9 Workplace Safety Courses Your Employees Need Today

An effective compliance training program includes a comprehensive mix of legal, workplace safety, and cybersecurity courses that take into consideration where an employee lives and works, and what role the person fills within your organization.

Because there is no universally mandated compliance training curriculum, employers must decide for themselves which courses they will require their employees to complete. Approaching this decision by asking, “What training should we provide to create a fair, safe and respectful environment for all employees?” will help frame the answer.

Additionally, looking at the types of courses other employers are using in their organizations can help to put your own compliance training program into perspective. Of Skillsoft’s top 100 most popular compliance course titles over the past year, 48% are legal training courses and 16% are cybersecurity courses. Thirty-six percent of our most-utilized courses can be categorized as environmental, health, and safety (EHS) courses. Those are the courses we’ll discuss today.

Every June, the National Safety Council (NSC) celebrates National Safety Month in the United States – an annual reminder that we need to work together to keep employees safe in the workplace. During each week throughout the month, the NSC focuses on a particular workplace hazard that has an outsized impact on today’s workforce. This month’s EHS focus areas are listed below.

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) include injuries to the muscles, nerves, tendons, joints, cartilage, or spinal discs – conditions like sprains or strains, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, or a hernia. MSDs are work-related when an employee’s work environment and performance of work contribute significantly to the condition, or the condition is made worse or persists longer due to work conditions.

MSDs are the leading cause of workplace injury and cost billions each year in workers’ compensation and lost productivity. Perhaps that’s why three of Skillsoft’s most popular EHS compliance training courses relate to MSDs.

• Ergonomics in the Workplace 2.0
  This course provides the basic information needed to recognize and report signs, symptoms, and risk factors of MSDs. It addresses the key components of an ergonomics program and provides information to assist both employees and employers in minimizing the risk of developing work-related MSDs in both office and industrial settings.
• Office Ergonomics
  The office ergonomics course provides learners with definitions of terms related to the study of ergonomics; describes signs and symptoms of injury to the muscles and skeleton, and stresses the importance of early reporting. The content also covers the risk factors for injury to the muscles and skeleton; specifies controls and work practices to reduce or eliminate risk factors; and lists how to report MSD signs, symptoms, and how employers are required to address them.
• Back Safety and Injury Prevention 2.0
  This course is designed to raise awareness of workplace hazards that can cause back injuries and to equip employees to protect themselves from preventable back injuries. It covers job-specific hazards that contribute to preventable back injuries, the characteristics of healthy posture, and specific ways to minimize the risk of back injuries. It also covers workplace controls, including engineering, administrative, and work practice controls, that can help minimize back injuries.

The National Safety Council encourages employers to take a broad view of workplace impairment and consider it as anything that could hinder a person’s ability to function normally or safely. Some of us might immediately think of impairment as the dangers of substance use on the job. But did you also know that mental health is a major factor for impairment, as well?

A recent survey by Yale University reported that 29% of workers feel extreme stress because of their jobs. This puts them at an increased risk of anxiety, burnout, depression, and substance use disorders. In fact, 12.8 million working days are lost each year due to work-related stress, depression, or anxiety – with countless more due to substance abuse.

While compliance courses related to workplace impairment did not top Skillsoft’s list of most-utilized training topics this year, it is important to note that the Skillsoft team offers a variety of courses that can help improve your employees’ understanding of mental health and other types of impairment.

• Optimizing Your Workplace Well-Being
• First Aid: Mental Health Awareness Compliance Training
• Marijuana and Workplace Safety Compliance Training

In addition to alcohol, drugs, and mental health, factors like fatigue and stress can also impair workers. Take a look at a recent post from Skillsoft on distracted driving.

In 2020 alone, more than four million workplace injuries required medical attention in the U.S. That’s why it is so important to learn how to prevent injuries and deaths, including identifying hazards and assessing risks. According to an article from EHS Today, many people believe, erroneously, that the following are true:

• You cannot create a hazard-free workplace.
  This is not true! A safe workplace is attainable when employers and employees obtain proper training to ensure they follow the guidelines necessary to minimize injury.

• Being safe takes too much time and money.
  This is not true! It actually costs employers 2.7 times more money to be non-compliant. The cost of compliance, on average, is approximately $5.5 million whereas the cost for noncompliance is approximately $15 million.

• Accidents just happen.
  This is not true! With proper compliance training, organizations can reduce the occurrence of 99% of on-the-job accidents and injuries.

One of Skillsoft’s most popular EHS courses is:

• Hazard Communication: An Employee's Right to Understand 2.0.
  This course acquaints employees with the precautions that they – and their employer – must take in order to safely use, handle, and store hazardous chemicals in the workplace.

Understanding potential hazards, and then taking the steps necessary to reduce them, is key to effective EHS compliance and overall worker safety.

With falls being the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death, it is important to reduce slips, trips, and falls in the workplace.. Here are two of Skillsoft’s top compliance courses related to this topic.

• Slips, Trips, and Falls 2.0
  Slips, trips, and falls constitute the majority of general workplace accidents and are responsible for a number of accidental deaths, second only to motor vehicles as a cause of fatalities from accidents. This course is intended to provide employees with the ability to recognize and prevent slip, trip, and fall hazards, and to address the key components of ladder safety.
• Global Safety Principles: Fall Prevention
  Falls from heights are one of the leading causes of serious injuries and death in the workplace. In this course, you'll learn what types of jobs and tasks can expose you to injury. You'll be introduced to the basic responsibilities of employees who work at height, and to the requirements and responsibilities of employers and those who control the work of others to prevent falls in the workplace.

Did you know that Skillsoft offers global safety courses? The global safety principles courses, like Fall Prevention, listed above, are based on best practices, not regulations, and are appropriate for learners regardless of their location. The courses are delivered in English, but can be translated to other languages, as desired.

With the increasing number of employees now working remotely, we also have a course on preventing slips, trips, and falls from your home office!

While National Safety Month ends in June, your organization’s focus on workplace safety should extend throughout the entire year. Skillsoft offers more than 1,000 EHS compliance courses in 15+ languages. Here are some of our most utilized compliance courses that don’t fit into one of the categories listed for June, but that organizations frequently rely on to keep their teams safe.

• Bloodborne Pathogen Awareness 2.0
  This course provides learners with a basic understanding of bloodborne pathogens, common modes of transmission, methods of prevention, and what to do if an exposure occurs. It will help minimize serious health risks to persons who may have personal exposure to blood and other potentially infectious materials in the workplace.
• Fire Safety and Prevention 2.0
  Every year, workplace fires and explosions kill and injure people, and destroy many businesses. In this course, you'll gain an understanding of the elements required for a fire to start and learn ways to prevent fires in the workplace. You'll learn how to respond, including the requirements for evacuating the premises, if there's a fire in your workplace. You'll also learn how to select and use a fire extinguisher.
• Lockout/Tagout 2.0
  This course provides information about control of hazardous energy and work under the protection of a lockout/tagout energy control program. The intent of the course is to provide information on lockout/tagout practices and the significance of lockout/tagout devices.

Are you looking for more information on the top EHS compliance courses in use today? Reach out to Skillsoft’s compliance team today for more information on what courses are available, and how they can protect your employees from injury and illness at work.