[Infographic] 12 Easy Steps To Effective Safety Training

Safety training may be a standard requirement to get through for most people, but it’s supposed to be much more than that. It’s required because it can save lives and reduce injuries of all types. Without safety training and regulations, workplaces might still be just as deadly as they were 50 or even 100 years ago.

You may be delivering employee training to your employees, but is it effective? Are your employees learning from it and retaining the information? How can you tell?

This infographic walks you through 12 easy steps that can help you create more effective safety training in your workplace:

1. Outline what you’re going to cover.

• Give trainees an idea of what to expect before revealing the content itself. It’s helpful for employees to get an idea of what’s coming so they have the right mindset to take in the information.

2. Present the information.

• Presenting the information, no matter your presentation approach, is likely the most obvious and basic step here. The other steps are all here to support this one and help to make the training truly effective.

3. Repeat what you told them.

• Repetition is key. You can’t expect anyone to remember everything you’ve told them the first time around with nothing to reinforce the information, so why train your employees that way?

4. Always explain what trainees are going to see before you show a multimedia portion.

• Using multimedia content within your training is a great idea; however, you need to frame it properly so that trainees have the right context. Just like outlining the entire training session, providing a brief outline of video content can help to enhance comprehension.

5. Use as much hands-on training as possible.

• There are many types of learners, and many employees will learn best through practical experience. Providing hands-on training will increase employees’ confidence with their roles and their likelihood of retaining the training information.

6. Test frequently.

• An easy way to track comprehension and retention is through testing. Even quick, informal testing is useful. Just ask a few questions along the way, maybe during the training after each segment. The outcome of the testing can help you to verify if your information is being presented clearly and employees are alert during the training session.

7. Involve trainees.

• Getting employees involved in the training is a great way to engage them. Whether you use them in role-playing scenarios or you ask them some questions along the way, involvement is a sure way to enhance training effectiveness.

8. Repeat questions before answering them.

• If you’re looking for trainees to get more involved and engaged with the training, don’t hand out answers. Maybe someone missed part of the question or just needed some time to think. Repeat questions for those employees to help it sink in first. It’s okay to help with answers if needed afterward.

9. Analyze the session as you go.

• Whether this is through quizzing or just noticing the attitudes and attentiveness in the room, it’s crucial that you “take the temperature” of the room as you go. By analyzing during the session, you can adjust things like pace and involvement before the session ends badly.

10. Keep the session on track.

• The best way to lose the focus and attention of your employees is to let the session get off track. It’s really easy to do, so you need to make sure you use your time wisely and remind yourself that the training is the number one priority—even if you encounter distractions or technical difficulties.

11. Put yourself in their shoes—or seats.

• Your trainees are your employees, and maybe they even work alongside you on the job. Try to put yourself in their place as you go through the training. Is the training going to work for them? Is the atmosphere in the room suitable for learning? If it’s not, you need to find a way to better the training session for their benefit and the benefit of the whole company.

12. Solicit feedback on the training session.

• Quizzing can help you gauge how the training is going to a certain extent, but it’s absolutely vital that you gather feedback from all of your employees on how the training went from their point of view. This is the best way to ensure that your training sessions are effective for everyone.

Take a look at your current training. How many of these steps do you incorporate in your sessions? Try going through this list and hitting every point on it the next time you conduct your training. Taking just 12 easy steps can help you on your way to more effective safety training.