Safety online training: Prepare your employees for every eventuality
Safety online training is beneficial to employees and the organization at large. It reduces injuries and saves organizations the expense of legal costs and compliance violations.
It also promotes safe work practices and protects clients’ well-being. More often than not, employees dread the very idea of safety training. They think it’s dull and, at times, even stressful. But they still need to be prepared for work-related emergencies and compliance issues that fit their job duties.
So, online training developers must go the extra mile to equip employees with the knowledge and experience they need, without boring them to tears. Here are 7 tips to get your employees ready for any on-the-job obstacle they must face and develop more memorable safety online training experiences.
1. Expose employees to real-world happenings using online training simulations
Online training simulations are a great way to bring employees closer to real-world situations during online training.
Successful online training simulations should be tied to goals and objectives. You need to clearly define what you want employees to gain from this training method. If you are developing online training for a food processing company, for example, teach employees how to handle products with minimal cross-contamination.
Design online training simulations to demonstrate processes, where necessary, and outline the consequences of not following proper protocols. This online training prepares workers for every eventuality by showing them how they should react to situations and what the consequences of their reactions are. Especially when you follow it up with immediate personalized feedback to pinpoint steps they missed, or inappropriate behaviors.
This approach will also enable your employees to build practical experience. Not to mention, your employees will also improve their understanding of company policies in a practical context.
2. Teach and test employees’ problem-solving skills
In the everyday working environment, employees will come across challenges that they’ll be asked to solve. If they don’t manage that, the safety of everyone in the organization could be in danger.
For example, how should employees react in case of a machine breakdown that is life-threatening? Should they wait for the manager to come so that they can report the case? Should they fix it themselves? Or call an expert?
To teach employees how to handle such challenges, include branching scenarios that provide real-world experience and test critical thinking skills. Branching scenarios will help your employees determine the outcomes of their decisions in the safety of the online training environment.
3. Clarify guidelines and expectations regularly
At the beginning of the online training course, create a brief summary of what the course is about. Explain to employees why the training is mandatory, and talk about the benefits of taking the course. Also, state clearly how employees are expected to participate in the online training course.
You can even include examples and case studies to help them connect the compliance dots. Explain, for example, how the safe-handling procedures will help to reduce contamination and prevent regulatory violations. Not to mention, it will safeguard the well-being of consumers.
Employees are more likely to participate and prepare for the unexpected if they know what’s at stake.
4. Incorporate microlearning support resources
Microlearning support resources speed up the learning process. They improve memory retention and recall, so that online learners can quickly get the information they need, and then apply it in the workplace to ensure everyone’s safety.
You may want to break down online training content into bite-sized modules, and upload them to your compliance online training library. The information should be engaging, fun, and informative, so it can promote knowledge assimilation.
5. Tell stories
Storytelling is a genius way to give employees a touch of reality. It makes safety online training relatable and personal.
Through stories, employees are able to connect information to real-world applications. They’re also a memorable way to teach the benefits of safety online training to employees, as they illustrate how the main characters use the information to overcome challenges so that employees can mimic favorable behaviors.
The secret is to connect with them emotionally, so that they can see things from the narrator’s perspective.
6. Produce video demos
Video demos give employees a visual example they can use to reflect on their own performance and view favorable reactions and behaviors. For example, the character in the video must safely dispose of hazardous material, or clean up a spill on the sales floor.
Employees are able not only to see how it’s done, but also to determine if they have been completing the same tasks properly. You can also use animated video production software to reenact more dangerous situations, such as fire emergencies.
7. Create a social media group for your training
Social media groups and pages serve as a great peer-based support tool for your employees. They can quickly log in to the site and read tips, offer advice, or simply discuss safety compliance issues with coworkers. This allows them to explore different approaches to common challenges, so that they can expect the unexpected.
For example, a member of the group posts a personal experience about a safety violation they witnessed in the warehouse. The employee’s peers can share their insights and recommendations, as well as determine how they might do things differently.
Developing safety online training is vital. It equips employees with real-world experience and vital skills, so that they’re ready to take on challenges that arise during the course of their workday. It can also help them emotionally prepare for stressful situations and gauge their reactions in order to continually improve their behaviors.
When you’re ready to expand your safety online training program on a global scale, dive into more information on how to create online training experiences for a worldwide audience. This way, you’ll find out about the benefits of going global, the costs to consider, and much more.
