Every company wants to be as compliant as possible when it comes to meeting health and safety standards within the workplace, but maintaining worker compliance is not always easy. One of the primary causes of non-compliance is worker error, often due to confusion about protocol. Health and safety protocols are in place to protect workers, but sometimes these protocols are not clear or perhaps need to be amended. EHS compliance software enables environmental and occupational health workers to not only develop safety training programs but to also assess worker knowledge of current protocols. So, how can you use the tools at your disposal to ensure that your workers are up to speed on health and safety standards, and address any knowledge gaps that may be in place?
Creating a Preliminary Safety Questionnaire
Before you set-up standardized safety training modules for your workers to complete through EHS compliance software, you should first assess the knowledge base of your employees and gauge the areas that require improvement. This can be done through a simple questionnaire, and can quickly help you determine if safety protocols are not being followed because of a lack of knowledge rather than a disregard for safety practices. Once the questionnaires are completed, safety compliance software can be used in conjunction with the EHS software suite to formulate a comprehensive training platform.
Safety Training Development
Now that you know where significant knowledge gaps are, or some areas in which workers have been neglecting safety protocols you can develop a targeted safety program for workers to complete. If there are necessary certifications like WHIMIS that need to be obtained then supplementary classes can be added as necessary. Compliance management software can be used to ensure that all of the safety modules meet compliance regulations and ensure that the protocols being taught to employees are up to current compliance practices. For example, if workers did not require headgear for some areas on a construction site but now do for all areas and they are unaware of the change then the new safety class can address this lapse in knowledge while providing an explanation for the change.
Safety Class and Tutorial Access
Once the safety classes and modules are uploaded to the EHS compliance software, employees can work through them, and the environmental or occupational health manager can access their profiles to assess their progress. Employees can also sign up for certification courses and safety classes that have an in-class learning portion. Essentially, EHS software gives you the ability to organize safety classes, upload training modules, assess knowledge base prior and post-study, and create individualized profiles for each worker. As an occupational health worker, being able to gain a 360-degree picture of each employee and their training needs provides you with the tools necessary to train them to the best of both yours and their abilities. Workers will also feel like they are able to provide some of their own input if they are able to provide every day examples of why certain protocols are ineffective or areas they feel require refining as they are on the frontlines. They can quickly see if something is unsafe or if they are presented with a safety situation they do not know how to address. Then it’s time for some training!
Knowledge is power, so give your workers the tools necessary to work at an optimal level while maintaining their health and safety.
