Below is a 508-compliant version of the content presented in the Suicide Intervention Training Program Basics graphic. Return to the related story, "Preventing Suicides on the U.S. Rail System through Intervention Training Programs."

Early Preparation

Identify and document realistic expectations about what the rail carrier intends to achieve through training.

Identify and document staff expectations to ensure that training     addresses concerns and clarifies roles and responsibilities. 

Identify a partner with whom the rail carrier will work to implement the training.

Implementation Planning

Work with partner to ensure that the course will achieve carrier goals and address staff expectations.

Decide who will be trained and the order in which staff will be trained. Will training be rolled out as a part of recurrent training or as a dedicated standalone training?

Content Development

Finalize plan for how the course will be delivered to staff. If training will be tailored for different staff roles, how will each course differ?

What content will be presented?

In what format will the content be delivered?

How many staff will be trained in each session?

How long is each training session?

Implementation

Implement training program and regularly collect feedback from staff after training to assess if changes are needed to meet training objectives.

Continuing Improvement

Identify a strategy to track the impact of the training. Consider assessments of staff attitudes or self-reported knowledge and ability before and after training. Assessments at later points in time will help to determine training effectiveness and if refresher training is needed. 

Develop a plan to track interventions, including relevant details. This helps indicate the success of the program over time, and can help to identify potential improvements to the training.

Additional Tips

Provide trainees with a summary handout for reference. 

Maintain records of who has been trained and when. 

Identify barriers to acceptance early (e.g., myths, misperceptions) and address them directly in the training course.

Clarify that this course equips staff to manage potential situations and is not intended to be an additional responsibility. 

Ensure that railroad staff implementing program have knowledge of rostering and staff.

Highlight that learned skills have broad applicability in and out of work for managing difficult situations. 

Ensure that support is provided to help manage stress during training. 

Provide support for post­-incident care.