Proving that Safety Training Is Effective and Worth the Investment

Safety training is an important part of managing workplace hazards and risks and a key component of an OHS program. Each year, companies spend a lot of money on safety training. For example, in the US, the total cost of training is over $100 billion per year. But as companies cut costs, senior management is increasingly demanding assurances that safety training is meeting its stated goals of reducing injuries and illnesses and providing an adequate return on investment. Simply put, companies want to know whether the cost of their training programs is justified. The Canadian Institute for Work & Health (IWH) and the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently released a review of the research done to date on the effectiveness of safety training. We’ll tell you more about this review and how to use it to convince management that the money it’s investing in safety training is well-spent. Questions about Training What the safety community needs is a body of research documenting how dollars invested in safety translate directly into dollars saved in injuries avoided. Although this link is generally understood and acknowledged, it’s hard to quantify in terms of precise dollar values. One of the biggest challenges is the fact that “good” safety training, i.e., appropriate material effectively delivered, doesn’t always result in “good” safety performance. That’s because the results of safety training are affected by factors other than the quality of the training itself, including the safety culture in which the training is delivered. In other words, what comes before and after training impacts training’s effectiveness as much as what goes on during training. For training to produce results, workers must not only get the right information delivered the right way, but also be empowered to apply their lessons on the job. Thus, for example, a training program that looks great on paper isn’t likely to generate positive safety results in a company where meeting production deadlines is valued above safety. Although it’s very hard to precisely measure the ROI of safety training dollars, there’s a body of research showing how safety training does make a workplace safer. For example, in 1998, NIOSH published a review of 80 studies from 1980-1996 measuring how training reduces the risk of work-related injury and disease. NIOSH concluded that these studies offered direct and indirect evidence of the benefits of training in ensuring safe and healthy work conditions. For example, study findings were near unanimous in confirming that training does have positive results, such as greater hazard awareness among workers, improved knowledge and work practices and the acquisition of skills that enable workers to do their job more safely. There was also evidence suggesting that management support was critical to effective safety training, especially in transferring new knowledge and behaviours to the workplace. The best results came from policies and work climates in which workers had opportunities to apply the knowledge gained from training or that reinforced learned behaviour through incentives or other means. The Review Since the 1998 NIOSH review, a relatively large number of studies of training effectiveness have been published in peer-reviewed scientific literature. So researchers from IWH and NIOSH decided that a new review was warranted. This review would not only highlight what’s currently known about the effectiveness of safety training, but also point out gaps in this knowledge that may be addressed in future research. The goal was to answer two questions: 1) Does OHS training have a beneficial effect on workers and companies? 2) Does “higher engagement” OHS training—that is, training that involves application of the concepts in real or simulated situations—have a greater beneficial effect on workers and firms than “lower engagement” OHS training—that is, the presentation of safety information by an expert, such as in a lecture? The researchers initially searched 10 electronic databases for potentially relevant studies published between 1996-2007. The search was limited to studies in English or French. Once a wide pool of possibly relevant studies was gathered, the researchers sorted through them to identify those that were truly relevant. For example, to be relevant, a study initially had to meet one of the following criteria: > Study of an education or training intervention aimed at reducing worker risks of workplace injury or disease; > Survey or report offering data on training (or lack thereof) as well as other factors contributing to work-related injuries, fatalities and health problems; > Report on OHS program practices for employers with exemplary safety/health performance to isolate training factors that may have contributed to their success; or > Study in education/learning field, or ancillary area, that deals with issues especially pertinent to effective OHS training. The researchers assessed the quality of the relevant studies identified and ranked them based on this assessment. Ultimately, the researchers included 22 studies in the final review. Most of the studies were done in the US, with the remainder coming from Canada, Europe and China. A third of the studies involved the healthcare/social assistance sector and the remaining two-thirds involved a variety of sectors (educational services, agriculture, transportation, manufacturing, construction, mining, retail and information technology). Two occupational groups—health-care workers and office workers—were researched in more than half of the studies and the other half focused on various occupations. The researchers used a form to catalogue the key evidence and information from each study, such as the size and location of the study, description of workplaces involved, description of the training interventions and the study’s conclusions. They then collated and summarized the evidence gathered from these studies, organizing the evidence into four categories based on outcome measures: > Knowledge/Skills; > Attitudes & Beliefs; > Behaviours; and > Health. The Review’s Results The researchers came to the following key conclusions: There’s strong evidence of the effectiveness of training on worker safety behaviours. Investment in safety training results in positive changes in worker behaviour, which is the link between knowledge and attitudes on the one hand and health and safety outcomes on the other. In studies using stringent methodologies, training changed worker behaviour, which is useful information because many OHS laws and regulations require training. And if workers exhibit safe behaviours, it’s reasonable to conclude that they have the appropriate knowledge and attitudes. However, the fact that the review didn’t show an effect of training on health outcomes was, in part, a function of the nature of the available research and an indication that training alone isn’t sufficient to reduce workplace injuries and illnesses. Level of engagement in training may not be critical. The review found that a single session of high engagement training (e.g., involving hands-on practice in a realistic setting) has a greater effect on behaviour than a single session of low/medium engagement training (e.g., video only). However, the difference is so small that it’s insufficient evidence to recommend high engagement training across the board. Note, though, that these findings don’t necessarily argue against investment in higher engagement training, because other studies have found that such training is more effective than lower engagement training. Safety training must be part of a broader OHS program. Safety training is considered a critical component of OHS management systems, which should: > Define and assess OHS competence for supervisors, workers and contractors; > Provide effective access to training; and > Ensure the competency of trainees. But training is only one of many important components of an OHS management system. For training to be effective in preventing occupational injuries and illness, it also requires management commitment and investment and worker involvement in a comprehensive hazard identification and risk management program. Insider Says: The researchers also concluded that there’s a need for more quality research on the effectiveness of safety training. They recommend that researchers, training providers, labour and management continue to work together to advance the knowledge of effective practices in education and training. Conclusion Training is an investment for employers. And a company’s commitment to training is partly related to the returns it expects to receive. The review shows that workplace education and training programs have a positive impact on health and safety behaviours, so the researchers recommend that workplaces continue to conduct education and training programs. However, OHS training as “a lone intervention” hasn’t been demonstrated to have an impact on workplace injuries and illnesses. What do these conclusions mean for safety coordinators? You can use them to prove to senior management that the money spent on safety training isn’t being wasted and is, in fact, effective at making the workplace safer. But safety training alone isn’t enough. In other words, don’t let senior management think that the company can simply invest in safety training and cut the rest of the OHS program. The review demonstrates that safety training is only effective when it’s part of a complete OHS program that addresses all aspects of workplace safety, including hazard assessments, inspections, discipline, etc.  Bottom line: To maximize safety behaviour and minimize incidents and injuries (and their related costs), the company must fully commit itself—both financially and culturally—to workplace safety. Insider Source “A Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Training & Education for the Protection of Workers,” NIOSH and the Institute for Work & HealthProving that Safety Training Is Effective and Worth the Investment, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating