Workplace Safety - Importance of Training
Workplace training is also known as trade or industry training; it provides learning and earning money while you work. Traineeship is one type of workplace training. You can do workplace training in a range of active industries.
Employee orientation trainings aim at showing new employees how to do their jobs safely and usefully, but leading companies know that it is essential to go much further than that.
Is Workplace Safety Training Required?
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 all the more important for organizations like hospitals and construction companies that use hazardous materials and equipment.
Safety training is vital for employees or workers with regard to 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.
Ethics − Today's society has growing assumptions about corporate social control. Also, today's various workforces bring a wide variety of values and significance to the workplace.
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., needs 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.
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.
Topics for a safety meeting can be chosen on the basis of −
An evaluation of the most recent accidents and near-misses at the benefits or within the similar industry
Post-installation of new machinery or equipment and their handling
Associated corporate safety goals
Any specific subjects that required to be covered from a legal or insurance standpoint
Proposal from employees, safety inspectors, contractor safety representatives, insurance representatives, or other knowledgeable observers
Where there are numerous work shifts, such meetings 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.
Workplace Safety Training ─ Benefits
Hazards are pervasive to every organization or all types of industries, hence it is essential for an organization to make provisions for safety training for their workers and to update the safety programs and norms on a regular basis.
There are many sources of online information about training and development. Several of these sites indicate reasons for managers to conduct training among employees. These reasons include −
Educate employees on the basics of health and safety
Increased focus by employees on their tasks
Increased job pleasure and confidence among employees
Increased employee inspiration
Increased effectiveness in processes, deriving in financial gain
Increased ability to adopt new skills and methods
Increased change in scheme and products
Increase employee turnover
Increase company image, e.g., conducting ethics training
Risk management, e.g., training about sexual harassment, diversity training.
Increased productivity and satisfaction among personnel by keeping the workplace safe
