If your training budget has taken a hit, don’t despair. There’s plenty you can do to create maximum training impact at a minimum cost (we like to think that the Safety Daily Advisor newsletter and website fall into that category). Today our Safety Training Tips editor gives you some other ideas.
Contracting with safety consults to provide in-house training or sending employees off-site to training sessions or seminars is fine if you have an unlimited budget. But who does these days? With a little creative thinking, however, you can take advantage of training options and resources that you might not have considered before.
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Get training packages off-the-shelf or go online. There are many wonderful packaged training programs available on every safety and health topic you might require. Packages usually contain all the materials you need to conduct effective safety meetings, including training outlines, handouts, quizzes, and so on. Programs are available in a variety of formats, including PowerPoint®, CD-ROM, video, and print. These programs are designed so that sessions can easily be conducted by your supervisors and HR or safety personnel with a minimum of preparation and a maximum impact. Some are even self-directed.
Online training is also a great way to get expertly crafted training programs on any imaginable safety topic and save the cost of hiring trainers. Online training also has the benefit of being easy to schedule to suit employees’ work schedules. And you can train anyone, anywhere, from one employee to hundreds, and at different facilities or remote locations.
Try other low-cost options. For example:
- Access your associations. Many trade groups and industry organizations have safety departments or experts on staff.
- Call on colleagues. Network with other safety professionals in your industry. Consider asking them to conduct training for your employees. And then you can return the favor.
- Get creative within your community. There’s a lot of expertise right in your community. For example, police, fire, and emergency personnel could help with fire safety, emergency response, and first-aid training. Municipal and county experts might also be able to help with such topics as chemical spill response, hazardous materials transportation, and hazardous waste management.
- Engage employees. Many safety professionals leverage the knowledge and experience of employees by using them as in-house trainers. Safety committees are often a good place to look for trainers.
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- Seek out suppliers. Those who make and sell the equipment used by your employees know their products and how to operate them safely better than anyone else. Why pay a consultant to train when you could probably negotiate deals that include free training when you make purchases?
- Dive into your data. The safety statistics you collect, the results of incident or near-miss investigations, and the findings of internal audits are all excellent resources from which to develop training. Because these data are specific to your workplace and its hazards, your training must also be specific to the needs of your employees.
Why It Matters…
- In tough economic times, training budgets are often among the first to be slashed.
- But no matter what the economic situation, OSHA still requires you to perform mandated training.
- Without proper safety and health training, the risk of accidents, injuries, and illness increases sharply.