Working in a dental office can mean exposure to numerous dangerous workplace hazards such as bloodborne pathogens, chemical agents, ergonomic hazards, and workplace injury. What’s more, dental practices can also experience psychological hazards that can cause hostile environments.
Thankfully, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations outline exactly how to prevent these kinds of incidents and how to handle dangerous situations. This is why it is super important for all dentists and members of a dental practice to receive adequate OSHA training and adhere to OSHA regulations.
A digital learning platform like an LMS can facilitate training for all your employees on the ins and outs of OSHA regulations to ensure that they are OSHA compliant.
Read on to find out more about OSHA, why your dental practice needs OSHA training, and how Dokeos can help with your LMS.
What is OSHA?
In 1970, as part of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the United States Congress created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to ensure the safety of employees at their place of employment.
The OSHA act set certain standards that need to be met for OSHA compliance, and provided the necessary training, outreach, education, and assistance for ensuring safety in workplaces. If OSHA is relevant to your sector—which it is for dental practices—you will need to ensure that you and your employees are trained in OSHA regulations and are OSHA compliant.
As a business, you are responsible for ensuring that your employees receive regular OSHA training to ensure that everyone is compliant with OSHA regulations.
How does OSHA work?
OSHA mandates that every employee, including part-time workers and assistants, must be trained according to OSHA standards. It also mandates certain training requirements that must be met, and that companies must train their employees once a year.
Thankfully, your company can employ OSHA’s free training guidelines to provide your employees with the necessary health and safety information they need to ensure a workplace of minimal risk (for both employees and customers).
Why does your dental practice need OSHA training?
It is currently a federal law that the clinical team of a dental office needs to receive OSHA training every year to protect the safety of both workers and patients. However, it’s highly recommended to ensure that each and every member of your practice, whether they’re in a clinical role or not, receive OSHA training to avoid citations.
There are currently no specific OSHA standards for dentistry in particular; however, the general OSHA standards do cover the things that dental practices may encounter such as biological, chemical, and physical hazards.
It is really not worth ignoring OSHA regulations or skipping necessary training, as OSHA liability can lead to heavy fines or even office closure.
Why use an LMS for OSHA training?
It’s clear how important it is for a dental practice to ensure OSHA compliance, but how do you go about training your entire practice on a yearly basis? Many healthcare organizations choose to use a learning management system (LMS) to successfully complete their yearly OSHA training via digital learning.
An OSHA-friendly LMS like Dokeos provides a convenient and easy-to-use digital format for organizations to deliver their OSHA training. While you can undertake in-person training, it isn’t always as effective, or even possible, due to scheduling issues, scaling, and other conflicts, so it can be easier to allow each person to do their training via an LMS.
Using an LMS platform for OSHA training is easier and better than in-person training, thanks to these three factors:
OSHA compliance at scale
Annual OSHA training isn’t only for new staff members, but also existing employees. Thankfully, with an LMS platform, you can easily train all types and numbers of employees without having to organize in-person training for large groups,
Improved training
Instead of relying on in-person instructors who may vary in quality, an LMS ensures consistent and high-quality training for each and every employee by setting certain standards across the board. By using an LMS, each trainee will be able to focus on their own learning.
Reduced costs
Apart from saving on in-person instructors, you can also save money on things like airfare, accommodation, venues, and catering when you use an LMS instead of undertaking in-person OSHA training.
How Dokeos can help you become OSHA compliant
Does OSHA compliance training still seem like a daunting process? This is where partnering with Dokeos can help.
Dokeos’ LMS offers customized solutions for OSHA training, evaluation, and certification for your employers with their easy-to-use and understand interface that’s customized for your business. Instead of becoming a management burden, your dental practice’s yearly OSHA training can be done simply through Dokeos. It’s the best way to ensure OSHA compliance with full traceability.
Start a free trial today to see how using Dokeos’ LMS will help your dental practice stay OSHA compliant.
