Site-Specific Safety Training

Several federal regulations require site-specific safety training to address hazards specific to a work environment. Supervisors are required to provide training annually. 

Documenting Site-Specific Training in Ability System

Effective September 2023, personnel working in environments with safety hazards will be required to document site-specific safety training in the Ability training system annually. Documenting your training in Ability now, immediately after it is conducted, will prevent overdue/noncompliance notices later in the year.

Instructions by Workplace

Your worksite determines the process for recording your annual site-specific training. If you work in multiple environments with safety hazards, you may be required to complete site-specific training more than once. 

• IPF, Police, SLE

  Work with your supervisor or unit trainer to ensure you attend applicable training each year, including bloodborne pathogens training. Your supervisor or unit trainer will document your training in Ability. Do not download, complete, or upload an individual site-specific checklist.

  Unit Trainers: see trainer resources for site-specific training
• Laboratories, Clinics, Vet Med Center, Other Units

  Following or during your site-specific training, complete the site-specific checklist form, save to your device (PDF, scan, photo) and upload into the Ability training system from your page. See video example of process below.

  Available checklist templates:

  • Safety Site-specific Checklist (PDF)​​​​​​
    for labs, other environments with multiple safety hazards
  • Bloodborne Pathogen Site-specific Checklist (PDF)
    for clinics, IM Sports, childcare, other environments with bloodborne pathogen hazard only

  
  Supervisors/departments may also use a checklist specific to their area:

  • Veterinary Medical Center (PDF)​​​​​​​
  • Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (PDF)
  • Your supervisor may provide you with their own form

  
  You can verify your file was successfully uploaded using the Print Certificate or Email Certificate buttons on the course page. If no image shows up, try again, but use a short file name without punctuation. 

Supervisor Responsibilities

• Provide Training

  It is the supervisor's responsibility to ensure adequate and timely training is provided to all persons conducting activities or in areas of safety risk.

  A PI, clinic manager, or unit head can authorize another qualified person to provide the site-specific training.

  The supervisor is responsible for monitoring the training and taking steps to correct any deficiencies. 

• Documentation

  Once training is completed for one work environment that year, no additional reminders or alerts will be sent. Remind team members that they must have additional documentation for any other work sites with associated safety risks. It is the manager or principal investigator's responsibility to verify annual site-specific training is documented. 

  Ways to monitor your subordinates' documentation of training:

  • Request subordinates email certificates of completion (self-recorded site-specific training will include the actual form uploaded).
  • View subordinates' records in the Ability compliance training system (select video link below).
  • Designate a proxy in the Ability system to assist you or your unit in monitoring.

More Details - Frequently Asked Questions

• Schedule & Process for this Change?

  August 2022:

  • Lab groups are notified of the option to immediately begin documenting training in Ability system. Personnel can now upload documentation of their site-specific training activity directly into Ability compliance training system.
  • Hard copies of past site-specific training should be retained until new training is recorded in Ability. Printed hardcopy documentation may used in lieu of the online system until September 2023. Past completions should not be uploaded unless they occurred very recently.
    
    

  March 2023:

  • Site-Specific Training course is added to other tracks that cover other work environments, including all employees required to complete Bloodborne Pathogens training. 

  Starting September 2023:

  • Learners will be required to upload documentation of their site-specific training activity (as a pdf file or image of a printed form) directly into Ability compliance training system. This will serve as an electronic record of the training.
  • After uploading current site-specific training activity for individual lab personnel, labs will no longer be required to retain printed records.
• Checklist Form Date?

  On the form, record the actual date training was received. You will NOT receive credit UNTIL your form is uploaded into the training system.

  As soon as possible after the training, upload your form into the Ability system. The course  record will reflect the date the form was uploaded. Upon request, the Ability helpdesk will modify the course date to match your form date if there is a significant discrepancy (more than a few weeks between the form date and upload date). 

   

• MULTIPLE Work Sites?

  For multiple work sites - Personnel working in multiple locations (including multiple labs) must complete site-specific training FOR EACH SITE, each year (even if those labs are under the same PI). ​You will NOT be reminded to complete additional site training after you have completed the first site training for that year. Supervisors will be verifying documentation for their group. If you change jobs, you must record your SST again.

   

• Multiple TRACKS have Site-Specific course listed?

  Many work risks (equipment, materials, activities) have regulatory requirements for site-specific training. So several tracks include the course (image). If you complete site-specific training that covers all related risks for your responsibilities at that site, you will only need to upload one form per site. 

  You must still complete and document site-specific training for each site annually.