Health and safety awareness training is a significant foundation for developing safe work skills, paving the way for employees to acquire other safety competencies. If this fundamental training is not delivered well, employees who proceed to subsequent training may suffer setbacks without an elementary proficiency in health and safety. Work with ACUTE to build your company’s health and safety foundation by getting the best hands-on health and safety awareness training in Ontario.
Research says Hands on Training is the Best Way to Reduce Hazard and Safety Incidents
Key Facts from the American Journal of Public Health’s Study:
- Hands-on and behaviour modeling training is the most engaging method for safety learning, and is exponentially more effective than other forms
- Training participants lose 50% of the things they learned from online or lecture-only training within 1 year
- Engaging delivery has the same positive effect on improving safety skills across any type of health and safety training
- High-quality training enabled participants to retain their acquired skills, evidenced by an examination 4 weeks after their training
The details: The American Journal of Public Health conducted a study comparing dull, better, and most engaging training forms by their impact on preventing injuries and safety incidents. In the article, it was noted that passive delivery of training material through lectures or videos alone were the least engaging. This suggests that hands-on training is better than online training. The most engaging way to deliver training was behaviour modeling, where a coach or instructor would provide hands-on demonstrations and simulations for students. The article also noted that the most engaging way to enhance training is to build knowledge incrementally. The results were telling as the team conducted 95 studies across 13 countries and found that respondents improved their health and safety knowledge and behaviour as delivery became more engaging. They conclude with this statement:”Our findings are generally consistent with the expectation that as level of engagement in training increases, training will have greater effects in terms of reductions in negative safety and health outcomes“. Statisticians can check out the study’s full parameters here.
The team at ACUTE offers unparalleled quality in instructors/mentors and confined space curriculum with a world-class training facility to give companies the best confined space training in Ontario. Here is what a recent client had to say about the training from ACUTE.
“We have used ACUTE for many years and our personnel always come back well trained, energized and bringing lots of ideas.“ –Dante, Environmental Service Company
The Consequences Of Not Complying With Ontario Health And Safety Awareness Training Requirements
This year along in 2016 Ontario businesses were penalized with over $5.6M in health and safety violations. Ensure your team remains safe and avoid getting fined for manageable hazards with ACUTE.
You Are Putting Your Employees’ Safety At Risk
If you neglect to have your employees or supervisors complete the mandatory employee health and safety awareness training you are putting your employees at greater risk of injury. Informed employees have a greatly increased chance of identifying workplace safety hazards and, in turn, reducing workplace injuries. Having your employees complete the training is just the smart thing to do.
Higher Costs From Lost Time Due To Injuries
Without the proper awareness training for your employees, you will have a higher number of injuries and lost time due to injuries. The average cost of work-related injuries is $38,000 (^) in direct costs and 1.1 times the direct cost in indirect costs (^), or $41,800, for a total of $79,800. Here is a great tool to calculate the total costs of a workplace injury.
You Will Lose Respect From Your Employees
If you do not complete the necessary training required by Ontario law for workplace health and safety, your employees will lose respect for you. What employees would want to work for a company that does not care about their safety enough to train them on how to identify workplace safety hazards? One of the quickest ways to lose respect from employees and decrease engagement is to give them the sense that you do not care for them. Conversely, when employees feel valued and cared for, studies have shown they become significantly more engaged and productive.
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Employee Lawsuits
If employees injure themselves at work, there is a very high likelihood that those same employees will bring a lawsuit against your organization to seek compensation for at-work accidents. These lawsuits can be very costly before even considering the court settlement costs. In addition, there are additional non-monetary costs associated with lawsuits from the attention it will draw from key personnel in your organization.
Negative Impacts To Reputation Among Investors and Community Stakeholders
Failing to train employees with the required employee health and safety awareness training can lead to a negative reputation not only with employees but also investors and other key stakeholders in the community. This could lead to a decrease in investor interest, increased challenges in raising capital, and less community and government support.
Legal Proceedings
If you do not comply you are at risk of undergoing a health and safety awareness training audit. If your organization fails the audit, the Ontario Government will impose fines and jail time, from corresponding legal proceedings. With these legal proceedings will come legal costs in addition to the penalties being imposed by the government. This is a list of this current and past year fines on businesses for Ontario health and safety violations relating to poor procedures and training, read the $5.7M of fines which are continuing to rise as 2016 rolls forward.
Personal Fine
Every person who fails to comply with these laws is liable to a fine of up to $25,000.
Potential Jail Time
In addition to or in place of the personal fine, every person who fails to comply with these laws can be punished by up to 12 months of jail time.
Corporate Fine
If a corporation is convicted of not meeting these laws, the corporation can be fined up to $500,000.
The next sections details what measures employers can take in avoiding the costly consequences of failing to provide safety awareness training.
Complete Mandatory Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development Training
To ensure regulatory compliance, all employers are to ensure supervisors and workers complete the following training as soon as practicable. The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development provides the following resource page for basic safety awareness training: https://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/training/.
For supervisors, the following training is required: Supervisor Health and Safety Awareness in 5 Steps.
For general workers, the following training is required: Worker Health and Safety Awareness in 4 Steps.
Once the requisite training has been completed the employer is compliant with MLITSD regulations on basic safety awareness training. The next step is to provide hands-on and engaging training to translate head knowledge into safety outcomes.
The Most Engaging and Impacting Safety Awareness Training with ACUTE
At a minimum, all organizations must consider Basic Awareness Training. Employers are required to manage a record of completion and provide a record of completion on request to an employee after they have completed training or 6 months after they no longer perform work. ACUTE provides the best basic awareness training, having the combined experience and perspectives of both supervisors and employees to help train on the most pertinent topics for your industry.
Required for: All employees, as soon as possible, before starting work.
Exceptions: Training is not required if an employee can prove previous training was completed, and the employer verifies that training meets MLITSD standards.
ACUTE MLITSD Compliant Course: Worker Basic Occupational Health and Safety Awareness.
Time to complete: 3 hours.
Required for: All supervisors, within one week of performing supervision duties.
Exceptions: Training is not required if a supervisor can prove previous training was completed, and the employer verifies that training meets MLITSD standards.
ACUTE MLITSD Compliant Course: Supervisor Basic Occupational Health and Safety Awareness.
Time to complete: 4 hours.
Here at Acute Environmental & Safety Services we provide a wide variety of training programs for employees. Included in the courses we offer is a Health And Safety Awareness Training course for employees as well as a Health And Safety Awareness Training course for supervisors.
Going Beyond Compliance with ACUTE’s Ontario Health and Safety Training
Meeting regulatory requirements offers significant accountability for employers, yet the true objective is to ensure workers are effectively protected and equipped to manage workplace hazards. ACUTE not only meets government requirements but strives to provide quality, hands-on, and industry-tailored training to each of their clients. ACUTE has a cutting-edge training facility that has hosted the Ontario Ministry of Defense and Labour. Here are some of the ways that ACUTE goes beyond government compliance in Ontario health and safety training.
- Open Door Instructor-Student Partnership: ACUTE’s training services emphasize client participation. Staff foster relationships with clients and serve as a touchstone for advice moving forward.
- Serving Your Team and Industry: With a vast array of clients in manufacturing, construction, health, academic, and government sectors, ACUTE brings the best safety practices from across the spectrum to your workplace.
- 100 Years Combined Experience: ACUTE provides comprehensive health and safety training, on-site safety services, and consulting services. With over 100 years of combined experience, our staff offers more than theoretical or abstract ideas. ACUTE offers solutions.
- Track Record of Success: ACUTE is rated 4.9/5 stars on Google reviews, demonstrating a commitment to our clients, quality, and a passion for training.
Contact us today for quality training in your workplace or on-site at ACUTE’s proven training facilities!
ACUTE is located in Waterloo, Ontario, and services customers from cities such as Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton, Milton, Kitchener, London, Guelph, and other cities from across Ontario.
Sources:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1470479/
