How Often Should You Conduct Safety Training?

Companies that value well-trained employees often have ongoing training programs in place. Ongoing does not mean continuous, so how often should you provide ongoing training to employees?

Certain safety training topics have to be refreshed or retrained on a set schedule. In most cases, safety or other training courses that result in or require certification will only be valid for a certain length of time before retraining is required. It is always a good idea to take note of what safety training expires and when so that you can ensure that all employees are properly trained and certified.

When you first train a new employee, they will take security messages seriously, but without any follow-up training, they will probably incorporate some unsafe habits. That puts you, them, and everyone on the road with them at risk. You need to make safety training a regular part of driving for your company.

If you want to protect your people and reduce accidents, safety training must be a continuous process. It’s not just an onboarding event.

An effective safety training program:

• Uses monthly safety meetings to reduce your biggest loss-leaders
• Delivers important safety messages daily
• Features larger training events throughout the year

Organize monthly safety meetings to reduce your biggest loss leaders. Make safety training a part of everyday work life with daily safety tips and briefings to start the day. Host larger training events a few times a year to dig into complex safety issues.

Preventive training aims precisely at correcting bad behaviors, conscious or not, that lead to risk. And it is not just the company that has had a serious or fatal accident that should seek training – ideally, the risk is identified to avoid the accident.

This is where the safety culture comes in: a set of good practices that are shared with employees. Uniform training and guidance among those responsible for work safety and drivers help foster this type of culture.

More than that, training manages to put the risky habits into context, making the act of driving more conscious than unconscious – that is, avoiding recklessness and distraction.