How to Identify Safety Knowledge Gaps of Employees and Prevent Accidents

As an entrepreneur, it is your responsibility to manage your business and care for your employees. And as a boss, you need to ensure that your staff is trained and well-informed about the company’s safety protocols, regulations, and policies.

Creating a safety culture where employees are knowledgeable and aware of their safety responsibilities will greatly reduce the risk of injuries and accidents in your workplace. This can be made easier if your company is using modern communication technology – if you think that this aspect could use some improvement in your organization, you might want to learn the difference between VoIP vs.PBX.

But it is not easy to measure employees’ safety knowledge, especially considering that most training covers the basic scenarios and procedures. It may happen that they will face a unique situation that is not included in their training, and they may put themselves, or others, in danger.

To be able to identify the safety knowledge gaps of your employees, you can use simple tests, gather team feedback, benchmark their performance, assess their training, observe them in action and implement a safety program. Once you notice that certain employees are not aware of some safety tips or procedures, you will be able to take action before it is too late.

Create a Safety Culture

Employees need to know that you care about their safety, so you should take the time to train them and help them understand the importance of their role in the workplace. It is crucial to ensure that all your employees are aware of the standard safety rules and procedures, such as proper use of PPE, lockout-tagout procedures, and first aid protocol.

You should also make sure that all employees are trained in the company’s safety programs and policies, such as accident investigation procedures, emergency response plans, or available support and aids, such as Oasis pre-settlement funding or insurance, in case something happens. It is important to give your employees enough time to read and understand everything to know what to do when an accident occurs.

Gather Team Feedback

You can use a survey to gather feedback from your employees to determine their safety knowledge. Ask them about the prevention and mitigation strategies they know, their attitude toward safety policies, or their perception of the company’s safety culture. Try to be precise enough to avoid ambiguity and generalities and extract the genuine opinions and ideas of your employees.

You may find out that some employees do not feel like they are appropriately trained to handle specific tools or machinery or that some safety procedures are not always followed. This will help you find those who may need extra training or additional safety measures.

Benchmark Employee Performance

If you need to check if your employees are familiar with the safety policies, you can just ask them to perform a task and see how they do it. You may even use a test to measure their aptitude, knowledge, and ability in handling different situations. This will help you determine their level of understanding of the company’s safety protocols, their ability to follow the standard procedures, and how they handle tricky situations. Take note of how employees handle specific issues and how they interact with each other. You can do it either during a regular day or during safety training.

You will determine their safety level to identify who needs extra training or who has the potential to become a safety expert. Also you can  gather feedback from your employees after the session to confirm what you have observed.

Assess Your Employees’ Training

Understandably, employees with different backstories and career paths will have different levels of safety knowledge. Someone who has very little experience and is just starting their career is likely to be less knowledgeable than others in the workplace. With that in mind, it is vital to assess which employees need additional training. If they are new to their job, they may require more guidance.

Additionally, you can provide refresher or advanced training for those who have been in the company for a long time, as those people tend to neglect certain safety measures due to their experience and automation. You should also give extra training to those who are in high-risk positions. It’s recommended to train each new employee as soon as they start work.

Observe Employees In Action

Safety training is not enough. You need to observe your employees in action to assess how they handle themselves and respond to different situations. Although constant supervision may not be the best course of action, you should look out for any potential hazards so that you can keep everyone safe.

If you notice that your employees are not following the right steps or are struggling with certain tasks, it will be beneficial both for you and them to provide extra training. Encourage them to ask questions if they do not understand something and take the time to explain things thoroughly so that they can fully absorb what they have learned.

Implement A Safety Program

The last step is implementing a safety program to ensure that all your employees know what to do, when, and how. Host a small meeting bi-weekly or monthly to go over the safety rules, procedures, and systems that you have in place. Try to involve your employees by asking them questions and allowing them to express their opinions. Some questions and problems may seem obvious to more experienced workers, but it’s always good to hear the insights of everyone.

Summary of Safety Knowledge

As an entrepreneur, you must know that safety is not only your responsibility but also that of your employees. You have to be aware of their safety knowledge and capabilities, so you can provide them with the right training and additional safety measures if needed. Implementing a safety culture in your workplace and assessing the knowledge of your employees will help you avoid work-related injuries and accidents.

Catching out knowledge gaps of your employees is not always easy and requires some effort. But as a boss, it is your job to ensure that your employees are fully trained and knowledgeable about the company’s safety protocols, regulations, and policies. You also have to encourage them to ask questions if they do not understand something or think that something could be improved. So make sure you do your job as a boss and avoid injuries and accidents in your workplace.