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Occupational safety and high turnover: how eLearning can help

High turnover requires companies to make an ongoing effort to preserve skills, particularly those related to workplace safety. eLearning can be a valuable aid

Safe work is a goal that affects all businesses. Employers and employees have the right to perform their duties in the safest possible environment, and they have an obligation to take all precautions to prevent injuries that may involve them or their colleagues. The regulations are clear on this matter: training plays an important role in this regard. 

Training staff is an important task that goes beyond the safety issue and is related to the turnover problem. A certain rate of turnover in personnel is physiological for an enterprise. With staff turnover at all levels, it is possible to keep the company's workforce young, to consider how to increase internal skill sets, and to adapt the size of the company to its economic possibilities. The problem for a company is when it cannot handle this turnover rate and suffers the negative effects.

A high turnover rate has as its first consequence an unbalanced distribution of workloads among employees who, in order to cope with sudden or mass absences of colleagues, must take on the work not done. When the situation persists, the very regularity of procedures can be compromised, with consequences that impact customer satisfaction, the payment cycle and the business organization itself. What's worse, this situation can trigger a domino effect, against which too many new hires will rely on too few employees with company seniority-a situation that could undermine the normal transfer of internal skills.


Importance of occupational safety training

Occupational safety training plays a key role in ensuring that employees are aware of potential hazards and know how to deal with them safely and effectively. In particular, this is important to:

  • Prevent accidents and injuries
  • Ensure compliance with relevant regulations
  • Reduce costs associated with injuries and illnesses
  • Improve the corporate culture of safety
  • Build employee loyalty

Proper training provides employees with the knowledge and skills needed to identify potential hazards and take appropriate preventive measures. This helps to reduce the risk of workplace accidents by protecting the health and safety of employees. Occupational safety laws and regulations require companies to take appropriate measures to protect employees. Safety training helps companies comply with regulations and avoid potential legal penalties.

Occupational accidents then, can cause injuries, illnesses, and absenteeism, resulting in a negative impact on business operations. Effective safety training can help reduce accidents and improve the overall health of employees, thereby reducing costs associated with absenteeism and employee coverage.

What it does note is that safety training helps create a safety-focused corporate culture. When employees understand the importance of workplace safety and are well trained, they are more likely to follow best practices and be aware of their behaviors.

Ultimately, investing in safety training shows employees that the company cares about their well-being and safety. This can increase employee trust and commitment, reducing turnover and promoting greater company loyalty.

This means that an adequate level of safety training, can help reduce the dropout rate in at least two ways: directly, through increased employee satisfaction and perceived safety; indirectly, through the positive effects on the climate of trust and collaboration that safety can foster.


Training despite turnover

It is possible, however, that it is not the safety factor that motivates the high resignation rate. It may be the case that the positions with the highest churn are entry-level positions, and features such as remuneration or growth prospects are not perceived by the market as adequate. Or that generational dynamics result in a mass exodus, as in the cases of Gray resignation and Great resignation.

In these cases, investments in safety training-which, while dutiful and useful, are unlikely to have any effect in reducing high turnover. However, that is precisely why they may prove more necessary: high turnover rates imply a repeated effort to adequately and continuously educate newcomers on the hazards of the jobs they will be going into. The more rapid the turnover, the more effort will be required to maintain safety skills and culture at an appropriate level.

All of this can translate into higher costs per individual employee. One solution to ensure both effectiveness and efficiency can be distance learning, through which some typical costs such as:

  • Travel costs to attend training courses
  • The costs of absence from work due to attendance

eLearning, in particular, can be an optimal solution for this purpose.


Benefits of eLearning for occupational safety training

In fact, eLearning offers several specific benefits when used for occupational safety training. among them:

  • Increased flexibility and accessibility of learning materials
  • Personalization of the learning path
  • Increased engagement and interactivity
  • Faculty monitoring and evaluation
  • Reduced upgrade costs and high scalability

With eLearning solutions, occupational safety training materials can be accessed anytime and from anywhere, using devices such as computers, tablets or smartphones. This flexibility makes training more accessible for employees who may be in different locations or have flexible work schedules.

Training modules can be structured to provide relevant content specific to different employee roles and responsibilities. This ensures that each employee receives training targeted to his or her position and safety needs.

eLearning offers various interactive modes, such as quizzes, simulations, and explanatory videos, which make learning more engaging and effective. This interactivity helps employees better understand safety concepts and apply them correctly in the workplace.

eLearning platforms allow employees' progress in workplace safety training to be monitored and evaluated. Administrators can track quiz results, view module completion times and identify any areas that need further attention. This makes it easier to monitor the effectiveness of training and correct problems in a timely manner.

An update on regulations or company procedures would not be a big problem. It may be sufficient to add a module at the end of the course and require that staff enjoy the content. Compared with traditional classroom training, eLearning reduces the costs associated with printing materials, holding physical training sessions, and covering employees during training. Another important advantage is that there would be less distance between the time of learning and the time of implementation of newly acquired skills.

Finally, and this is relevant for companies with high turnover, eLearning platforms allow a large number of users to be managed simultaneously, enabling companies to deliver safety training effectively even with a large number of employees on the move.


How to implement eLearning in occupational safety training

Implementing an eLearning-based occupational safety training program requires careful planning and a well-defined strategy. The effort pays off well, especially when the material is to be enjoyed by a large number of users, as in the case of enterprises with high turnover rates.

A successful start of an occupational safety training program requires an integrated approach. Before starting the training program, it is essential to conduct a needs analysis to identify the specific skills and knowledge that employees need to acquire in occupational safety. This analysis will help define learning objectives and develop targeted and effective content.

The creation of training content is a crucial aspect. It is important to engage occupational safety experts or in-house consultants to develop clear, concise and relevant training materials. Use a variety of formats, such as videos, animations, quizzes and case studies, to maintain employee interest and attention. This phase can be outsourced by relying on eLearning platforms that already have an adequate catalog of occupational safety courses tailored to the company's industries

To increase the effectiveness of the courses, their content can be customized to tailor the training course to the specific needs of employees. Offering training modules tailored to employees' individual roles or skills can a more relevant and engaging learning experience. It is critical to communicate clearly and actively involve employees in the training program. Explain the importance of workplace safety training, provide information on how to access training materials, and solicit feedback and suggestions from employees to continuously improve the program.

The tracking capabilities of the eLearning platform allow employees to monitor their progress and generate detailed reports on training progress. This periodic evaluation allows the impact of high turnover on training costs and safety outcomes to be estimated. It may also be the case that, despite continuous turnover, the industry and operations are not affected.


Conclusion

Occupational safety is a constantly changing field; therefore, it is important to keep training materials up-to-date. Monitor new company regulations or procedures and regularly update training content to reflect these changes. Maintaining a constant flow of up-to-date information will ensure that employees are properly prepared and aware of the latest safety practices.

Implementing an eLearning-based workplace safety training program requires a strategic and thoughtful approach. By following these strategies, you can create a safer work environment, reduce the risk of workplace accidents, and ensure that employees acquire the skills they need to protect themselves and others in the workplace.


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