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Keeping your staff safe at work can be a tough job, but if you plan ahead and train your employees effectively, you can minimise hazards. Here are some steps you can take to help ensure everyone is up to speed.

Involve your team

Ensure your team is involved in the creation of the training program, as this will empower them to take ownership of the scheme when it’s implemented. Seek input from staff on how you could improve safety in the workplace. You may gain some good insight from employees and pick up on problems that you or managers don’t see..

Use variety

Training should be informative but also engaging, or it will be ineffective. Mix it up with several different types of learning, such as roleplaying, quizzes and interactive activities.

Make it hands on

Take the lesson out of the classroom and have staff demonstrate how they use equipment. The instructor can then provide constructive feedback and professional guidance to correct any staff members who are not using it properly. This can help overcome any bad habits that could potentially lead to accidents.
You could also tour the workplace and ask staff to point out any hazards and how they could be fixed. This will make them more aware of their surroundings and provide an opportunity to explain how to deal with accidents.

Hire professionals

Only a skilled and trained person in workplace health and safety (WHS) should provide training. While your business might be small, getting the right person to do the job could mean you save money in the future from compensation claims and litigation.

Remind staff

Your business’s health and safety policy should be visible for everyone to see in a place that employees often frequent, such as the kitchen and washrooms.

Seek improvement

Seeking staff feedback from training sessions will help you work out where training was effective and where it wasn’t. This will allow you to improve it in the future.
Once the policy has been implemented, ensure it is regularly reviewed. This includes measuring it against any targets you have set and examining any accidents that have occurred.

End training positively

A good way to assess how effective training has been is to quiz staff. Quizzes can be a fun way to test employees on their understanding and introduce some friendly competition – particularly if rewards are provided, such as candy or chocolate.
The workplace safety of your employees is crucial to the success of your business. Ensuring they are trained effectively will help keep your workplace safe and accident free.
Maintaining staff training programs is even more effective when everyone is working to one set plan.