Maine Consultation Issues Videos to Help Train Employees Working Remotely

Like all other Consultation programs, the Maine Consultation program, SafetyWorks!, endeavored to create new ways to provide accessible, on-demand training in response to the increased need for safety and health education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to public health restrictions during the pandemic, employers were looking for ways to continue providing safety and health training without compromising the health of their employees through standard in-person lectures or services.

In response to these challenges, as well as employers’ interest in quick and accessible training for their employees working remotely, SafetyWorks! created eight safety and health training videos called “SafetyWorks! Safety Shorts” and uploaded them to the Maine Department of Labor YouTube page.

SafetyWorks! Safety Shorts topics include:

• Heat Illness Protection
• Hazard Communication Standard
• Introduction to Personal Protective Equipment
• Introduction to OSHA
• Emergency Action Plans
• Hearing Protection
• Bloodborne Pathogens
• Video Display Terminal. The State of Maine has an annual training requirement for video display terminal (VDT) operators. Training is required for both private and public employees.

Within the first 10 months of the first SafetyWorks! Safety Shorts being made available, there have been over 2,900 viewers.

Safety Shorts Viewship By Topic.
Heat: 47.
Introduction to OSHA: 164.
Hearing Conservation: 166.
Emergency Action Plans: 203.
Personal Protective Equipment: 256.
Hazard Communication: 316.
Bloodborne Pathogens: 422.
Video Display Terminal: 1324.

In terms of average age, 25-34 and 35-44 year-olds were the most frequent viewers of SafetyWorks! Safety Shorts. Males accounted for 56% of viewership. Geographically, 84% of viewers were from the United States. Viewers from several other countries also watched the videos, including Nigeria, Dominican Republic, Réunion, and Pakistan.

YouTube Views By Age Group.
18 to 24 years: 2.8%.
25 to 34 years: 60.8%.
35 to 44 years: 25.4%.
45 to 55 years: 7.7%.
55 to 64 years: 2.8%.
65 years or older: .6%.

Most viewers found the SafetyWorks! Safety Shorts externally from YouTube through State of Maine and SafetyWorks!. They also found the videos through Google searches. When YouTube recommended the videos, 35% of potential viewers watched the videos.

The OSHA On-Site Consultation Program offers no-cost and confidential occupational safety and health services to small and medium-sized businesses in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several U.S. territories, with priority given to high-hazard worksites. Consultants from state agencies or universities work with employers to identify workplace hazards and how to fix them, provide advice for compliance with OSHA standards, train and educate workers, and assist in establishing and improving safety and health programs. On-Site Consultation services are separate from OSHA enforcement efforts and do not result in penalties or citations. To locate the OSHA On-Site Consultation program nearest you, call 1-800-321-OSHA (6742) or visit www.osha.gov/consultation.