The risk goes up when training goes down. Studies show us that inadequately trained or untrained workers equate strongly with a higher volume of on-the-job injuries. The danger isn’t just to the untrained employee but also to everyone around them. Manufacturers that fail to offer their employees ongoing training stand to have higher rates of worker injury, workers comp, and OSHA recordable events. In honor of National Safety Month, this blog will look at on-the-job training and its impact on job-related injuries.
What Are the Risks of Inadequate Safety Training?
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires safety training. This includes training on the proper use of safety equipment such as harnesses, hardhats, noise protection, scaffolding—and more. In addition to being the right thing to do, safety training is mandated by law. But not just training; it’s the right training that follows the letter of the law. For example, providing outdated or incomplete safety training is almost just as bad as not providing it at all.
Failing to train your employees means they’ll be more likely to injure themselves or inadvertently harm other people. It may not even be carelessness, either—how can the employee be considered careless when they haven’t been trained on the right approach?
In some cases, we see problems when more tenured employees train new workers coming into the fold. Are you sure that the current employee is up to speed on all the latest safety rules? Are you sure the current employee isn’t passing along shortcuts as part of their training? Are they OSHA-certified in safety techniques?
Another risk is that the new employee may not be as productive if they haven’t received the proper training. This can pull down the entire team as they try to help the new employee or as production declines. Everyone can become more frustrated as they struggle to resume productivity levels. Finally, staff retention may become a problem because of that stress and production.
The new employee also may not have full training. For example, they may understand the safety rules around operating a machine. However, they may not know to wear the right protective equipment. Maybe they aren’t as situationally aware as they should be. Either way, the new employee lacks all of the information they need to perform safely on the job.
This, in turn, puts you at risk. Workplaces accidents can go up. Your company may be held liable for not providing workers with the safety training they need. Staff morale usually declines when a workplace injury occurs. In addition to the cost of a workplace injury, you will be short-handed while the employee is recovering.
Providing safety training is just as important as offering other development opportunities. Training can help educate employees about the new skills they need to do the job more efficiently. It can also lower your risk and ultimately, the cost of workplace injuries.
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Lingo Staffing can help you with highly-skilled, training employees to help your business stay on track. Call on our team today. We’re here to help.
