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Training matrix template with expiry dates
A training matrix lists your people down the side and the trainings, evaluations and authorisations their jobs need across the top, with the date each one was done and when it runs out. This template works out each expiry date from how many months the training stays valid, marks every record OK, Due (inside a warning window you set, 30 days by default), Expired, or Missing when the person's role needs it and there is no date, and counts compliance by person, training and area. It also counts how many people are qualified on each training, flags single points of failure, and lists every renewal in the next 90 days with the expired ones first. Use it for forklift evaluations, lockout/tagout, respirator fit tests, first aid cards, weld tests, food safety training and site sign-offs. To record how well someone does a task, use the skills matrix template instead.
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
Fields for the site, review date and warning days, a key for OK, due, expired and missing cells, and a grid of 15 people by 10 trainings with valid-for, roles, qualified-now and minimum rows.When to use it
When to use a training matrix
- Every Monday, to see whose forklift evaluation, fit test or first aid card runs out this month and book the sessions before it does.
- Before a customer, ISO or OSHA audit, to show that everyone doing a job holds the training it needs and that it is in date.
- When someone joins or changes role: the role sets what is required, so every gap shows as Missing on day one.
- When a training has only one or two holders and an absence would stop the work. The cover row shows it.
How to fill it in
- 1
List the trainings that must be held
One row on the Setup sheet for each training, evaluation, fit test, licence or site sign-off a job needs, named the way the certificate names it. The Excel holds 15, the paper sheet 10.
- 2
Enter how long each stays valid, and where that comes from
Months valid, or blank if it never expires. Use a rule's interval only where the rule names one, such as the forklift operator evaluation at least once every three years in 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(4)(iii). Everything else is set by your site, your customer or the card, and the source column says which.
- 3
Mark which roles need each one
Type up to six role names and put Y where a role needs the training. Each person's role then decides what is required, so nobody has to remember it.
- 4
Enter completion dates, not expiry dates
For each person, the date they last completed or were evaluated on each training. The workbook adds the months. Keep the certificate or sign-off sheet as the record: OSHA's forklift rule, for example, asks for the operator's name, the training and evaluation dates and who did them, in 1910.178(l)(6).
- 5
Set the warning days and the minimums
The default warning is 30 days. Give a training more where you have to book an outside evaluator. Set the minimum number of people who must hold each training, for example two first aiders per shift, so the cover row can flag gaps.
- 6
Review it weekly, monthly and on every change
Weekly: book everything on the renewal list. Monthly: compliance by area and the cover flags go to the plant manager. On every change (a new hire, a role change, a new machine, chemical or procedure, an incident, a failed inspection), update the matrix, because many rules make these the retraining trigger. Once a year, check each validity period against the current rule text. This cadence is common practice, not a standard.
Intervals set by a rule
Which trainings have an interval in the rules
Many intervals people quote are site practice. These are the US federal rules for common plant trainings, read at osha.gov and ecfr.gov on 9 October 2026. Check the current text, and any state plan, customer or local rule that applies to you.
| Training | Rule | What it says about timing | In the template |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forklift (powered industrial truck) operator | 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(4)(iii) and (l)(4)(ii) | An evaluation of each operator at least once every three years. Refresher training after unsafe operation, an accident or near miss, a poor evaluation, a different type of truck or a workplace change. | 36 months; a trigger is a reason to retrain early and enter the new date |
| Lockout/tagout, authorized and affected employees | 29 CFR 1910.147(c)(7)(iii) | No fixed interval. Retraining when job assignments, machines, processes or the procedure change, or when the periodic inspection (at least annually, (c)(6)(i)) finds deviations. | The site sets the months (12 in the example) |
| Respirator use, tight-fitting facepiece | 29 CFR 1910.134(f)(2) and (k)(5) | Fit test before first use, with a different facepiece, and at least annually. Retraining annually. | 12 months |
| Portable fire extinguisher use | 29 CFR 1910.157(g)(2) | Education on initial employment and at least annually, where the employer provides extinguishers for employee use. | 12 months |
| Hazard communication | 29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(1) | At initial assignment and whenever a new chemical hazard is introduced. No periodic interval. | No expiry |
| First aid | 29 CFR 1910.151(b) | A person adequately trained to give first aid where no infirmary, clinic or hospital is in near proximity. No interval in the section. | The expiry on the provider's card |
| Food hygiene and food safety, US food plants | 21 CFR 117.4(b)(2) and (d) | Training suited to the food, the facility and the person's duties, with records of it. No interval. | The site sets the months |
Forklift (powered industrial truck) operator
- Rule
- 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(4)(iii) and (l)(4)(ii)
- What it says about timing
- An evaluation of each operator at least once every three years. Refresher training after unsafe operation, an accident or near miss, a poor evaluation, a different type of truck or a workplace change.
- In the template
- 36 months; a trigger is a reason to retrain early and enter the new date
Lockout/tagout, authorized and affected employees
- Rule
- 29 CFR 1910.147(c)(7)(iii)
- What it says about timing
- No fixed interval. Retraining when job assignments, machines, processes or the procedure change, or when the periodic inspection (at least annually, (c)(6)(i)) finds deviations.
- In the template
- The site sets the months (12 in the example)
Respirator use, tight-fitting facepiece
- Rule
- 29 CFR 1910.134(f)(2) and (k)(5)
- What it says about timing
- Fit test before first use, with a different facepiece, and at least annually. Retraining annually.
- In the template
- 12 months
Portable fire extinguisher use
- Rule
- 29 CFR 1910.157(g)(2)
- What it says about timing
- Education on initial employment and at least annually, where the employer provides extinguishers for employee use.
- In the template
- 12 months
Hazard communication
- Rule
- 29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(1)
- What it says about timing
- At initial assignment and whenever a new chemical hazard is introduced. No periodic interval.
- In the template
- No expiry
First aid
- Rule
- 29 CFR 1910.151(b)
- What it says about timing
- A person adequately trained to give first aid where no infirmary, clinic or hospital is in near proximity. No interval in the section.
- In the template
- The expiry on the provider's card
Food hygiene and food safety, US food plants
- Rule
- 21 CFR 117.4(b)(2) and (d)
- What it says about timing
- Training suited to the food, the facility and the person's duties, with records of it. No interval.
- In the template
- The site sets the months
A filled-in example
Illustrative, not a benchmarkAn example: a made-up metal fabrication shop with 12 people in 4 roles and 8 trainings, reviewed on 12 October 2026 with a 30-day warning (60 days for the forklift evaluation). Names, dates and most months valid are illustrative.
The example's 45 required trainings on review day
- Valid, not due soon: 31 items
- Valid, due inside the warning window: 7 items
- Expired (4) or never done (3): 7 items
- Fabrication12 of 12 valid
- Shipping7 of 9 valid
- PaintLowest4 of 6 valid
- Maintenance15 of 18 valid
Of the 45 person and training items the roles require, 31 are valid and not due soon, 7 are valid but fall inside the warning window, and 7 are expired or never done (4 expired, 3 never done). By area: Fabrication 12 of 12 valid, Shipping 7 of 9, Paint 4 of 6, Maintenance 15 of 18.
- The roles require 45 person and training items. 38 are valid (OK, Due or no expiry), 4 have expired and 3 were never done.
- 7 of the valid items fall inside the warning window, among them Eli E.'s forklift evaluation, due on 20 November and so inside its 60 days, and Jun J.'s lockout/tagout and first aid.
- Only Hana H. holds a valid respirator fit test, so the cover row flags a single point of failure. Lockout/tagout has 2 authorized people against a minimum of 3.
- By area: Fabrication 12 of 12 valid, Shipping 7 of 9, Paint 4 of 6, Maintenance 15 of 18.
Compliance is 38 / 45 = 84.4%, and 31 / 45 = 68.9% if none of the 7 due items is renewed. The 90-day renewal list has 12 records with the 4 expired ones first, so this week the coordinator books Gus G.'s forklift re-evaluation and Ivo I.'s fit test.
Common mistakes
Typing expiry dates instead of completion dates
Then nobody can tell how long the training was valid for, and changing a validity period means retyping every date. Enter the completion date and let the months do the work.
Calling site practice a legal interval
Many quoted intervals are in no rule: OSHA sets no refresher interval for hazard communication or lockout/tagout training. Write where each number comes from in the source column.
Only tracking who lapsed
A list of expired certificates misses the people who were never trained. Role requirements make them show as Missing.
Counting expired holders as cover
A lapsed forklift evaluation is no cover for a shift. Only OK, Due and no-expiry records count as qualified.
A warning shorter than the booking time
If an outside evaluator needs six weeks' notice, a 30-day warning guarantees lapses. Set the warning days for each training.
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Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
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- Daily kaizen routine boardA team's 10 to 15 minute daily routine at the board: one problem from each person, small fixes with one owner, counted every week.
- Quality circle meeting recordA circle's charter, a one-page record for each meeting and a problem register that follows every problem from selected to closed or escalated.
- Weekly maintenance schedule templateNext week's maintenance jobs, scheduled only when ready, loaded against each craft's hours by day, with schedule compliance and break-ins at week end.
- Operational excellence assessment templateThe ten principles of operational excellence as 30 behaviors and practices you can see, scored 1 to 5 by several people, with the spread, the three lowest principles and an action plan.
- Scrum meeting agenda templateTimed agendas for the five scrum meetings, a sprint planning sheet, a retrospective sheet, and an Excel sprint backlog with a burndown.
- Toyota Production System (TPS) house templateThe TPS house for one plant or value stream: roof, two pillars and foundation, with what you do today, the evidence, a status and the next step for each element.
- EPEI and batch size calculatorHow often each part can come round on a shared machine (EPEI) and how big each batch must be, from demand, cycle times and changeovers, now and after SMED.
- People, process, technology (PPT) assessmentCheck one change before go-live: 18 people, process and technology statements scored 1 to 4 by the people who will use it, the lowest element and the actions.
- Process capacity sheet templateEach machine in a part's routing with manual, auto and tool change time, its capacity per shift, and the step that limits the cell against demand.
- Jidoka worksheet (stop at abnormality)For one line or cell, every abnormality that should stop the work: how it is detected, how the work stops, who is called, the immediate fix and the root cause step, plus a log of real stops.
- Chaku-chaku line plannerPlan a load-load cell: time each machine, load and walk, check that every machine is ready when the operator comes back, compare the cell cycle with takt and size the crew.
- Standard operating procedure (SOP) templateA full SOP in the hierarchical step format, from purpose and scope to the steps, records, revision history and approvals, with review checks and an SOP register.
- Process improvement method selectorEight questions about one problem, an example rule that suggests a method and a matrix of nine methods: when each fits, the usual team and time, and the template to start with.
- X-bar and R control chart template25 subgroups with means and ranges, control limits from A2, D3 and D4, signal flags, both charts and a reaction log.
- Gage R&R study sheet10 parts, 2 or 3 appraisers, 2 or 3 trials: EV, AV, GRR, PV, %GRR and ndc by the average and range method.
- Root cause analysis templateOne report from problem statement to proof: containment, evidence, analysis, verified causes, actions and the effectiveness check.
- Quality control pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the QA matrix to the QM matrix on one model area, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Autonomous maintenance 90-day model area planAM steps 0 to 3 on one model machine in 13 weeks, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves for months 4 to 12.
- Professional maintenance (PM) 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from breakdown analysis to a running PM calendar on one model machine, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Environment and energy pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from waste and energy maps to area standards on one model area, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Focused improvement 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the loss Pareto to standardized fixes on one model line, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Logistics and customer service pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the current-state map to pull on one model value stream, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Early equipment management 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from lessons on current machines to a tracked start-up on one model equipment project, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Cost deployment pillar 90-day model area planThirteen weeks from the loss map to costed, ranked projects in one model area, a KPI board, the day-90 gate and expansion waves.
- Moving from Excel to one system checklistA 34-point checklist and a file inventory for moving trackers from spreadsheets to one system: keep, move, connect or retire, clean, pilot, run both, retire.
- Prioritization matrix templateScore up to 20 improvement ideas on weighted criteria, rank them, test the ranking with equal weights and place each one on an effort and benefit grid.
- Cost per unit worksheet (manufacturing cost per good unit)One product's cost per good unit by materials, labor, machine and overhead, the gap to target, and which cost lever is worth most a year.
- Digital manufacturing readiness assessmentScore 24 statements on process, technology and people from 0 to 4, check the balance between them and rank the gaps by what matters in your plant.
- Manufacturing KPI dashboard templateWeekly plant numbers in, 14 KPIs out: OEE and its parts, first pass yield, scrap, on-time delivery, recordable rate, cost and absence, each against a target.
- RCM worksheet (failure mode and task selection)Failure modes classed as hidden, safety, operational or non-operational, then a task chosen for each: condition-based, discard, failure-finding, redesign or run to failure.
- Error-proofing verification log (daily master-sample check)Each poka-yoke device proved every day or week with a known-bad sample, with missed checks counted and the hours and parts at risk worked out when one fails.
- Downtime reason codes template26 starter codes mapped to the six big losses, a log with drop-downs, a Pareto by code and by loss, and a code card for the line.
- Defect catalogue template with boundary samplesEvery defect with a definition, a class and the reason for it, measured accept and reject limits by zone, boundary samples, a defect log with DPU and Pareto, and an inspector agreement check.
- I-MR chart template (individuals and moving range)Up to 100 single readings with moving ranges, limits from a baseline, five run-rule flags, both charts, a second phase and a reaction log.
- Kaizen event preparation checklistEverything that has to be ready before a kaizen event and done after it: 44 items with owners and due dates from 6 weeks before day 1 to 30 days after, five go or no-go gates and a day-by-day agenda.
- Attribute control chart template (p, np, c and u charts)p, np, c and u charts in one workbook: a chart selector, a sample size check, limits for each subgroup, signal flags and four worked examples.
- Critical spare parts list and stocking levelsAssets ranked by consequence, each part classed and given a stocking policy, and min and max worked out from usage and lead time, with the downtime each stock-out would cost.
- Tier 2 meeting agenda and escalation sheetA 15-minute tier 2 agenda in ten timed blocks, fixed roles and rules, escalation triggers with time limits, and a log that ages every escalation and sends the answer back down.
- Mock recall template: traceability exercise worksheetTrace a finished lot back to every input lot and forward to every first customer, reconcile the quantities against a tolerance and time it against your target.
- ISO 9001 internal audit checklist (production area)46 audit questions for the production floor in 11 processes, each with its ISO 9001:2015 clause, what evidence to look for and the sample to take, plus five defined grades, a findings log, a finding report and a summary by clause.
- Plan for every part (PFEP) templateOne row per part: supplier, pack, container, usage, lead time and locations, with ABC classes, market and line kanban counts and a lineside space check.
- Food plant GMP inspection checklist (21 CFR 117 subpart B)55 checks in the order of 21 CFR 117 subpart B, each citing its paragraph and saying what to look at, with a grade, finding, owner and due date; results by section and grade, a walk route and a bakery example.
- Master sanitation schedule with pre-op verificationA master list of cleaning tasks by area and equipment with frequency, chemical, lockout, who and next due date, a weekly on-time count, and the pre-operational verification log with a release step.
- Changeover matrix templateA from-to matrix of changeover minutes with the clean each transition needs (allergen, colour, format), and a weekly planner that totals the order and suggests a shorter one.
- Measurement uncertainty budget templateA GUM uncertainty budget: Type A and B rows, divisors by distribution, sensitivity coefficients, uc, νeff, k from the t-table, U, TUR and a guard band check.
- Maintenance job plan templateOne job planned on one sheet: steps and craft hours, parts checked against stock, tools, lockout and permits, documents, a ready check for the schedule, and technician feedback.
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A shift handover sheet, a red tag log, a changeover checklist for one machine: if your team uses it on the floor, ask.

