Online training has boomed in the world of safety as a streamlined way for your company to train, track and manage compliance. If you are looking for a new training solution, implementing online safety training for your company can be a process.
From determining which courses you need, to figuring out a setup and onboarding timeline, several obstacles can arise. Oftentimes, getting a ‘yes’ from your superiors is the final step of the process, which includes pressing the ‘big picture’ benefits for your organization.
In deliberations, it is important to not only consider the ways online safety training will lower incident rates and help boost safety confidence amongst employees, but also how it can assist the functions of your organizations to become more efficient and safe from the top down.
Presenting statistics on workplace hazards based on industry emphasizing why online safety training is key to preventing incidents will be a sure way to get your foot in the door when it comes to asking for more investment in safety training.
Online Training Value
It is common for organizations to lack a safety training program that manages, delivers and monitors safety and HR training. Depending on the level of investment, your business may rely on spreadsheets and inconsistent in-person learning to maintain your compliance.
However, it is attainable for your organization to adopt a training method that can create an accountable, safe and organized means of educating and protecting your employees. Classroom style learning has been manageable and effective on paper for decades, so why make the shift to online safety training?
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Train Any Time, Anywhere
Online safety training allows for training on your own time. Whether your employees are out in the field, in an office or working from home, online safety training has unmatched accessibility. Providing employees the flexibility to take their training on their own schedule, at their own pace, will allow for employees to have on-the-job access and remote power on any mobile device or computer.
Scalability also goes hand in hand with accessibility when it comes to online safety training. No matter the size of your organization, online training can benefit all employees and have a greater reach to employees within larger businesses.
Online safety training puts an end to congregating in a classroom that may be far from your main office, headquarters or your employees. Your employees will have the ability to access
coursework without the hassle of scheduling and advanced planning. This means there will be less downtime when providing your employees coursework.
Plus, easy access can promote consistency within your training program, presenting updated courses and having a plan for months and even years in the future. According to a study conducted by OSHA, a third of all respondents believe that productivity would rise by at least 50 percent if workers followed their workplace safety program consistently.
Standardized Learning
One of the benefits of face-to-face training is the hands-on approach, but when different employees take training from different teachers in different locations, it can cause discrepancies in what each employee gathers from their training. Delivering consistent information is crucial when it comes to safety and the way each employee understands safety in the context of your industry.
With online safety training, employers have the capacity to assign access to the same, in-depth materials to each employee with no discrepancies or differences. If an employee has extensive knowledge, their training can be tailored to their experience the same way training can be tailored to a newcomer in the industry, providing consistent content from one source.
Return on Investment (ROI)
In comparison with traditional training programs, online training can have a significant impact on your return on investment. Tracking and calculating your ROI can help your organization to gauge the performance of the money you put into safety training. Here are a couple of ways online training can positively impact your ROI statistics:
Reduced Training Cost
Online safety training provides a very structured training program tailored specifically to the needs of your business. Generally, choosing the online training route will save you money. Based on studies, businesses save approximately 50-70% when switching to online content delivery. The pricing of your program can be laid out and calculated based on the size of your business and the exact courses you need to stay compliant, with no hidden or surprise costs. This will ultimately help you to understand and anticipate what your organization is budgeting for safety training and save money.
Reduced Additional Spend
Effective and efficient safety training can lessen the cost of injury, illness and other incidents in the workplace. Additionally, maintaining compliance and prioritizing the safety of employees can reduce penalties from regulation faults, which could cost you up to $136,000 per violation.
Reduced Downtime
The accessibility of online safety training is a major perk when it comes to reducing downtime and increasing productivity in the workplace. Because online safety training is accessible and the content is condensed, the process of training employees through an online program means less time your employees are away from their work.
Online Training Success
There are several elements of online training that set it apart from traditional, classroom training. From setting up your program to tracking your employees’ progress through the completion of their courses, online access offers the capability to have all of your safety program needs in one place.
Customer Support and Development
Creating your training program requires preparation and research into the courses necessary to maintain compliance in your state or federally. The professionals behind online safety training can not only help you understand exactly which courses you need, but also assist in setting up your program. Support teams also specialize in maintaining and updating the platform and course content.
Customizable and Simple
Online learning management systems simplify arranging training programs for your employees. There are hundreds of courses available in one place, offering easy access, multiple languages, certification options and customization to supplement your organization’s safety program. A good learning management system also makes it easy to assign employees different courses based on their needs. After all, while every employee may need training over many general safety topics, a member of HR will have to take different specialized courses than someone working in a warehouse.
Engaging for Users
Through online simulations, questions, quizzes and tests, online safety training helps users to interact with course content. When a user can train at their own pace, online training can help users to feel secure in revisiting subject matter whenever they need and taking the time to learn all of the presented materials fully. Based on statistics, 58% of employees prefer to learn at their own pace. There are also consistent updates made to online safety training platforms to keep up with technology and provide learners with new, engaging ways to learn and interact with content.
Course Design
The design and range of courses available through an online learning management system can effectively deliver materials that best suit your industry and timeline. The courses are specifically designed to customize and can be tailored to the needs of your organization creating a controlled and trackable learning program. Courses are researched by professionals and the content is always fresh and updated.
Condensed and Comprehensive
Online safety training is a great way to speed up your training process and maintain high retention rates. Safety information and material can be provided to your employees in condensed, easily accessible courses without the hassle of scheduling and commuting to an in-person classroom. The courses are always comprehensive, rich with information on the topic, providing an overarching learning experience.
Knowledge Application and Feedback
Since online training options are interactive, it gives users the means to interact with the content they are learning. If a question is missed or a subject proves to be a challenge, online training programs adjust to the learner, helping them to retain and understand the content. Also, safety leaders can access the progress of their employees, extend feedback on their performance and create an open line of communication.
Improved Safety Culture
By definition, a safety culture is the sum of what an organization is and does in pursuit of safety. Effective safety training can help to bolster your company’s safety culture. No matter what industry you are a part of, safety is always a top priority for each and every employee. Supplying your company with comprehensive, engaging and accessible training can promote your safety culture and foster a focus on safety and wellbeing with your employees.
Information Retention
Retaining the information presented in safety training is crucial to company success in mitigating risks and preventing incidents. One of the best ways to keep your employees informed and consistent is to provide refresher courses. This updates employees on new hazards and trends in their industry. Further, changes in compliance requirements and other updated information can help employees do their best work. Companies using a learning management system provide 30 percent more training refreshers. Not only is online safety training effective for initial, first-round training, it can also help to keep employees refreshed and informed overtime.
Accountability and Tracking Capability
A perk of online safety training is the all-in-one capabilities. With one program, you can plan the structure of your training, onboard your employees, execute the training and track their performance as they go through the training. It is beneficial to gauge the performance of your employees and use the metrics to figure out the areas that your employees may be struggling with or areas of improvement.
This also includes employee accountability. With the ability to not only track their own progress, but the knowledge that the company behind them can track it as well creates accountability in your employees to perform at their best and work to retain and understand the pivotal safety information presented in training. This boosts productivity in your workplace and promotes open communication and growth.
Online safety training is a great opportunity to elevate your safety training program. There are so many benefits to making the switch like boosting your safety culture and tracking the performance of your employees all while keeping them engaged. Additionally, the accessibility is unmatched, allowing for an on-the-go, effective solution.
Safety is a major pillar of operation for any business in any industry, making the switch to online safety training a great way to provide thorough safety training for all employees. Equipped with all of the information necessary to provide evidence of online training success, there is a good chance your company will come on board.
Offering hundreds of compliant courses in multiple languages, SafetySkills develops high-end, competency-based training courses for environmental health and safety and human resources education. Contact SafetySkills today to see a demo and get started.
