Have you recently employed a new member of staff? Or are you looking to refresh your current team’s knowledge of workplace safety? Providing adequate and up-to-date health and safety training will ensure your business meets all the relevant regulations and can improve aspects such as workplace communication, wellness and potential costs. This guide will cover everything from why workplace safety training is important to the types of training available.
Why is workplace safety training important?
No matter what line of work you are in or what type of business structure you have, creating a safe working environment is a priority for both the company and its employees. From offices to warehouses and stock rooms, there are a number of regulations and laws that are in place, meaning proper training and information are required.
As a business, you must ensure that your staff are trained and instructed on all the necessary health and safety risks and solutions for a number of reasons.
- Ensures that tasks are carried out safely and without risk
- Highlights things not to do and potential room for error
- Reduces workplace illnesses
- Improves employee wellness and enjoyment
- Reduced cost or loss of work
- Reduce workplace incidents or accidents
- Lower insurance premiums
- Communications and workplace relationships
- Highlights the necessary PPE and equipment
Types of workplace health and safety training
Different types of safety training will be required under different circumstances. For example, someone who has just joined a company will undergo different training to someone who has worked there for 5 years. The training may also change depending on the nature of the work and responsibilities.
Here are some of the main types of workplace health and safety training.
Induction training
As the name indicates, induction training is given to new employees to help them settle into the new space, equipment, layouts and activities. Typically seen as basic training, these sessions give an outline of the organisation as well as familiarity in terms of the environments, the colleagues and the procedures. Induction training might include:
Workplace orientation
Fire safety and evacuation
First aid
Risk assessment and reporting processes
Welfare facilities
Use of equipment and machinery
Maintenance and storage
Data privacy and online security
Refresher training
Refresher training will be given to employees who are a current member of staff but haven’t had their training for some time. Different businesses will have different preferences when it comes to how often refresher training is carried out and these may need to be adapted in line with business growth or developments. If staff haven’t been reminded of health and safety protocols, this could lead to a higher amount of errors or mistakes being made, especially if new equipment or tasks are being carried out.
“Refresher training is super important for keeping the workplace safe, healthy, and as productive as can be. First off, it helps everyone stay up-to-date with the latest safety rules and practices. Safety standards change over time, and refresher courses make sure that everyone knows about the newest guidelines and how to avoid potential hazards. New equipment or procedures can also come into play, and refresher training helps everyone get up to speed with these changes and new ways of working. If there’s for example a new machine or an update to safety regulations, refresher courses make sure everyone knows how to handle these safely.
To finalise my point, when companies invest in safety training, it shows they care about their employees’ well-being. This not only helps keep everyone safe but also boosts morale and makes people feel valued, which can lead to happier, longer-term employees.”
Sarah-Jane McQueen, COO of CoursesOnline
Toolbox talks
Taking a more casual approach, a toolbox talk is an informal meeting between staff and employees which may be done through verbal communication, discussions or visual presentations. These meetings can often ignite a sense of community within a company and is also a great way to gather feedback or employee concerns.
A toolbox talk may cover the following topics:
- Hazards or concerns
- Safe systems of work
- Risk assessments and previous findings
- Health and safety updates
- Incidents and accident investigation
- New equipment and systems
How often should you provide employee safety training?
Legally, there are minimum requirements for how frequently safety training should be carried out, but employees who work in hazardous environments or high-risk areas could benefit from a more regular training routine. Long gaps between safety refreshers can cause employees to abandon or forget best practices, especially if new machinery has been purchased, new tasks are being done or business has changed.
It’s recommended that employee safety training should happen at least once per year. There are several reasons for this, one being that employees likely won’t remember everything that they studied the year before. It’s also important to always include induction training in any new recruitment process.