While most organizations and employees know that workplace safety training is important, not everyone readily understands why. When employees have a good grasp on workplace safety practices, it reduces the chances that workers will fall sick or get injured on the job. An incident like that can end an employee’s career or even their life; it also has a profound effect on employee morale and productivity.
Fortunately, with the wide array of training options available to organizations these days, finding effective, affordable training is within reach.
As every workplace is different, so too will their training needs differ. Depending on the particular topic to be covered, employees may benefit from peer to peer, on-the-job, or classroom training. On-site demonstrations can be useful for hands-on topics like CPR or first aid training. Virtual learning opportunities can also provide the necessary training for employees with irregular schedules or distant worksite assignments.
Learning about potential safety hazards at work helps improve employee awareness and makes it more likely that workers will be able to successfully identify potential hazards and take action that saves lives. Training helps frontline workers, administrators, managers, and others learn their role in the workplace safety landscape. This is vital because only by working together can an organization have a truly robust and successful workplace safety program.
Emphasize the collaborative nature of workplace safety. The reality is, employees are only as safe as the least-safe employee. Learn what OSHA regulations apply to your industry and ensure your training plans reflect that content; use OSHA’s definition of employer and employee roles and responsibilities to guide your training planning and preparation. Emphasize the organization’s policies and procedures, whether you manufacture flooring samples, assemble cars, or develop CPG products, so everyone knows what to do when a safety threat is identified. Explore ways to provide training in multiple languages to ensure everyone on your team can fully understand key safety initiatives, programs, or hazard identification measures.
Consider the ways in which workplace safety software solutions can meet your employees’ needs, and your own. The automated nature of software can make it a quick process to identify those employees who need initial or refresher training; when training is delivered via video or other virtual methods, environmental health and safety software can synch with training records for convenient and efficient record-keeping and updating.
Software solutions can also provide administrators with complete employee training records that are accessible from anywhere. Tech-based training may be more accessible for employees, too, depending on their work schedules or site assignments. It’s a good way to roll out training and ensure that all employees have the same information at the same time. It also makes the same training materials available to all workers at the same time.
Workplace safety training can help reduce the instances of workplace illness and injury. By understanding your organization’s safety goals, it’s easier to support those goals with resources. Picking the right resources for effectiveness and efficiency, such as implementing technology solutions to support health and safety goals, can free up your time for other more complex safety-related issues at work.