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Education and training is crucial in all industries, especially in the United States. Ensuring employees are adequately trained doesn’t just help them to do better, more effective work (although that’s a big part of it, too). It also enables you to keep every worker safe and compliant — even in roles that might not seem hazardous at first glance.
In this article, we’ll dive into the importance of effective employee training and education across industries. We’ll discuss some of the most important training courses and certifications to consider and explore how you can foster a culture that holds safety and compliance above all else.
The Importance of Employee Education and Training Across Industries
So, what’s so important about employee education and training across industries? Most importantly, it improves workplace safety by ensuring everyone has a thorough understanding of safe work practices and the regulations they need to comply with.
Here are a few other benefits:
- Improves productivity and quality: Ensuring employees are adequately trained allows them to learn about new tools, skills, and procedures, which can help them perform their jobs better. This can lead to a big boost in productivity and quality of work across your organization.
- Reduces costs: Organizations in the US that invest in thorough training have fewer accidents and compliance issues than others. This can significantly reduce litigation costs and liability claims.
- Improves professional reputation: A reputation for quality training can be a significant competitive advantage for a company. This is because your employees are likely to perform their work more efficiently and effectively because of the training they have received.
- Ensures compliance: Many industries are heavily regulated, and there are big consequences for non-compliance. Ensuring every employee understands the relevant regulations helps you to ensure compliance across your organization.
- Fosters a culture of continuous learning: These days, many employees in the US want to improve their skills and opt for jobs where there’s room for development. Providing continuous training and education opportunities improves job satisfaction by allowing employees to meet their professional goals.
Key Employee Training Programs to Consider
We’ve covered the importance of employee education and training. But what does it actually look like in practice? Here are a few of the key training programs and certifications to consider for companies in the United States.
Compliance and Safety Training
Various bodies govern workplace health and safety across different sectors. They require companies to deliver new hire training, safety training, and task-specific training to all employees. This is the absolute minimum training that you should be delivering to your employees.
Some organizations also require employees to complete specific training programs that cover common safety and compliance issues they may come across in their roles and how to mitigate those risks. Employees who have completed one of these courses often receive a completion certificate at the end of the training.
OSHA-required training
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the body responsible for governing workplace health and safety in the USA. They require construction companies in all states to deliver new hire training, safety training and task-specific training to all employees. This is the absolute minimum training that you should be delivering to your employees.
Some states also require all workers on construction sites to complete a 10—or 30-hour Outreach Training Program. This program covers common safety and health hazards that workers may encounter on a job site and how to mitigate those risks. Workers who have completed one of these courses receive an OSHA course completion card at the end of the training.
Additional certifications
There are many different certifications that employees can earn, enabling them to work in different areas and handle various responsibilities. For example, employees can earn certifications in project management, data analysis, aerial lift handling, crane operation and many other areas.
Giving employees the opportunity to undergo additional training and gain extra certifications can help you build the skills and abilities of your workforce over time. It allows you to be more agile in your operations and ensure compliance with various regulations. It can also improve your employees’ job satisfaction by providing them with opportunities for growth and development.
Advanced safety training
Most office and corporate environments in the US also have people on site with additional safety and compliance training, which helps to ensure the safety and regulatory adherence of all workers. For example, the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) is a certification offered by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals, which is open to anyone with relevant experience in safety management.
This training teaches supervisors and would-be supervisors to monitor job sites for hazards, ensure compliance with safety regulations, document safety processes, and communicate safety concerns with managers.
Cultivating a Culture of Safety and Compliance in the US
Employee training and education are just one part of a solid safety and compliance program. Companies should also work to develop a culture of safety that emphasizes the importance of safe and compliant work practices throughout the organization.
Train Leaders and Managers to Understand Proper Safety Practices
It’s not only the employees who need to understand safety and compliance principles. In a truly safety-oriented organization, leadership and managers should be adequately trained, too.
There are many certifications and courses specifically for those in leadership roles. For example, the Safety Management Specialist (SMS) certification is offered by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) to help leadership understand proper safety principles and keep their teams safe.
Empower Employees and Build Accountability
Employees need to see safety and compliance as fundamental goals of daily work life — not just compliance requirements. That means that employers should work to engage employees with these concepts.
To do this, management and leadership should demonstrate a commitment to safety and compliance by providing the right tools, resources, and training to allow employees to work safely and effectively. It’s also important to develop a culture that rewards safe and compliant practices and includes consequences for unsafe behaviour.
Encourage Open Communication
One of the most difficult parts of building a safety and compliance-focused culture is encouraging employees to speak up when they spot potential hazards or non-compliant practices. Even employees who feel strongly about safety and compliance might be hesitant to report concerns about their colleagues and supervisors.
Employers should use thoughtful communication to remind employees that pointing out when something isn’t right is a key part of their responsibilities. You should also reassure them that they won’t be reprimanded or retaliated against for speaking up.
Use Feedback for Continuous Improvement
Of course, it’s not just about listening to employees’ concerns—it’s about acting on them, too. Companies should create mechanisms for spotting repeated problems and incorporate this data into their training programs.
For example, if multiple employees report the same compliance issue with a certain process, you will likely need to provide additional training on that process.
The Path Forward in Employee Education and Training
While safety and compliance concerns are important in all industries, they’re particularly front of mind in many roles.
Thankfully, effective employee training and a well-thought-out safety and compliance program can mitigate these risks. Remember: it’s not just about delivering a one-time training session to tick a box—it’s about creating a culture of continuous learning, development, and improvement when it comes to safety and compliance.
