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Workplace Safety
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3 min read
When you own or run a business, ensuring the safety of your workplace and employees is a top priority. Improving safety at your business is one way to help mitigate risk and provide a positive workplace environment for your employees. When members of your team are actively involved in safety programs and culture as part of their workplace training, it creates a sense of personal investment and ownership in the safety and overall success of the company.
Workplace safety is critical for the health of your employees and the bottom line of your business. Companies with safety and health training enjoy improvements in the well-being of their employees and in their organization's profitability. In this blog post, we’ll give your tips for creating a culture of safety for your employees through education and workplace training programs.
Leveraging Technology and Education to Encourage Engagement
Over the years, the landscape of learning has dramatically evolved, and technology has given us the ability to learn anytime, anywhere from a computer or a mobile device. eLearning programs have allowed businesses to create meaningful, real-world learning processes for all types of learners to engage with digitally.
There are a number of learning management systems available that offer robust technology and functionality to help identify specific learning paths that can enhance workplace safety. These tools can be custom tailored by industry, role, and business goals to create content that is hyper-specific to your employees, which will help get them more engaged in the learning process.
Company Vehicle Safety and Defensive Driving Training
The cost of an auto accident goes far beyond the cost to fix vehicles and cover medical bills. According to OSHA, “Motor vehicle crashes cost employers $60 billion annually in medical care, legal expenses, property damage, and lost productivity.” Creating a culture of vehicle safety will not only help keep your employees and other drivers on the road safe—it will also serve to help protect your company’s financial resources by guarding against potential liability associated with motor vehicle crashes involving employees driving company vehicles.
Fortunately, most accidents can be prevented. People can avoid trouble on the road if they approach their driving with the right skills, a well-maintained vehicle, and a safety first attitude. Two areas that consistently cause the most claims are Safe Driving Distance and Distracted Driving. Develop training material that specifically addresses these issues and consider mandating a defensive driving course for all employees who will be operating company vehicles. Areas covered in the course could include information on:
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Preparing to drive safely
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The fundamentals of safe driving
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Driving defensively with other vehicles on the road
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Driving at night and in bad weather
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Distracted driving and road rage
Related Reading: The Value of Encouraging Company Vehicle Safety
Cyber Security Training
You train your staff to sell, provide exceptional customer service, and to operate new technology implemented into your company. Cyber security training is no different and is critical to building a workforce that is properly trained and dedicated to doing their part to prevent cyber attacks. A few things you can do to get your employees up to speed on cyber security include:
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Establishing policies on what—if any—type of software an employee may download to their computer
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Setting complex character password requirements
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Conduct training that explains the different types of cyber attacks and how to identify them
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Set expectations for your employees and empower them to report suspicious links and emails to your IT department
The most important part of training your employees is to communicate the importance and the value of protecting customer and colleague information and their role in keeping these things safe.
Workplace Violence & Active Shooter Training
Unfortunately, the threat of encountering violence or active shooting in the workplace is very real in America, and it is best that your employees are prepared for and know how to conduct themselves in the event of an emergency. Many businesses now conduct active shooter drills, in addition to fire safety drills.
According to eSafety, “The courts and OSHA alike hold employers responsible for preventing workplace violence under the General Duty Clause, which states that employers must maintain a workplace free from recognized hazards causing—or likely to cause—death or serious physical harm to workers. To be proactive and implement a safety training program that helps prepare your employees for an active shooter incident, it’s best to start by understanding OSHA’s general guidelines for a workplace violence incident.” The guidelines can be found here.
Developing and maintaining a culture of safety in the workplace through effective and engaging educational, training, and development programs can help keep your employees safe and contribute to your organization’s overall success. By providing the tools and information that employees need to perform their jobs more safely, your employees will become more engaged in and committed to maintaining a safe workplace environment.
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