The WorkSafe Training program was established in 1997 as a partnership between the University of Illinois at Chicago's Center for Literacy and the NIOSH funded Education and Research Center. The partnership was based on a team approach to improve workplace literacy training. The strength of the partnership was the literacy training and evaluation experience of the Center of Literacy and the health and safety training experience of the NIOSH ERC. The partnership developed a 20 hours curriculum with health and safety content delivered using tools for the enhancement of workplace literacy. With additional partnership from the employer and union, 40 food service and housekeeping workers participated in the program. In 2001, this partnership will evaluate the effectiveness of this approach to food service workers in 10 restaurants. The program will address regulatory provisions, hazard analysis and critical control points for safe food handling and worker safety. Approaches to health and safety training need to assess the value for improving reading and writing skills as tools for improving workplace health and safety. The goals of this Food Service Training Program are to improve educational practice within the restaurant industry; provide tools for local health departments and managers to educate food service employees; to improve food inspection scores; and to assess the efficacy of the program.
Learning Objectives: To discuss the benefits to the instructor and learner of a team approach to training. To describe the evaluation process for assessing the effectiveness of training. To list the challenges to a team approach to training.
Keywords: Food Safety, Workplace Safety
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.