The Outreach Training Program is the agency’s primary way to offer  training for workers in the basics of occupational safety and health,  according to OSHA. The phases of the process included: (1) submission of a  description of the online training program, target audience, and  expected impact of the program; (2) submission of a detailed written  description of the online training plan; (3) self-verification audit where  the online training provider reviews the training against OSHA’s  guidance; and (4) OSHA’s review of the completed online training to  verify that the program is consistent with OSHA’s guidance. The number of workers trained more than quadrupled from  200,522 in fiscal year 2000 to 900,010 in fiscal year 2016. The number of participants taking the courses online increased  from 19 percent in fiscal year 2011 to 30 percent in fiscal year 2016. GAO’s training guide identifies attributes of a well- designed training program and suggests the kinds of documentation to  look for that indicate that a training program has a particular attribute in  place. OSHA is not required to follow GAO’s training guide, however,  we found that the program’s design reflected at least one indicator for six  of the seven attributes of a well-designed training program described in  the guide (see table 1). According to OSHA officials,  the content of the training was selected after the agency reviewed data on  the leading causes of worker deaths and the most frequently cited OSHA  standards. OSHA used a combination of approaches by centrally setting  the learning objectives and establishing detailed content requirements,  while also allowing training providers to supplement the curriculum to  meet the specific needs of their audience. In addition, although OSHA does not require any accreditation for  Outreach Training providers, OSHA’s Directorate of Training and  Education, which designed the Outreach Training Program, and several  of the online training providers, reported that they are accredited by the  International  Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). Outreach Training Providers Use Automated and Manual Processes and Controls to Document Students’ Successful Course Completion

To obtain course completion cards, which training providers distribute to  workers who complete the training, training providers must submit class  documentation through either an automated or paper-based process. Outreach trainers–who deliver in-person training to workers–request  cards by submitting class documentation electronically through a web- based system to the Education Center where the trainer was authorized. OSHA typically processed the course completion cards within 2 weeks of  receiving the request from the online training providers, according to our  analysis of OSHA data. Differences in the process for issuing course completion cards stem from  the history of the program, according to OSHA officials. OSHA officials told us that they are planning to allow the online training  providers to request cards electronically by having the Education Centers  take over processing the course completion cards for the online training  providers, but OSHA has not established a timeline for implementing this  new process. Training providers and OSHA officials reported using automated and  manual checks to help ensure that cards are requested only for the  students who successfully complete the courses and that the courses  meet OSHA’s Outreach Training Program requirements. OSHA Oversees Training Providers by Collecting Data and Investigating Complaints, and Has Taken Some Steps to Assess Program Results OSHA Oversees Training Providers by Routinely Collecting and Assessing Data and Investigating Complaints

OSHA oversees the in-person training providers on an ongoing basis by  collecting and assessing data from the Education Centers, including:
Course information: OSHA collects data on the train-the-trainer  courses the Education Centers deliver to individuals interested in  becoming authorized Outreach trainers, including the names of the  courses presented each month, training locations and dates,  instructor names, total students, total instructional hours, and test  results. For example, OSHA may investigate  cases where an Outreach trainer fails to respond to audit requests from  an Education Center or fails to provide training that meets OSHA’s  requirements, such as spending enough time on required topics. OSHA Tracks the Number of Workers Trained and Requires Some Training Providers to Conduct Evaluation Activities

OSHA tracks the number of workers who take the Outreach Training  courses to measure the reach of the program. According to OSHA officials, they have not used this information to  assess the results of the Outreach Training Program because the agency  receives paper copies of the results in different formats, and the agency  does not have the resources to analyze the information in its current  format.
Why GAO Did This Study

In fiscal year 2016, approximately 900,000 workers were trained through OSHA's Outreach Training Program, the agency's primary mechanism for training workers on the basics of occupational safety and health. OSHA offers this training through OSHA-authorized in-person and online training providers. GAO was asked to review OSHA's administration of the program.
GAO examined (1) the extent to which the program aligns with leading practices in designing an effective training program, (2) the process for documenting successful completion of the training and whether internal controls are in place to assure completion is accurately documented, and (3) how OSHA oversees training providers and assesses the results of the program. GAO compared OSHA's design and evaluation efforts for its training program with leading practices in GAO's training guide (GAO-04-546G) and federal internal control standards, and analyzed fiscal year 2012-2016 OSHA data (the most recent available) on time frames for processing completion card requests from online training providers. GAO also interviewed all nine online training providers and five in-person training providers, selected for having a high number of participants in fiscal year 2015, as well as OSHA officials.
GAO is not making recommendations in this report.

What GAO Found

The Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Outreach Training Program–which offers training on job hazard recognition and avoidance–reflects many of the attributes of a well-designed training program identified in GAO's training guide. OSHA is not required to follow GAO's training guide; however, the program's design reflects at least one indicator for six of the seven attributes of a well-designed training program GAO has identified. For example, OSHA used an appropriate mix of centralized and decentralized approaches by developing core learning objectives and content requirements for the courses but allowed training providers to modify the curriculum to meet the specific needs of their audience. In addition, OSHA officials told GAO that they took into account the leading causes of worker deaths and the most common workplace safety and health violations to determine topics to be covered in the training.
OSHA documents successful course completion differently depending on whether training was delivered in-person or online, but it uses the same controls to prevent fraudulent completion cards from being issued. OSHA officials and the training providers GAO interviewed reported using several checks to prevent fraudulent completion cards from being issued, such as verifying course completion through automated and manual processes and comparing the number of cards requested to the number of registered students. Although OSHA does not require workers to complete Outreach Training, some workers may need to show proof of completion to satisfy requirements by their states, municipalities, employers, or unions. To obtain completion cards, Outreach trainers who deliver in-person training submit course information through a web-based system, while online training providers mail documentation to OSHA. OSHA processed 91 percent of the card requests from online training providers within 2 weeks, which is within the 30-day deadline OSHA has set for itself, according to GAO's analysis of OSHA data. OSHA officials reported that they plan to allow all training providers to request completion cards electronically, but the agency has not established a timeline for implementing this new process. According to OSHA officials, the agency is taking steps to modify its process for selecting online training providers and plans to incorporate electronic requests for completion cards into the new process.
OSHA oversees the performance of training providers by routinely collecting and assessing data and investigating complaints and has taken some steps to assess the results of the program. Specifically, OSHA collects data from the training providers to help ensure that the training meets the program requirements and that the trainers are delivering the Outreach Training courses as intended. OSHA also investigates complaints it receives about training providers, including issues such as the trainer not spending enough time on required safety topics. To assess program results, OSHA tracks the number of workers who take the Outreach Training courses to measure the reach of the program. According to OSHA data, from fiscal year 2000 to fiscal year 2016, the number of workers trained more than quadrupled from 200,522 to 900,010. OSHA also receives test results and student evaluations of the courses from some of the Outreach Training providers.