Who is responsible for health and safety in your workplace?

The answer? Everyone.

Yes, it really is that simple. From the front-liners, to the executive suite, to contract workers, everyone has a role to play. We all need to work together to make sure that after every shift, every worker is safe and uninjured.

We’re right there with you

October is National Safe Work month in Australia. Here in Melbourne, where I’m writing from, the Litmos team of Learning Designers has been working from home since March with perhaps more clarity than ever before about why it’s so important to get work health and safety training just right. They’re creating online training around the importance of ergonomics from their home offices. They’re designing courses to guide others through remote leadership, while working in isolation. They’re working with SMEs to put together courses on mental health designed for remote learning, while some of them live alone.

This year’s Work Health and Safety Month theme acknowledges and reflects the wide-reaching impacts of COVID-19 on Australian businesses, employers, and workers. At Litmos, we want to help wherever and however we can, and that certainly doesn’t stop with Australian businesses.

That’s why our New Adaptivity Academy was made freely available to guide workers around the globe through a formerly unseen future. We included courses to cultivate positive mindsets and wellbeing, increase respect and safety in workplace and help learners develop as professionals and as people.

Online safety training in the “next normal” and beyond

So, what does Safety Training look like in the “next normal”? Anna Kelly, GM of Product for Litmos, discussed this at length in a recent article offering three key takeaways. We need to reset a safety mindset, train for new risks, and get the basics right. Anna discussed how the ongoing challenge will be leading and implementing a safety program that gives even emphasis to the new risks presented by COVID-19, as well as traditional safety efforts.

Essentially, don’t underestimate having a comprehensive and compliant health and safety training program in place, that is tailored for your workplace and workers’ needs. While the global spread of COVID-19 raises uncharted health and safety concerns for organisations, we firmly believe that safety starts with training. That includes psychological safety. So, if you’re converting your in-person training to online training, don’t feel daunted; A.J. O’Connell has some tips for you. From eLearning modules, to video learning and gamification, you’re sure to find some inspiration for your next online training program there.

Tauranga City Council, a shining example of rapid eLearning success

If you’re looking for the proof in the pudding, you can’t go past Tauranga City Council.

They successfully launched their online training program with Litmos in just two weeks when COVID-19 meant the New Zealand workforce transitioned to working from home. The first thing they did was roll out compliance training to more than 900 staff, who were working remotely. With such a large and diverse organisation, split across many different types of business units and the added pressure of a global pandemic, a comprehensive training program empowered their team leaders to share content with confidence.

Note that they were also nominated for an ALGIM Special Award for a fast-tracked program that exercised leadership and innovation during COVID-19. Congratulations to them on these achievements. You can find more Litmos customer success stories like Tauranga City Council’s here.

When it comes down to it, online training forms an integral part of work health and safety training. So, whether your workers are in an office, at a worksite, on the road or in a warehouse, check out the Litmos Training Content catalogue to learn more about remotely training your workers and what it takes to keep everyone safe.