Now a prerequisite of most competitive business benefits packages, corporate training options that include new software iterations or the potential for job progression provide the best possible opportunity to attract top talent with every job listing. Unfortunately, far too many managers overlook the fact that to be comprehensive, training should also stretch to cover workplace safety issues.
This is especially the case with safety concerns at an all-time high in this post-pandemic period, but safety training that takes into account considerations like fire drills, first aid, and other such essentials have long deserved their place on the workplace curriculum. Obviously, these priorities can’t take the place of employer responsibilities in these areas, but ensuring that staff at least know the drill (excuse the pun) with regards to workplace safety from all angles brings undeniable benefits that are, if anything, more worthwhile than the plus points of other training focuses. But, what benefits can you enjoy from getting on top of health and safety training at last?
Higher employee satisfaction
Job satisfaction consists of multiple factors, but feeling safe at work is definitely a basic requirement for getting everyone onside. Obviously, safety precautions on your part are and will continue to be the best possible thing that you can do in this regard, but the added reassurance of instilled knowledge when it comes to your safety procedures and capabilities can also make a huge difference. At the very least, knowing what to do in the event of an emergency can save staff from worrying unnecessarily, or feeling entirely let down if the worst does happen while they’re working.
Incident prevention
Health and safety incident prevention largely comes down to regular fire suppression system service, equipment checks, and assessments, but training also plays a part here. After all, the better able every member of your team is to foresee risks and take the correct action should anything go wrong, the less likely it is that an incident will ever have a chance of arising. As well as being a fantastic step towards proactive safety measures, training therefore also has the benefit of taking the full weight of safety standards from your shoulders.
Cost savings
Many employers don’t realize that inclusive safety training focuses can also have the benefit of cost savings for a variety of reasons. Most notably, perhaps, comprehensive and compliant safety training programs have the benefit of often lowering insurance premiums when they’re implemented in accordance with an insurer’s requirements. It’s worth noting, too, that where proper, documented health and safety training is concerned, protections against often costly liability cases are almost guaranteed if employee injury occurs due to human error. Over time, these costs, too, are guaranteed to add up to some pretty significant savings, especially considering the reputational damage you’ll be able to avoid as a result.
Even if you’ve never made much space for health and safety training in your workplace curriculum until now, you can guarantee that this change is long overdue if you’re to stand any chance at coming close to these benefits and much more!
