Health and safety training is more important now than ever. In addition to helping prevent injuries like those caused by OSHA’s Fatal Four (falls, struck-by, electrocutions, and caught-in/between), modern safety training can also help you teach employees valuable skills like preventing the spread of disease, mitigating work-related musculoskeletal disorders, how to behave in an active shooter situation, and more. 

Advocating for a comprehensive safety plan with high training standards for employees can help keep your workplace safe and position you as a leader in your organization. But when it comes to selecting an online safety training provider? That can be a real challenge, as there’s no standard solution for all businesses.

Not sure if online training is right for you? Read this first: Which Safety Training Style Is Best for Your Company? A Complete Comparison of Instructor-led, Blended, and Online Safety Training

To help you with the selection process, we put together this buyer’s guide that addresses some of the questions you need to consider when choosing a vendor for online health and safety training. 

What to Look for in an Online Safety Training Provider

  1. Provide certifications. This is important when: 
    • Your employees are required by a safety program or a state regulatory agency to hold a certificate
    • You want to communicate to stakeholders and regulatory agencies that you’ve taken steps to improve workplace safety
  2. Offer a wide selection of classes. This is important when: 
    • Your employees have a wide range of job responsibilities and experience levels
    • You need to train both office and field staff  
  3. Have health and safety experts on staff. This is important when: 
    • You’re training on subjects you may not be familiar with
    • You’re new to safety program management
  4. Provide a learning management system (LMS). This is important when: 
    • You want to automate your safety training assignments and reminders
    • You want to streamline your recordkeeping 
  5. Accommodate all working environments. This is important when: 
    • Your workers may not have reliable internet access
    • Your employees may be completing courses at home, in the field, or on their mobile devices

Provides certifications

When you’re considering which online training provider to choose, make sure you’re taking into account any certification requirements for their current tasks and positions as well as potential projects and opportunities. 

Take the OSHA Outreach Training Program as an example. A construction laborer may need OSHA 10-hour training and their foreman may require the more intense OSHA 30-hour training — and the completion certification to prove their competency. 

Although some certified trainings (including OSHA 10- and 30-hour) aren’t required by federal law, when employees gain these certifications, it helps ensure they have the knowledge to succeed in a high-risk environment. Further, in the event of an accident or inspection, having certified employees on staff communicates that you’ve made an effort to improve workplace safety. 

Offers a wide selection of classes 

When you have employees with varying experience levels in the office, in the field, and on the road, it’s important to consider what course selection you’ll have access to. Some of your workers may just need education on office basics like ergonomics, whereas others may require specialized training like lock-out/tag-out and confined space. 

If this sounds like your organization, finding a vendor that can provide a wide variety of training can save you time and money in the long run. 

Employs health and safety experts 

When an online training provider has health and safety experts on staff, they can benefit you, your safety leadership team, and your employees. Subject matter experts can provide insight into training topics, which is invaluable for complex subjects like bloodborne pathogens and emerging issues such as silica dust exposure. 

Plus, the health and safety personnel behind the scenes can offer guidance on how to integrate online training into your current safety plan effectively. 

Related reading: Why Online Training is an Important Part of a Comprehensive Safety Plan

Comes equipped with a learning management system (LMS) 

Learning management systems (LMSs) have been rising in popularity, and for a good reason — they do some of the heavy lifting for safety management. Depending on the platform, an LMS can administer your training, remind employees to complete courses, automate your recordkeeping, and more. An LMS is useful for any safety or EHS manager short on time and resources who wants to streamline their operations. 

Accommodates all working environments 

No workplace looks the same, especially these days. You might have workers who need to take safety training at home, during toolbox talks, on their mobile devices, or in the office conference room. So when you’re considering your safety training vendors, make sure that their training modules are: 

  • Accessible cross-platform 
  • Can be paused and resumed mid-course
  • Are available on- and offline

That way, your employees will be able to access their training anywhere, any time. 

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Interested in booking live virtual safety training led by our health and safety experts? Visit this page to view our course catalog and book a time.