Future-Proof Best Practices for Workforce and Safety Training
When it comes to safety and compliance, comprehensive EHS and HR training is a must. Get best practices to future-proof your workforce and safety training.
When it comes to safety and compliance, comprehensive EHS and HR training is a must. As workplace environments advance and shift over time, training needs are changing too.
We are paying attention to what training courses companies are using and what they wish they had access to within their training programs.
We have gathered data across industries to get a snapshot of current workplace safety and compliance training course uses, what leaders are looking to get out of their training programs, and what we see for the future of EHS and HR training.
The data used in this report was gathered through a study conducted by Novara in Fall 2021. We polled users across our Vera Suite, Risk Management Center, Novara Flex, and Subscription to Safety products. Six hundred sixty-five users participated in the study.
Current Trends in Workforce Training
Throughout 2021, we kept a keen eye on which focus areas were most popular for our users. According to the data, the top focus areas for 2021 were Harassment Prevention, Physical Safety, Equipment Safety, and Illness Prevention training.
Most Viewed Training
Categories of 2021
Harassment Prevention, Physical Safety, Equipment Safety, and Illness Prevention were the most viewed training course categories of 2021.
Physical Safety
Training to avoid hazardous situations and injuries is a critical element to keeping a safe and healthy workforce, and it can save companies a lot of money down the road. In 2021, training related to physical safety was a high priority. Hazard Communication Awareness, Personal Protective Equipment Awareness, and Emergency Response training courses ranked highest for hazard and emergency preparedness. Back Injury Prevention and Slip, Trip, and Fall Prevention were the most viewed courses for avoiding injuries.
Most Viewed Physical Safety Training Categories
Hazard Communication Awareness, Personal Protective Equipment, Emergency Response, Back Injury Prevention, and Fall Prevention were the most viewed physical safety training courses of 2021.
Anti-Harassment
Anti-harassment training courses are an integral part of a successful HR training regiment. As a multifaceted issue that spans all industries and affects each department of a company, anti-harassment training programs help to ensure a safe and enjoyable workplace for your employees. Furthermore, they can help to prevent expensive litigation. In 2021 antiharassment training was one of the most viewed training courses.
Equipment Safety
Learning to follow proper equipment safety protocol is essential to keeping your employees safe and your equipment in working condition. Equipment safety training courses were in high demand in 2021. At the top of the list were Fire Extinguisher Safety, Defensive Driving, and Lockout/Tagout Awareness.
Most Viewed Equipment Safety Training Categories of 2021
Fire Extinguisher Safety, Defensive Driving, and Lockout/Tagout Awareness were the most viewed equipment safety training courses.
Illness Prevention
As the COVID-19 pandemic wore on in 2021, illness prevention training courses continued to be as vital as ever. Illness prevention training was a popular aspect of companies’ plans to keep workers happy and healthy. The most viewed illness prevention training courses were COVID-19 General Awareness Training, Bloodborne Pathogens, and Heat Illness Prevention.
Illness Prevention Training Categories of 2021
COVID-19 General Awareness, Bloodborne Pathogens, Heath Illness Prevention were the most viewed illness prevention training courses of 2021.
The 2022 Training Program Wishlist
We polled our user base to get a feel for what safety and training managers want to see from their EHS and HR Training Courses in the future. Let’s dive deep into this data and discover the future of Safety and Training Programs.
Preferred Length of Training
Most users prefer a 10 to 20 minute training course length, long enough to deliver as much information as possible while still being brief enough to hold the attention of those participating. The runner-up for most popular length is 5 to 10 minutes, for a shorter and sweeter course.
Clients’ Preferred Length of Training
Most clients reported a preference for 10 to 20 minute training course lengths.
5 Future Trends in Training
Supervisor and Manager Safety: We all know that team member safety training must be well-enforced by leadership teams, but who ensures that the people in charge stay safe? Supervisor and Manager Safety training courses help keep leadership up-to date on protocols to keep themselves and their teams safe.
Industry-Specific: While many training courses apply to all industries, some training programs require industry-specific knowledge and applications. Industry-specific training is a great way to cover the training topics that target your workforce’s specific responsibilities, equipment, and skillsets.
Health and Wellness: Along with standard illness prevention, companies are starting to place a greater focus on the general well-being of their workers. Health and Wellness training addresses topics like mental health, mindfulness, and stress relief.
Environmental: Workplace environments can dramatically impact the level of potential safety concerns and hazards for employees. Environmental training courses are designed to keep workers informed on safety procedures related to their workplace environment.
State-Specific: Although plenty of training programs can be used in any state, there are benefits to using state-specific courses that incorporate the regulations, environmental factors, and other particularities of a specific location.
Training Topic in High Demand for 2022
Supervisor and Manager Safety, Industry-Specific, Health and Wellness, Environmental, and State-Specific training topics are in high demand for 2022.
Best Practices to Future-Proof Your Workforce and Safety Training
We can use the data gathered in our study to determine best practices for the future of workforce and safety training programs. Examining the current and future trends illuminated in our research, we can see which barriers to training need to be broken. The future of EHS and HR safety training is all about increasing access by eliminating friction between the training programs and those who need it.
Eliminate Friction Between Training Material and Those
Who Need It
Training programs are only as effective as their implementation. With fewer barriers to access, the training courses you provide your employees are more likely to impact your worksite’s safety and profitability positively. Improving the ease of access, retention, and application of your training program will help eliminate friction between the courses you offer and those who need them.
Easier to Access
The easier it is to access training courses, the more likely they’ll be completed. Mobile capability and notifications go a long way towards increasing ease of access. With mobile capability, you can access training courses directly from a cell phone – it’s like having a library of courses in your pocket! Alerts and notifications will help your employees on track to complete training courses. Novara EHS offers both mobile capability and alerts to make accessing and staying on top of training programs as easy as possible.
Easier to Retain
Shorter training courses tend to be easier to retain because the amount of information is more digestible and it keeps viewers engaged throughout the program. Moreover, they take less time to complete. Brief training lengths put your employees back on the factory floor
or job site sooner, which eases the strain on both your employees and bottom line. Novara EHS provides a wide range of training course lengths, from short and sweet to deeper dives. With a range of lengths to choose from, Novara EHS gives you the ability to select which training length is right for your employees.
Easier to Apply
More relevant and engaging training programs lead to higher levels of information retention for your employees. When training content is relevant to specific industries and locations and is assigned strategically to only those who need it, it is easier for employees to apply the training lessons to their roles. Novara EHS offers state and industry-specific training and training courses that zero in on the responsibilities of specific roles. Engagement and retention also tends to increase when employees have training courses that embody the voice and values of their company. Customizable training content options help tailor courses to the needs of your industry and the personality of your company. With Novara EHS training courses, you have tons of customizable content options, including photos and GIFs, quiz questions and duration, and narrator voice and content.
How Novara Can Help
According to our training data, the most viewed course topics in 2021 were physical and equipment safety, anti-harassment, and illness prevention. Our study found that the future focus points of workforce and safety training will be supervisor and manager safety, environmental training, health and wellness promotion, and industry- and state-specific topics. Future-minded workforce and safety training best practices revolve around increasing training effectiveness by improving your programs’ ease of access, retention, and application. Novara Flex offers 292 training courses with a wide variety of topics, lengths, and customization options to provide high-quality, easy-access training to your workforce.
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