There are more than 100 OHSA regulations that companies must train their workers about and there are plenty of training programs to comply with these requirements. Yet many companies today recognize that how they do safety and health education is just as important as what they teach.
Companies are looking to engage their employees and often change their organization’s culture with their training program in hopes of yielding a big long-term payoff. One way this can be measured is by less workers’ compensation claims and more healthy employees. So while maintaining compliance with OHSA standards remains important, some companies are looking for more interactive, behavior-changing, self-empowering programs to create a culture of learning wellness and safety within all their facilities.
Facilities that may be in more than just one state, which is why e-learning or online education is slowly gaining popularity with industries that have employees at multiple sites who are required to receive OHSA training. In order to meet OHSA’s “hands on “ learning component and feedback requirements, instructional designers have built more interactivity, gaming techniques and feedback mechanisms into online safety programs, according to a January 2013 HR Magazine article titled “Putting Safety Training Online.”
The most common benefits cited by professionals for providing online learning tools to employees are:
- Flexibility – Training can be accessed by employees from anywhere and anytime.
- Cost-effective – Instructors do not need to travel to multiple locations to provide training.
- Efficient – It is easy to schedule, record and assess outcomes with online learning tools.
If companies work with a vendor to provide the online courses, companies may receive additional benefits as well. Some courses can be translated into multiple languages, emails and reminders to take the courses can be produced by the learning management system, as well as the delivery of current OHSA standards each year.
The bottom line is that many companies are regulated to conduct training, but are also looking to provide their employees with more health and wellness knowledge to guide them in their everyday work and life situations. Online education with its convenience for employees and cost-effectiveness for employers and may be the answer for meeting all these goals.
