Sponsored by Lion Technology Inc.

By making informed decisions about training, EHS leaders can drive higher rates of compliance, improve staff engagement, and lower the risk of accidents and injuries. To get the maximum return on your investment in employee training and provide meaningful learning experiences for employees, selecting the right training provider is a critical first step.

Regulatory compliance topics can be dull, dry, and difficult to understand. When training on subjects like hazardous materials transportation, hazardous waste management, or workplace safety is presented without energy or enthusiasm, the experience can be downright excruciating.

When training is presented in a clear and engaging way, employees retain more of what they learn and are better prepared to apply that knowledge to their jobs.

The Business Case for Better Training

Effective training prepares employees to prevent and correct common errors, contribute to a safe work environment, and feel confident about their decisions and actions every day.

Employees who understand their responsibilities for compliance work more efficiently, too. When employees involved in shipping chemicals are labeling containers, closing packages, or filling out shipping papers, for example, even small mistakes can cause an accident or necessitate repackaging and reshipping. Preparing employees to do a job right the first time is one reason that organizations invest significant time and resources into training.

Effective training improves employees' job performance and protects the organization from future liability, scrutiny from regulators, and citations that include costly civil penalties.

Real Costs of Ineffective Training

Poor training can be a detriment to day-to-day operations in more ways than one. After sitting through boring, unfocused, or irrelevant training, employees may not recognize how the topic relates to their job. Employees may start to view regulatory compliance as a chore instead of a crucial tool for avoiding injuries, preventing emergencies, and protecting your organization's bottom line.

Outdated or inaccurate training can have significant consequences for an organization, too. This is especially true for environmental and transportation regulations, which undergo constant revision. These rules often change in important ways, and being unaware of a new requirement or relief can lead to inefficiency and noncompliance.

Evaluate EHS Training for Value

Finding training that will satisfy regulatory mandates from OSHA, EPA, or the Department of Transportation can be a challenge, and it's far from the only consideration for leaders who want to get the most value for the time and resources devoted to training.

To evaluate training, employers should consider factors like these:

• whether the training content is up to date and relevant
• the quality of reference materials provided during training
• employees' level of engagement with the topic during training
• whether employees feel comfortable asking questions
• how clearly the training presents complex topics or issues
• how well employees retain and remember what was covered
• the level of ongoing support provided after the training
• employees' ability to apply what they learn to specific situations they face at work

Taking the time to evaluate and compare training options is a crucial first step to maximize the return on your budget. When an ineffective training session ends, leadership may be able to "check the box" that training was performed. But that bare-minimum result is hardly worth the time and cost of organizing, funding, and executing the training.

Employees get more value and enjoyment from EHS training that is presented in an engaging and memorable way. More importantly, by lowering the risk of noncompliance, reducing inefficiencies, and improving employee engagement and productivity, high-quality training provides value every day, long after the training ends.