By Guest Blogger Josh Kindy
In my position as training and development specialist, my main duties include onboarding and new hire training, creating and providing industry-specific training material and assisting the operations and safety teams with other projects as necessary. Although many of my duties are focused on our driving staff, I also assist with training for equipment operators, landfill laborers, mechanics and other Granger associates.
New Associates
It can be intimidating to start a new career, especially one in the trash business. Within my training duties, it is my goal to ensure new associates can begin a successful career with Granger. Driving a garbage truck may be quite different from any other type of driving a new associate has experienced in the past. Always keeping that in mind, I must provide training on Granger’s standard operating procedures, Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations and safety policies. This is done with various classroom discussions, safety videos and on-road driver training.
Creating Material
Safety videos are just one example of the content we produce. Working closely with a professional videographer, we created a series of safety videos we call “Safety Shorts.” These videos have often stemmed from real life experiences of a driver with a topic such as a “fluid spill” and the proper ways to deal with this situation. This topic could be one that is talked about in a classroom setting, but the video offers a step-by-step process with exciting visuals that include actual Granger associates as the stars. It is a great way to share different experiences so that all our associates can take advantage of the knowledge and experiences of others.
I strive to provide our operations team with the most useful, meaningful training content available today. Much of our operations is company- or industry-specific, so if any material is not available from a third party, I must find the best way to create and maintain content that it is as up-to-date and relevant as possible. It is my goal to work cohesively with the safety, operations and the management teams to educate our associates on the safest and most efficient ways possible to provide service to our customers and associates.
Assisting Operations
At Granger, we have a variety of teams, and there are various types of regulatory, mandated training that must be conducted. Different entities such as equipment manufacturers, Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Department of Environmental Quality, DOT and Environmental Protection Agency require Granger to provide training on various topics on a recurring basis. An example of this type of training would include overhead crane operations. This type of training needs to be conducted on a recurring basis to ensure our associates maintain the appropriate level of skill and knowledge to be able to use this equipment safely and properly. I am responsible for conducting this training myself when possible, ensuring we have the proper resources to provide this training and scheduling the specific type of training required.
Other Projects
How we conduct our training is another challenge I face in my position. The learning and education systems are evolving with the available technologies. The days of classroom, instructor-led sessions are diminishing rapidly with the introduction of more efficient and engaging presentation tools. To provide the best training possible, it is important that I remain knowledgeable of the technology that is available to us and maximize its use within our organization.
The various parts of our team require many different types of training, educating and regulatory compliance. As training and development specialist, it is my goal to ensure all our associates have the proper training and educating material to make their jobs as safe and efficient as possible.