdiction of Ontario’s construction regulations who use or may use fall protection equipment. 

While other training may be developed based on regulatory requirements, such as the CSA standard on forklift operator training and Mobile Elevating Work Platforms, which covers both boom lift training and scissor lift training. 

Such courses demand refresher training on a regular basis, often every 3 years to maintain the validity of the certification/license received.

Why is Refresher Training a Must?

Structured training, toolbox talks and job shadowing all work together to help workers retain the information they need to do their jobs effectively and safely. But what if that information is out of date? 

Regulations and standards are regularly reviewed and updated. These updates could be a result of new technology, changing work culture, or as a response to accidents. These changes happen sporadically.

Amendments may be minor like changes in wording and definitions. More significant amendments may include changes in scope or complete re-writes of large sections of a regulation. 

To stay up-to-date with these changes, workers and supervisors need to attend refresher training. Refresher training, which is often a shorter version of the initial course, is designed to review information and cover any updates.

Typically training cycles are completed every three years, but some topics like Workplace Hazardous Materials Information Systems (WHMIS) must be reviewed annually as per the requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. 

Refresher training may also be required if new equipment, systems or processes are introduced to a workplace, such as Lockout Tagout training. 

Training providers, and especially employers, performing internal training for their workers, must set a maximum validity period for training based on regulatory requirements or any specific pre-established internal requirements.

The following are some of the safety courses that require refresher training under relevant regulations or CSA standards:

 *Act First Safety’s aerial platform training is valid for 3 years to align with Ontario’s requirements for Working at Heights training.

Despite these requirements an employer may require a worker to attend refresher training before the period of validity ends or when there is no mandated validity period. This could be as a result of a number of factors including:

• An order from a MLITSD inspector or the court
• A deficiency is discovered in worker knowledge or performance
• An accident or near miss has occurred
• A condition in the workplace changes that could affect worker safety
• A major change has occurred in the regulations
• New technology
• New policies or procedures are implemented

Conclusion

Safety is a life-long endeavor. In an ever-evolving workplace, all personnel—employers, managers, supervisors, and workers—must commit to continuous improvement. By integrating refresher training, consistent communication, and targeted microlearning, organizations can provide the essential support tools needed to reinforce good safety habits and ensure that everyone's knowledge remains current.

Looking for certified and compliant refresher courses? Act First Safety provides worker safety certification programs in an online and offline format to workers across Ontario. Our refresher courses are compact, informative and in alignment with regulations to ensure the certificate you receive is valid until the next time you need re-training. Contact us to enroll your team in our highly personalized courses. 

FAQs

Can refresher training be taken online?

Yes, certain refresher courses can be taken online. Please check our online training page for more details.

What happens if a worker’s certification expires?  

In case your certification lapses, and you have not been able to take a refresher course before its expiration, you may have to retake the full course to regain your certificate or license.

Which industries benefit the most from refresher training?

Industries that stand to gain the most from refresher courses include construction, warehousing, manufacturing, transportation, and oil and gas among others. These industries typically involve the use of machinery, working at heights, or the handling of hazardous materials.