Workplace safety training is as vital as workplace safety itself. It enables the management to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. It also helps the employees to recognize safety hazards and correct them. It enables them to understand best safety practices and expectations. Safety training is more important for organizations like industries, hospitals and construction companies that use hazardous materials and equipment. Safety training is vital for employees or workers about understanding of safety practices related to their jobs; otherwise, a worker will find himself/herself at a higher risk for workplace injury, illness or death.

Safety training in modern businesses has become quite unavoidable due to the following reasons −

Communications − the growing multiplicity of today’s employees brings a wide variety of languages and customs.

Computer Skills − Computer skills are becoming an essential for managing administrative and office tasks.

Customer Service − the growing contest in today’s worldwide marketplace makes it grave that employees understand and meet the needs of customers.

Diversity − Diversity training generally comprises of explanation about how people have different vista and views and comprises techniques to value multiplicity.

Regulatory Requirement − Today’s society has growing assumptions about corporate social control. All employers have to fulfill the Government rules and acts as per industry. Employee safety training is a mandatory regulation which has been fulfilled by employers.

Human Relations − the enlarged stresses of today’s workplace can include misunderstandings and dispute.

Quality Initiatives − Initiatives such as Total Quality Management, Quality Circles, standard, etc., need basic training about quality idea, instructions, and standards for quality, etc.

Safety − Safety training is disapproving where working with heavy equipment, dangerous chemicals, tedious activities, etc., but can also be useful with real advice for avoiding attacks, etc.

Sexual Harassment − Sexual harassment training generally includes careful explanation of the organization’s policies about sexual harassment, especially about what are unsuitable behaviors. A hazard is a potential source of harm or adverse health effect on a person or persons.

Workplace Safety Meetings

Safety meetings and safety talks are generally thought of as departmental or team meetings. These repeated meetings, ranging from weekly to monthly depending upon the conditions, allow the manager or trainer to −

• Evaluate any accidents experienced by members of the group,
• Go over any unsafe practices observed,
• Acknowledge the requirement for safe work practices, and
• To answer any questions that employees may have about equipment operation or other safety issues.

There are numerous work shifts, such meeting should be conducted repeatedly or be held at a place and time that will enable all affected employees to participate. Online safety training is a pragmatic and efficient way to deliver safety meetings and talks for numerous work shifts.

Types of Training

1. Class or Instructor Led Training

Instructor led training remains one of the most popular training techniques in industries. There are many types including Blackboard or Whiteboard, Overhead projector, Storytelling and Presentation.

Advantage:

• It is an efficient method for presenting a large body of material to large or small group of employees.
• It is cost effective, especially when not outsourced to guest speakers.

Disadvantage:

• Scheduling classroom sessions for large number of trainees can be difficult- especially when trainees are at multiple locations.

2. E-Learning

Many companies with employees in a variety of locations across the country are relying on other technologies to deliver training including Web-based training, Video conferencing Webinars and Email. Web based training method puts computer-based training modules onto the Web, which companies can then make available to their employees either on the company’s intranet or on a section of the vendor’s website that is set up for your company.
There are many courses available on the Internet in different topic areas.

Advantage:

• They save the company money on travel expenses.
• They can be easy to update with new company policies or procedures, federal regulations, and compliance issues.

Disadvantage:

• These programs require trainees to be computer literate.

3. Hands on Training

Experiential, or hands-on, training, offers several more effective techniques for teaching employees, including:

Cross Training. This method allows employees to experience other jobs, which not only enhances employee skills but also gives companies the benefit of having employees who can perform more than one job.

Demonstrations are attention-grabbers. They are an excellent way to teach employees to use new equipment or to teach the steps in a new process.

Coaching The goal of job coaching is to improve an employee’s performance. Coaching focuses on the individual needs of an employee and is generally less formal than other kinds of training.

A drill is a good way for employees to practice skills. For example, Evacuation drills are effective when training emergency preparedness.

Disadvantage:

• They are not good for large groups if you do not have enough equipment or machines for everyone to use.

4. Toolbox Talk

A toolbox talk is an informal group discussion that focuses on a safety issue. These tools can be used daily to promote department safety culture as well as to facilitate health and safety discussions on job sites.

Aim of Workplace Safety Training

The aims of workplace safety training are as follows −
• To supply job related knowledge and skills to the employees to arm them with the ability to protect themselves against unintentional injuries and death.

• To reduce damage or loss to non-human factors like equipment, machinery, and stocks.
• To communicate skills among the employees regularly so that they may learn quickly.
• To bring about adjustment in the attitudes of the employees towards colleagues, manager, and the organization.
• To lessen the number of accidents by providing safety training to the employees.
• The video and audio materials used in work place safety training make the whole learning process more fun. This will help employees to remember the things they learn for a long period of time.
• To make the employees handle the materials, machines, and equipment effectively and thus to check disappearance of time and resources.
• To formulate the employees for promotion to higher jobs by communicating the advanced skills.