Importance of Safety Training in the Workplace

Posted by Safetyfirst Training on February 6th, 2017

News reportsseems to report a workplace accident fatality almost every day. In most scenarios, these accidents could have been avoided. There are various factors that might lead to work site accidents, however, one of the most common reasons for such accidents is employee carelessness. In the majority of cases, it is due to lack of knowledge regarding safety rules that these accidents occur. Therefore, if employers wish to limit work site accidents, they must consider conducting safety training sessions on a regular basis. Employees who are trained in accident prevention will be better able to assess work site risks and help themselves and others stay safe.

Trained employees will be able to handle the crisis in a controlled and confident manner as they are aware of what needs to be done in case of an emergency or any other work site hazard. In case an accident does take place, then the trained workers will be prepared to handle the situation in a better way and make sure that they limit the severity of the damage.

Untrained workers who are not educated in accident prevention may actually worsen a dangerous work site situation due to lack of knowledge on how to respond to the accident or emergency situation on the work site. Health and safety training is not only essential for employees, but for employers as well. If employers have a thorough understanding of the workplace accident prevention rules, then they will be able to help in employees keeping the work site free from accidents. Thus, even employers must participate in health and safety training sessions.

How to deal with chemicals: Does your job involved using chemicals? Then you must know that you must not use any kind of chemicals or cleaning supplies until you have the right training to use them. Either WHMIS 2015 and/or TDG training will be essential. It is imperative to have ventilation when dealing with chemicals. If wrong chemicals get mixed, then they can be fatal, thus, care must be taken to avoid keeping them near each other.

Slip and fall accidents: It is essential that both employers and employees be aware of potential slip and fall hazards and how to prevent them. The personal injuries caused by falling may prevail throughout a person’s life. Thus, learning how to prevent slip and fall accidents is essential.

Use protective gear: Employees are provided with protective gear, however, not many are aware of why wearing the gear is essential. Thus, they must learn the importance of why different safety gear should be worn. Safety glasses can help in keeping foreign particles out of eyes and also protecting them from splashes. Different kinds of boots may be required for different kinds of jobs.

Wear a seat belt while using a forklift: Providing forklift training to workers is essential as this is one of the most common things that people get careless while operating. It is essential to wear seat belts at all times. This will protect the worker in case the forklift tips over. It will keep them on the forklift, thus, preventing the forklift from falling on the worker.

Dealing with fire emergencies: Most workplaces are susceptible to fire emergencies. Thus, a fire prevention session and response is the most necessary part of the accident prevention session.

WHMIS training, or, Workplace Hazardous Materials Information Training, is essential for all employers and employees.This program has recently been updated and is now called WHMIS 2015. Recently WHMIS joined forces with the worldwide hazard community known as GHS (Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals).

WHMIS in Canada has now been renamed to WHMIS 2015, and follows a very similar outline to GHS. This new hazard classification system is considered more “user friendly” and allows anyone from around the world to understand any of the hazards. It is a legal requirement that all employers and employees are trained in this new format.