Knowledge is a powerful tool—in fact, when it comes to worker safety it’s the most valuable resource you can have. Knowledge for employees to do their work correctly and safely, knowledge to understand the hazards that accompany their job, and knowledge of how to identify and eliminate those hazards before they injure, sicken, or kill workers is essential.  

Trainings, handbooks, drills are just a few things that help workers obtain the knowledge needed to keep them safe in the workplace. When you fail to train your employees properly, you deny them opportunities to avoid incidents.  

Employers have legal obligations to ensure they’re providing employees with adequate health and safety training. By ignoring this responsibility, you could face costly repercussions, an increase in workplace incidents, decreased staff morale, and increased absence.

Failure to train your employees properly doesn't just impact individual employees, it can also create risks for your entire company. Mistakes made by your employees can result in lawsuits, fines and, in some cases, charges of criminal negligence. All this can greatly damage a business’ reputation and ROI.  

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Labor penalized a New England dig site $1.3M for a contractor with extensive history of violations after two workers die. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) states that untrained workers are more susceptible to injuries. This happens when workers lack the knowledge and skills required to use equipment and supplies safely. The problem could be fatal in work environments that contain heavy-duty machinery and hazardous materials.

Here are some examples of how poor employee training can result in legal liability and public relations disasters for your business:

• Poorly trained employee may fail to uphold basic OSHA standards in your workplace, leading to a serious incident that can cause injures.  
• A manager who doesn't understand safety protocols or standards can put employees at risk.
• Leadership refuses to acknowledge or implement federal or state anti-discrimination laws to offer a reasonable accommodation for disabled workers
• Third-party suppliers without the appropriate licenses put others at harm.  

These examples can lead to lengthy court battles, unavoidable PR crises, multiple investigations by a government agency, a handful of violations that come with hefty fees, or a wide range of expenses such as:

• The cost of medical attention for staff because of injuries sustained from unskilled use of equipment and supplies
• Compensation to customers for defective products
• The cost of defending the company against lawsuits from employees who feel their injury was the result of inadequate training or unqualified third parties

Supply chain risk management software help workplaces become safer environments for workers—when there’s greater visibility into safety practices, and only the most qualified and trained workers are on site, it can greatly reduce worksite incidents and injuries.  

At Avetta, clients and suppliers that use the supply chain management Platform, Avetta Platform, have been proved to reduce the number of safety incidents by as much as 55% compared to industry averages.  

‍