Using Spreadsheets for EHS Training Management? Here's a Better Way

Small companies that have EHS training needs typically all start off in the same position with training record management: using spreadsheets. With only a few employees to train, keeping track of who needs what and when can be managed manually via Excel. As a company grows, however, using spreadsheets for training management becomes less and less efficient. Spreadsheets require constant upkeep due to new regulatory requirements, personnel changes, and multiple training expirations and deadlines.

Relying on manual updates can result in an EHS training program that is frustrating and overwhelming, as well as prone to compliance gaps and oversights. You’ll likely find yourself asking, is there a better way to keep track of who needs each training or when an employee’s training has expired? Is there a place where employees can complete online training and it is documented automatically? The answer to these questions is yes—you can create a more efficient and sustainable EHS training program by using a learning management system (LMS). A learning management system is a software that can create, host, assign, track, and deliver training, as well as automate reports and notifications. Learning management systems provide support for a few different key areas of your company’s training management.

Record Keeping

What could be more important than having your training records at your fingertips? A good LMS will have robust reporting, allowing you to pull training records, certificates of completion, and any other data you need at the press of a button. Having as-needed access to training records is important for internal reporting as well as regulatory compliance audits. This is equally useful for live instructor-led training, onboarding training, or any other training your company is providing.

Tracking Expiration Dates for Regulatory Compliance

There is nothing worse than being audited and cited for having non-compliant employees. With an LMS, visibility of expiration dates is always there, making it easy to prevent people from being out of compliance with training requirements. A good LMS will also have the ability to enable automated notifications to everyone, from managers to employees, to ensure transparency regarding what trainings are due and when.

Determining Which Employees Need Which Trainings

Onboarding new employees and getting them trained efficiently can pose challenges for rapidly growing companies. Maintaining lists of people gets quickly outdated and unmanageable. As your organization expands, it’s integral that you are assigning required regulatory compliance trainings in a dynamic, rules-based way. A good LMS will allow you to setup dynamic rules that will stay current as your company changes. This way, as people come and go and take on new roles, your LMS will funnel them into the right training requirements for their current and future roles.

Delivering Online Training As Needed

Now more than ever, a significant amount of EHS trainings can be completed online. With an LMS, you can drive your workforce to complete training in one place where metrics like the time spent on a training and the date it was completed are automatically logged and recorded. This removes unnecessary administrative labor and wasted time, while making sure your employees are completing the necessary trainings.

Storing Training Documents and Resources

Do you have Health and Safety Plans (HASPs) or Job Aids that you need to produce in an inspection? An LMS provides a single repository for all of your compliance documents, training completions, reports, and resources, including certificates of completion and transcript data. You can even track who views them and how often.

Triumvirate Environmental’s custom on-demand trainings provide your organization with a comprehensive and sustainable EHS training program complete with a cloud-based LMS. Our team combines expertise in EHS operations, regulatory compliance, and Adult Learning Theory to assess, develop, and support a training program customized to your operation’s unique needs. To learn more about these custom on-demand trainings and our learning management system, click below or call us at 617-715-9055 to discuss your training program.