Workplace safety education and training begins whenever you hire a new employee, but it should also be reinforced at specific intervals. Most companies choose to update employee safety skills once a year. But as an employer, you must stay up to date with changes in regulations, new innovations in cleaning up spills or handling injuries, and you must pass this information on to your employees. The best way to choose supplies for workplace safety and education is to shop around for the most effective materials.

All employers must reinforce workplace safety training information to maintain a safe working environment. But that gets tough, because companies cannot put their employees in front of the television every year to watch the same training video. New supplies for workplace safety education and training may include:

1. Updated versions of videos you have already used.

2. Workplace safety training materials, such as worksheets and tests.

3. A workplace safety seminar either held outside of the workplace or conducted by an outside source.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find free online modules to work through workplace safety training materials

Many industries have hours of various materials to work through before employees are properly educated on all aspects of safety in the workplace. your employees can benefit from using online training modules. These can be accessed from anywhere there is an Internet connection, so employees can work through materials at their own pace.

I recommend: The government provides AgSafe training materials online for those who need workplace safety training in the agriculture industry. The Centers for Disease Control also offers online materials for the health industry, such as the self-study modules on Tuberculosis.

Customize programs to teach safety training in the workplace

Only you know the people you work with, how your workplace is set up, and the dangers that could be lurking around the place. This makes standard workplace safety training nearly useless unless you have the ability to customize it for your needs.

I recommend: OSHA Safety Training lets you put together your own custom package of videos and other safety materials. Crucible Safety Media is another resource for customized training materials.

Reinforce safety training for employees with posters and other print materials

There is no point in providing workplace safety education and training industry information to new employees if they will not remember what you teach them. To remind people about safety procedures and have the information ready if something happens, provide posters and other written materials around the workplace.

I recommend: You can get a subscription to posters at SafetyPoster.com. TuffRhino.com also has many poster styles and safety subjects to choose from, and covers many industries.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Safety education and training for the workplace is an important topic and should be treated as such. If you find that videos on training and safety are getting more laughs than attention, consider using different materials to get the point across.

Safety education and training for the workplace can help prevent on-the-job accidents that drain billions of dollars from US companies each year. These costs include both direct payments to injured workers and indirect costs, like lost time and productivity. A good workplace safety training program can help alleviate that cost by ensuring safer work practices.

If your industry puts employees in harm’s way, a safety education and training program is mandatory. However, for workplace safety education, you need to go beyond the mandatory requirements and give your employees a real learning experience.

It's always important to remember that when running a business, safety training in the workplace is your responsibility.

As you determine how to implement a program for safety education and training for the workplace, consider the following:

1. Start with any safety training in the workplace that OSHA requires before you cover additional workplace safety education and training programs. Expand your program when and if your budget allows it.
2. Where you think the biggest safety problems are not necessarily where your biggest safety problems lie. Build your safety training program from objective data to make sure you don’t invest more time than you need to in relatively unimportant training.
3. Make workplace safety education engaging for your employees and they’re more apt to retain the information. If you treat safety training like something simply done for the sake of compliance, it won’t strike your employees as engaging or even important.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Know where your business' workplace safety training weaknesses are

If you know where your safety and safety training weaknesses are, you can adopt safety training for employees that targets those specific problems. Though you'll want to train your employees in all required OSHA topics for your industry and for their specific job responsibilities, you may want to add topics to your training program, or spend more time on topics that are clearly a problem. The Towers Perrin-ISR Safety Survey gathers information from your employees about the safety culture in your company and then analyzes it, providing you with information you need to develop the most effective safety training program. Using an objective research tool like this helps you focus on the real rather than imagined safety problems.

I recommend: The Towers Perrin-ISR Safety Survey gathers information from your employees about the safety culture in your company and then analyzes it, providing you with information you need to develop the most effective workplace safety education and training. Using an objective research tool like this helps you focus on the real rather than imagined safety problems.

Choose online courses for a time- and cost-effective way to deliver safety training for workers

Much workplace safety training is information-based, and can be difficult for employees to retain, especially if they need to attend mandatory meetings. Online workplace safety videos allow your employees to train at their own pace and spend more time reviewing the information that directly affects them. Though you need to incorporate hands-on training, online courses deliver safety information to your employees.

I recommend: PureSafety uses multimedia and truly engaging learner activities to make online training more memorable. They have a comprehensive online course library, and can create custom training for you if you can’t find the right safety course. Safety Unlimited specializes in OSHA compliant safety training. You can browse their online workplace safety seminars and set up a corporate account for easy access.

Use the OHSA's training resources for safety training

Though OSHA's primary safety education and training goal is directed at federal and state compliance officers, they also offer safety training to the private sector, especially through their outreach program.

I recommend: Browse classes offered by the OSHA Training Institute (OTI), located in Arlington, Illinois. If travel is prohibitive or classes are full, find an OTI Education Center in your region, which offers the more popular OSHA safety training classes as well as workplace safety training information. Participate in the OSHA Outreach Training Program for construction and general industry or maritime industry. Through the program, your employees receive a full workplace safety education; they can take an OSHA trainer course and be authorized to teach in the Outreach Training Program.

Seek out a safety training grant for your sector

Though you can invest minimally in workplace safety training, too little investment here may cost you in the way of on the job accidents. However, implementing the best safety program can be beyond many companies' budgets. A safety training grant can help you develop an effective training program if you don't have the resources to create one.

I recommend: Apply for an OSHA Susan Harwood Training Grant if you’re a non-profit that needs additional funds for your safety training. Grants.gov offers a searchable database of available federal grants, including safety training grants for various industries.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Make sure you're in compliance with any OSHA regulations for your industry when you implement your training program.
• •  Provide safety training in your employees' language so every employee fully understands and can comply with safety regulations and precautions.

Workplace safety training is important in all industries. Employees need to understand the potential risks that come with the job. Workplace safety training often takes place before the employee begins his first full shift, so it's important that the information is presented in a serious, but timely fashion.

There are many options for companies looking for the right type of workplace safety training materials. The best choice all depends on the type of safety information your company needs to present.

Most companies rely on workplace safety seminars and videos to train their employees on the most important ways to avoid dangers in the workplace. If you are not sure what types of materials to use, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Is the potential safety hazard better demonstrated in a visual presentation?

2. Should potentially dangerous scenarios be presented and discussed?

3. Are there training standards where workplace safety education needs to be tested?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Explore videos for safety education and training for the workplace

Videos are among the most commonly used materials when it comes to safety training in the workplace. The right video will be informative and make a serious point to teach your employees the proper ways to prevent illness or injury. The right video for your company will give you an easy way to demonstrate risks, as well as what not to do in specific situations.

I recommend: Safety Video Direct has many safety training video titles to choose from. Workplace Safety Videos has many industry-specific titles, including safety videos for restaurants, factories and construction sites.

Choose companies that provide a workplace safety seminar for your employees

Training does not have to be organized or conducted entirely in-house. If there are topics that are regulated by an organization outside your business, it may be best if your employees are trained by professionals. An outside company is often better equipped to explain the complicated regulations set down by government agencies.

I recommend: Find A Seminar is a great resource for locating industry-specific seminars held in your area. Workplace Safety Store's weblog is another great place to find safety seminars all across the United States.

Customize workplace safety training information for your needs

The best way to get what you want out of workplace safety training is to have a professional company come in and customize a training program for you. This can include customized worksheets, seminars and videos.

I recommend: Total Safety provides standard and customized training programs for your employees in a variety of industries, including industrial fire, safety and education. National Seminars Training offers a one day course on OSHA compliance and workplace safety. Mine Safety Training provides customized on-site training for all different aspects of the mining industry.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  No matter what medium you use for your safety training, make sure all your workplace safety education and training basics can be covered in a couple of hours. Otherwise, employees may get tired. If it cannot be covered in a small amount of time, you can always break up the training into more than one session.

It is imperative that employers know the key terms used for workplace safety and education training courses and programs so that they can implement these in their organizations. There are workplace training programs with information for specific businesses and others that offer general information. The U.S. government requires businesses to create training programs, so take the time to learn the key terms for workplace safety and training programs to comply with government safety regulations and implement training programs for yourself and employees.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

OSHA, or Occupational Safety and Health Administration

OSHA offers education and training for the private sector, as well as federal and state officers, state safety consultants and other federal personnel. There are training requirements for those working in some areas of the private sector, including classes in safety for construction and other industries. OSHA also offers certification to students who take additional safety and training courses.

I recommend: Learn about the safety training and education programs at OSHA.

NASP, or National Association of Safety Professionals

NASP offers 12 professional and 26 workplace safety and training courses, including fire prevention and protection, emergency management and electrical safety. NASP offers certification to students who want to continue their education, including certified safety auditor and master safety training.

I recommend: Learn about the workplace safety and training programs featured at NASP.

Accident prevention

Accident prevention courses teach employers and employees how to create and maintain accident-prevention programs for their places of business. Some topics for these classes include accident-prevention strategies, techniques for investigation and hazard assessment.

I recommend: Read about workplace safety courses offered by Workplace Safety Specialists.

Fire prevention

Since fire safety training is essential for all businesses, there are many fire prevention programs for employers and employees. Areas that are covered include learning to recognize potential fire hazards, how to use fire extinguishers and how to control a fire in the workplace.

I recommend: Get information about fire prevention and safety videos, DVDs, software and online training programs offered at J.J. Keller & Associates.

Management safety programs

There are workplace safety programs designed for managers and supervisors to learn how to communicate safety issues with employees. For those with busy schedules, many of these courses are available online, via podcasts or audio conferences.

I recommend: Review the information about workplace safety classes offered by the HR Training Center.

Medical preparedness

It is important for employers, employees, managers and supervisors to receive training in medical preparedness since knowing what to do in a medical emergency can save lives. There are courses available that teach organizations how to recognize and handle a medical emergency, as well as how to use equipment such as defibrillators or perform CPR.

I recommend: Learn about the medical emergency-preparedness training offered by Annuvia.