Go Digital: Using the Internet for Equipment Safety Training

Safety training material for cranes, aerial lifts and other equipment is constantly evolving to better meet the needs of the construction industry.

Through the power of the Internet, new online methods make it easier to access this information. Online safety training courses give companies instant access to top-quality safety material from any point of the globe.

Online classes make it convenient for operators to fit training into their schedules. On average, they can complete the material developed by instructors in one to two hours. Through interactive diagrams, engaging programs and competency tests, individuals can engage in the learning experience and complete the material at their own pace.  Not only do these types of Internet programs make it easier for employees to complete and master safety training material, but online courses also save companies thousands of dollars.

When you consider the low cost, ease, flexibility and quality of online training, there is no reason that any employee should not be trained prior to setting foot on a piece of equipment.

Cost Savings: Training Course

Many variables influence the cost of safety training courses. One of the biggest variables that can dramatically increase or decrease training fees is the method in which employees receive it. Some of the available types of safety training include: offsite training, onsite training, training by in-house experts and online training.

Each type of training has different costs associated with them. For example:

• Offsite training-The cost to send employees to another location for training includes the costs of the actual training plus the travel, meals and other expenses for each employee. The total expense can easily add up to thousands of dollars.
• Onsite training-The cost to bring a trainer to your location for training includes the cost of the trainer’s services, plus travel expenses. There can be additional charges for larger class sizes or multiple sessions.
• In-house expert training-This type of training usually includes sending at least one or two employees to offsite training and incurring the associated costs. A company with in-house experts will not have to pay for the trainer’s services and travel expenses.
• Online training-Some companies charge a yearly or monthly fee or subscription and then charge an additional class usage fee. Other companies offer a flat per class fee based on how many people take each course. Relatively low-cost online courses make quality training affordable and ensure businesses pay for only what they use.

Cost Savings: Employee Work Time

Look at your records for the last safety class you conducted at your worksite. Instead of examining the cost for the trainer, total up the hourly wage you paid to each of those operators while they traveled to and from the class and sat through the training. Depending on who is in the class, how long it took to travel there and how many hours they spent in the training, the opportunity cost could be huge. Every minute your employees spend on training is a minute away from the worksite.

When you send employees to offsite training, these employees are completely removed from the work environment while they travel to the conference and sit through the classes. When you bring in onsite trainers or use in-house experts, your employees have a shorter time away from the worksite. But the time spent going to and from the class and the time in the classroom during prime work hours can be enormously costly.

Online training ensures that courses can be completed as quickly and efficiently as possible. Employees have no commute if they regularly sit at a computer terminal or a wireless Internet-enabled laptop is brought into the field. Also, the class is only as long as it needs to be for each employee. Every minute spent in the training is content-rich, and the operator can progress through it at his or her own pace. This means no stopping for other people’s questions or for stretch breaks. Also, online training can be done during off-peak hours so that it doesn’t reduce workers’ time on the worksite.

Cost Savings: Job Interruption

Minimizing per person training costs and maximizing jobsite productivity conflict with one another when you have training classes. For small classes that only draw away a few employees, operations may be able to continue at a slower pace. However, if you want to put a large quantity of employees into a training class all at once, you may need to shut down a job for hours, days or even weeks. The cost of delayed or stopped projects can be great and have a ripple effect throughout the worksite. Online training makes it possible to train employees on a continual, individual basis without it costing any more than having all of the operators gather at once.

Also, online training can avoid job delays or interruptions due to unexpected training needs. For instance, if one or two employees are absent on the day of the scheduled training, the company must conduct another training class before these individuals can operate the machinery. Also, if temporary workers or subcontractors are brought in for a project, they may need training before they can begin work on the job. Instant access to online training for groups of any size helps businesses avoid these costly delays or stops in operations.

Cost Savings: Quality, Consistency and Efficiency

Online training provides a cost-efficient, turnkey training solution for companies. New hires can all take the same online courses before they start work. This ensures that all new hires are ready and able to complete work as soon as they step foot on the worksite. Also, having online training programs ensures a consistent, quality training experience.

Excellent online training programs also continuously update the content of their courses to reflect the latest standards. This gives you peace of mind that the material contains industry updates and the course content relates to rapid industry changes. Access to the latest information doesn’t cost your company extra money because all content is published online instead of in paper format.

Record management can be a time-consuming and expensive process when your business only keeps paper training records. But online training makes this important process stress-free. When individuals complete online training courses, their employer automatically receives an e-mail verifying the completion of the course. This feature enables companies to effortlessly track employee training and provide proof of training completion.

Cost Savings: Lives

Other more traditional training can be quite good and effective and should happen wherever practical. But online training is easy, convenient and provides cost benefits so that more employees can have access to safety training. Not only can online training produce significant cost savings, but it can also save lives.

Construction Business Owner, August 2007