| Workplace safety is vital to your workforce and | | | | everyone for screenings while still managing |
| to your company. In any company, personnel are | | | | coverage for the floor or work site. Many of the |
| your most valuable asset. Workplace safety | | | | best safety training films are available in a format |
| training is about more than keeping your workers | | | | that can be streamed or downloaded from a |
| safe, though preventing injury to both your staff | | | | central server. Many companies are also turning to |
| and the general public is certainly the major | | | | iPods, mini DVD players and MP3 players to |
| reason for safety training. In nearly every | | | | deliver safety videos and training to their workers. |
| industry, OSHA and other regulatory boards set | | | | - Use participatory activities to help drive points |
| standards for worker safety that must be met, | | | | home. |
| and records that must be maintained to prove | | | | One environmental plant manager, for instance, |
| those standards are being met. If your company | | | | used maps of the facility to help his workers |
| fails to follow the regulations, you could be hit with | | | | understand safety planning. In an in-service |
| huge fines. If one of your workers is injured on | | | | training, he handed out maps and asked them to |
| the job and your company was out of compliance | | | | mark various safety hazards on the map in |
| with any regulations, you may find yourself facing | | | | different colors. It helped them to visualize the |
| a hefty lawsuit for damages. | | | | layout of the plant in relation to safety hazards, |
| Since workplace safety is so vital, training your | | | | and helped him identify gaps in their knowledge. |
| workers in safety procedures should be one of | | | | - Train in context. |
| your company's top priorities. When choosing or | | | | While safety training videos can be an excellent |
| designing a workplace safety education program, | | | | way to explain important concepts, they work |
| there are a number of things to take into | | | | best if you use them in context. Unless a training |
| account. | | | | film has been custom made for your particular |
| Reaching All of Your Workers | | | | company, your workers will get more out of the |
| A great deal of the safety training that your | | | | video if you put it within a framework. If you're |
| workers need is information based. There are | | | | showing a video on how to identify asbestos, for |
| rules, regulations, standards and procedures that | | | | example, start with an explanation of how the |
| they should understand. Getting all that information | | | | training applies to their job and why it's important |
| into their hands can be time consuming. | | | | for them to understand it. |
| Mandatory meetings can eat into production time, | | | | - Reinforce concepts from safety training films |
| and it can be difficult for your employees to | | | | after the video is over. |
| retain when the info is all crammed into a one | | | | After the video, encourage discussion by asking |
| hour training session. | | | | questions and stepping back to listen to answers. |
| According to the U.S. Department of Education, | | | | It will help you gauge how well the message was |
| about 90 million Americans demonstrate low | | | | received and give you the opportunity to |
| competency in reading, math and basic logic. In | | | | reinforce important concepts and correct |
| addition, there are about 32 million Americans for | | | | mistaken assumptions. |
| whom English is a second language. Any time you | | | | - Seek out safety training grants to help finance |
| run a training session, you should simply assume | | | | your training efforts. |
| that a percentage of your workers are struggling | | | | There are safety training grants available through |
| with understanding what's being read or spoken. | | | | various branches of the federal, state and local |
| Safety training videos are an excellent way to | | | | governments. Homeland Security grants, for |
| deliver the information that your workers need to | | | | instance, can be used to purchase safety training |
| know. While you can screen videos for your work | | | | videos about emergency preparedness, handling |
| crews in in-house meetings, there are ways to | | | | hazardous materials and responding to |
| make it more convenient for your employees - | | | | emergencies using the national framework for |
| and help them learn and retain more from what | | | | emergency response. Trade unions may offer |
| they see. | | | | grants that will help you purchase materials to |
| - Make training videos when it's convenient for | | | | teach safety issues appropriate to your field. |
| your workers. | | | | Safety training for your workers should be a top |
| Putting your safety training films and course | | | | priority. These tips can help you design a |
| materials online on a company server lets your | | | | comprehensive worker safety education program |
| workers log on and study at their own pace. That | | | | that will keep your workforce safe and your |
| can be a lot easier than trying to gather | | | | company in compliance with all safety regulations. |