The Importance of Proper Training in the Workplace

Training can provide a wide range of benefits for a company, such as improved employee retention and improved performance and productivity. But one of the biggest benefits of training is that it can help create a safer work environment.

Many types of workplaces have very serious safety hazards that employees need to be trained on. This can include things like safety procedures for working with powerful tools or equipment, when to use safety gear and how to use it correctly, how to prevent injury while moving heavy objects, and how to safely work with chemical products. When companies cut corners on training for these sorts of things, the odds of someone being injured on the job increases. 

When someone is new to a job where there are considerable hazards to worry about, the employer can’t assume that people will be coming in with the background information needed to help them safely deal with those hazards. In the construction industry, for example, about 60% of worker injuries occur within a person’s first year of employment. Inexperience is also why rates of injury in workers under the age of 25 is about twice as high as it is in workers over the age of 25. 

Even if a person has experience in a particular job or working in a certain industry, they might be coming in from another employer who didn’t provide adequate safety training or the person may be used to following a different set of procedures. Training new employees helps ensure that everyone is on the same page and following the same rules. 

Having employees undergo periodic retraining can also be beneficial for employees who have been on the job for a while. Over time, people might need a refresher course on safety protocols. People may become lax or over-confident and stop taking certain precautions. Or, in some cases, they may need to be reminded about how to do something they don’t often do on the job. Remember, it’s estimated that approximately 1 in 10 construction workers are injured on the job every year and over the span of a person’s career, a construction worker has a 1 in 200 chance of dying on the job. Proper, recurring training can help people avoid becoming a statistic. 

Another thing to consider is the fact that best practices in an industry can change over time. Maybe a better procedure or a new tool is available which can help protect people more effectively while they work. When newer, better options are available, it’s important that workers know how to use it to their advantage.

Contact a Michigan Workplace Injury Lawyer

If you’ve been injured on the job, it’s important to contact a workplace injury lawyer as soon as possible. A lawyer will be able to answer your questions and help make sure your workers compensation claim is handled correctly from the very beginning so that you get all of the compensation you need. At Goodwin & Scieszka, we’ve helped many people who have been in your shoes. Contact us today to find out how we can help.

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