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Library & Archival Security

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Developing a Safety Training Program

Frances C. Wilkinson & Linda K. Lewis
a a a

University of New Mexico,

Available online: 11 Oct 2008

To cite this article: Frances C. Wilkinson & Linda K. Lewis (2008): Developing a Safety Training Program, Library & Archival Security, 21:2, 77-85 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01960070802201409

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Developing a Safety Training Program

Frances C. Wilkinson Linda K. Lewis

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ABSTRACT. Training is pivotal in the development of library employees.

A comprehensive plan should include safety training. While safety preparation is never a substitute for calling 911 to summon emergency medical assistance, library employees must be prepared to respond to emergencies. Safety training may include personal safety, building safety, and user safety, but for any or all to be successful, library administrative support is essential. A safety training program can teach library employees skills that can help reduce stress, prevent injury, and save lives not only in a library setting but also in the broader community in which they live.

KEYWORDS. Safety, rst aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), automated external debrillator (AED), library stafftraining programs

INTRODUCTION
Continuous learning is crucial for library staff to remain informed, relevant, and able to address the ever-changing needs of their patrons. To accomplish this goal, a comprehensive employee training program should be a part of every librarys strategic plan. The training program should be designed to provide training that supports the librarys mission and
Frances C. Wilkinson is Associate Dean, University Libraries and Professor of Librarianship, University of New Mexico, Deans Ofce Suite, MSC 05 3020, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 871310001 (E-mail: fwilkins@unm.edu). Linda K. Lewis is Collection Development Librarian and Professor of Librarianship, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (E-mail: llewis@unm.edu). Library & Archival Security, Vol. 21(2) 2008 Available online at http://www.haworthpress.com C 2008 by The Haworth Press. All rights reserved. doi: 10.1080/01960070802201409 77

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strategic goals, and it should be funded and supported by the librarys administration. Typically, comprehensive training plans will address management development such as supervisory and leadership skills, team building, budgeting, and performance review; interpersonal skills such as improving communication, dealing with change, stress management, and diffusing anger; computer software applications such as operating systems, word processing, spreadsheets, databases, presentation and publication software; new technologies and social software such as chat, blogs, wikis, and RSS; and safety training. As with other types of training, safety training encompasses an array of security issues, including both personal and user safety. Personal safety for library employees may include learning proper techniques for lifting to avoid back injury and for reducing potential repetitive strain injury while shelving materials. Employees need proper training to handle chemicals such as those used in library preservation labs. Library employees should also be trained to be aware of the environment in order to address potential concernssuch as, knowing when, where, and who to call for assistance with an angry library userbefore conicts escalate. Libraries may wish to offer health and safety courses to their staff, including stress reduction, weight control, smoking cessation, and computer workstation ergonomics to promote health and harmony in the workplace. Observing safety precautions in the library building might include proper extension cord use, keeping walkways clear to avoid tripping hazards, and unplugging small electrical appliances, such as coffee makers, when not in use. Increasingly, as libraries incorporate labs, events spaces, conference areas, and other collaborative learning spaces into their facilities and attract different users, they are also beginning to offer their employees training in life-saving techniques such as rst aid, CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), and AED (automated external debrillator) use.

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WHY SAFETY TRAINING?

Many libraries are just beginning to include life-saving and rst aid training as part of their comprehensive training plans. As places where people congregate for conversation and discovery and that invite the public to participate in events and discussions, the need for greater levels of personal safety is increasingly evident. Many larger academic and public libraries are open twenty-four hours a day. Coffee shops, wireless Internet

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services, and various community events hosted in libraries have attracted new, diverse users. Communities and/or universities grow, and populations shift, creating new challenges never before encountered. These factors make safety training more critical than ever before. As library users become more informed, their expectations of all service professions, including libraries, are heightened. While safety training is never a substitute for calling 911 to summon emergency medical assistance, library employees must be prepared to respond to emergencies or urgent situations until help arrives. Library employees may be called upon to respond to situations such as the following:

r r r r r r r r r

users spilling hot coffee on themselves or on another user someone collapsing at the reference desk a student coming in bleeding after being injured someone falling on the stairs a dog entering the library and biting someone a re starting in a trash can or in a shelving area a user slipping on water that is backing up and ooding the building a user complaining that the computer stations are at the wrong height an employee pulling a muscle in his/her back when lifting a box of supplies

These are just a few of the situations that library personnel might have to address. Safety training, including rst aid training, allows library staff to respond appropriately to such incidents.

SETTING UP A SAFETY TRAINING PLAN

A librarys needs will determine the specic types of safety training offered. For example, academic libraries not open to the public may want to provide their employees with training on rst aid primarily for adults, while larger, urban public libraries might be more inclined to offer rst aid training for both adults and children. Also, libraries located in rural areas may offer additional training for dealing with emergencies when help is delayed.

Information Resources
In preparing to develop a safety training program, the library might begin by conducting an environmental scan to gather information on both opportunities and threats to the library, and then use that information to

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develop strategies and plans to respond to these situations when the need arises. Local police, re department, and/or safety and health ofces can often provide useful information for an environmental scan. Libraries with emergency procedures manuals and/or disaster preparedness and recovery plans should also consult those documents. To develop a safety training program that will address a librarys specic needs, consider conducting a staff skills and interests survey to identify what the training employees consider most meaningful and useful to them. Staff who work most directly with the public are often in a better position not only to identify the types of emergencies that might occur and organizational vulnerabilities, but also to recommend the training needed to address them. Also, review the library and other appropriate professional literature on safety procedures and training. Although much of the library literature addressing safety covers Internet safety or disaster recovery, there is increasing attention in the literature on personal and user safety. Although many of the steps and ideas outlined above for developing a library safety training program may seem obvious, some might be overlooked. To avoid that, enlarge upon those steps and gather additional ideas; it is always wise to review programs at other libraries. Consult colleagues at nearby libraries to determine what they are doing to address safety training needs. Other good sources of information are the state library association and/or state library as well as a state or regional consortium of libraries. The authors of this article consulted with collection development librarians in the Greater Western Library Alliance. Three libraries responded that they have done varying levels of safety training ranging from basic rst aid certication to full CPR and AED training. Two of these libraries reported that they have purchased and installed AEDs in their library facilities. These librarians considered safety training to be benecial, and they were pleased to share details about their successful safety training programs. The Internet also offers numerous resources for planning a safety program, including discussion lists for librarians. Some are specic to a particular type of library or area of librarianship, such as LIBREF-L, which focuses on library reference issues (http://listserv.kent.edu /scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=libref-l&A=1), while others are more general such as PUBLIB, which discusses issues relating to public librarianship (http://lists.webjunction.org/mailman/listinfo/publib). Any of these sources may provide useful information about resources or training opportunities. The American Library Association (ALA) provides information on the need for staff and user safety in several documents on their Web site

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(http://www.ala.org). Searching for safety leads to information on the ALA LAMA Committee on Safety and Security of Buildings in addition to many references to Internet security. Searching for rst aid provides information included in a handbook for employees operating bookmobiles, which was given at a conference presentation, and a tip sheet on emergency preparedness. The Federal Management Emergency Agency (FEMA) provides a guide for business and industry containing information about emergency management that includes safety information as well as guidelines related to specic hazards (http://www.fema.gov/business/guide/toc.shtm).

Institutional Programs
It is possible to incorporate existing institutional programs into a library safety training program. Often, universities have a department that provides training in many areas including safety; although, rst aid is not typically included in those programs. Sometimes campus health and safety divisions or campus police may be willing to create safety training for libraries, especially on personal safety. Some organizations may provide additional training to highlight potential risks and promote prevention such as stress reduction, injury prevention, and various other health promotion offerings. City governments may have divisions that provide similar training opportunities to staff at public libraries. Most institutions do not provide rst aid training as part of their safety offerings. If access to this type of training is not available through a parent institution or agency, most libraries have access to a local chapter of the American Red Cross that can provide extensive information regarding safety training options. The American Red Cross Web site (http://www.redcross.org) includes information on training options for adults and children, emergency preparedness, and disaster supplies to have on hand in addition to other helpful information. Local Red Cross agencies often have their own Web sites, which provide information about their training with costs, schedules, and contact information. Typically, their offerings include basic and advanced rst aid, CPR, and AED as well as a wide range of other safety training.

IMPLEMENTING A SAFETY TRAINING PLAN

For any training program to be successful, library administrators must believe in and support the program. They should communicate the

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importance of training in words and actions at all levels of the organization and walk the talk. They are responsible for creating a culture that encourages staff participation and establishes the benets for the individual as well as the organization. Employees who complete safety training are not only prepared to assist with emergencies in the library, but are able to assist family, friends, and others in the community. Also, to acknowledge employees for completing safety training, library administrators may want to hold a recognition reception and award a certicate of completion. Public acknowledgement not only supports employees for completing safety training but may also encourage others to participate.

Costs
Too often, training funds are the rst to be cut from shrinking library budgets; however, informed, knowledgeable employees are pivotal to the success of the library. Every effort should be taken to avoid funding cuts for library training programs. Specic program costs will vary depending on whether institutional or external programs, such as those the Red Cross offers, are used. Costs for training provided by the parent institution are generally nominal or may be provided at no cost. Often, however, this training does not include rst aid, CPR, and/or AED. Costs for training through the American Red Cross are generally modest. In Albuquerque, NM, charges for one person to take the basic rst aid course can be as little as $30; for rst aid, CPR, and AED, the cost may be as little as $50 at the Red Cross facility. Costs for a group are slightly higher when a trainer conducts training at the institution or library.

Scheduling
Scheduling is always challenging, especially when the goal is to train most of the staff. An appropriate location for the training must be identied and reserved. The library building has to remain open during the training and at least minimal services, such as circulation and reference, have to be offered; therefore, coverage must be provided. If training is scheduled during weekends, the institutional policies concerning overtime and/or compensatory time must be considered. The time required for training varies by the type of training desired. For example, training for stress reduction, ergonomics, or book handling can last from an hour to half a day. The American Red Cross offers a basic rst aid and preparedness course that takes only one-and-a-half hours; however, their full rst aid, CRP, and AED training may require a full day. To ensure

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the widest participation, multiple training sessions should be offered at staggered days and times. In a large organization, training may need to be offered several times to ensure that everyone who needs training has the opportunity to receive it.

Who Should Be Trained?

Typically, most, if not all, of the public services staff participate in safety training. Ideally, enough employees should be trained so that someone who has completed the training is present at all times the library is open. Emergencies occur at all times, not just on Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Some libraries open training to any interested employee including those in technical services units. Further, library administrators should attend some of the training sessions themselves. The importance of active participation in the librarys training offerings cannot be overemphasized. Attending appropriate, relevant training should become part of an employees job. Certain Red Cross training, such as CPR, must be taken annually in order to maintain certication. Supervisors should work together with employees to develop annual goals and identify the training needed to ensure high-quality performance and customer service. Successful completion of identied training would become part of performance evaluation.

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Awareness
Publicize to the entire staff the names of those who have completed training. Consider posting a list of trained personnel at library service points. All library employees should know who can provide help in case of an emergency. Provide the locations of rst aid supplies, and, if there are AEDs, provide their locations as well. Refresh rst aid supplies and test emergency equipment regularly. If the library has an emergency manual or disaster preparedness and recovery plan, consider including in those documents a section on safety training and a list of trained personnel.

Evaluation
Training programs are not static processes. Just as libraries are constantly changing, so, too, should training programs continue to evolve. The initial survey of training needs should be repeated at intervals perhaps annually or biannuallyto determine the librarys changing needs.

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Training topics and sessions, including their frequency, need to be evaluated for effectiveness by soliciting feedback from participants. Changing circumstances in the library may require different or more frequent training. For example, if a library remodeling project is underway, specialized training to address potential hazards may be useful. Once these needs are determined, update the safety training section of the comprehensive training plan to reect any needed changes.
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CONCLUSION
Education is a core mission of all libraries. Libraries should make the same commitment to educating their personnel that they have made to educating their users. Training is pivotal in the development of library employees. It enables them to provide better service, to become more skilled employees, and to enhance their personal development. Libraries should develop a systematic plan to provide training for all personnel. A comprehensive training plan should include management development, interpersonal skills, computer software applications, new technologies, and safety training. While most libraries have training programs in the rst three areas, many have only recently begun to include safety training, especially in rst aid, CPR, and AED. Factors such as extended hours, coffee shops, wireless Internet services, and expanded community events make safety training more crucial than ever. While safety training is never a substitute for calling 911 when emergency medical assistance is needed, library employees must be prepared to respond to emergencies or urgent situations until help arrives. Libraries must create a safety training plan that meets the needs of their organization. They should consult with colleagues and use local and national resources to develop their safety training plan. Training may be available from sources such as their parent organization and the American Red Cross. Library administration must support the safety training by providing funding for the program, arranging time away from usual duties to attend the training, and demonstrating their support further by attending some of the training sessions themselves. They must evaluate training and update the safety training plan as needed. A safety training program can teach library employees skills that can help reduce stress, prevent injury, and save lives both in a library setting and in the broader community in which they live.

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SAFETY TRAINING PROGRAMS LIBRARY CONTACTS

Sara Lowman Director of Fondren Library and Interim University Librarian Fondren Library MS 44 Rice University P.O. Box 1892 Houston, TX 772511892 Phone: (713) 3482457 Fax: (713) 3485258 E-mail: lowman@rice.edu Becca Griffen Library Safety and Security Manager University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library 295 S 1500 E Salt Lake City, UT 841120860 Phone: (801) 5879758 E-mail: becca.griffen@utah.edu Received: September, 2007 Reviewed: September, 2007 Revised and Accepted: October, 2007

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