Role of training in environmental management in the electricity industry of Canada

Organizations have been increasingly concerned with their impact on the environment due to pressures from various stakeholders. The electrical industry is not free from these pressures and concerns. Many organizations have engaged in environmental management initiatives to improve their environmental performance and have found other benefits to the process such as financial savings and reduced risk of liability. However, environmental management initiatives must involve the members of the organization to be a success. To efficiently participate, the members need to understand the environmental impacts and policies of the organization by participating in an environmental training program.; This study assessed the knowledge that was transferred to the workforce by the environmental training efforts of a Canadian electrical utility. Two companies participated in the study where the knowledge of the workforce having received the training was compared to the level of knowledge of a similar utility which had not performed an environmental training program. As well, attitude changes among the participants were assessed to identify differences in attitudes resulting from the training effort. The impact of the environmental training effort on the environmental performance of the company was also assessed.; Quantitative methods were used to collect the data at the two participating companies using questionnaires in interviews with the employees. The data analysis revealed that the training performed did not sufficiently increase employee environmental awareness of the company's environmental impacts. The environmental training was more successful in informing the employees of the features of the environmental policy. The employees who received environmental training also seemed to adopt more environmental behaviours and felt more strongly that the organization was interested in their participation. The study also revealed that the employees felt better about the organization due to their participation in the organization's environmental training program and showed more positive attitudes following the environmental training.