Many employers skip important safety training because they don’t take it seriously. At best, they’ll show employees where the fire extinguisher is, point out the emergency exits, and check it off their list. That’s not considered training and it won’t help in a real emergency.

Unfortunately, emergencies are common. According to various studies, 83% of employees have experienced an emergency in the workplace, ranging from extreme weather to workplace violence.

In a true emergency, every second counts. To avoid wasting time, your employees need to know exactly what to do to minimize the potential for injury and escape danger as quickly as possible. This can only be achieved by implementing emergency response training.

How emergency response training supports workplace safety

Emergency response training helps businesses in the following ways:

·  Protect lives. When employees are well-trained regarding how to respond in an emergency, it can save lives. This can involve getting out of the building quickly during a fire or being able to administer first aid to a coworker.

·  Minimize injury and damage. When people don’t know how to react in an emergency, it can create chaos and make the situation worse. Training helps employees act calmly and systematically.

·  Boost confidence and resilience. Employees feel better knowing what to do in an emergency. With solid training, they will be prepared to handle the unexpected.

·  Comply with legal regulations. If a business is required to follow certain legal regulations for emergency preparedness, training can help them get and stay compliant.

·  Maintain a positive reputation. Companies that prioritize employee safety tend to be seen as more responsible and trustworthy overall.

·  Save money. When employees are trained to act fast in an emergency, it can save you money by preventing the high cost of claims arising from injuries, property damage, business disruptions, and more.

What kind of emergencies need to be addressed?

In any given industry, there are hazards lurking around every corner. Some of them are obvious, but many are not. For example, workers who handle hazardous materials and warehouses that store large propane cylinders present obvious hazards, but what about a regular office full of people who work on computers all day?

While potential hazards aren’t always the same between businesses, anything can happen at any time without warning. For example, there could be an electrical fire in an office cubicle or lightning might strike the building. Other potential emergency situations include someone choking, someone having a heart attack, or the presence of an active shooter. It’s equally possible that a bored employee might light something on fire, not realizing it’s going to set the entire building on fire.

You can’t predict or plan for every possible emergency, but you can equip employees with the knowledge and training to respond in even the most unexpected situations.

Safety training is effective

Safety training, which should include emergency response training, is effective when implemented correctly. The data shows that when a company provides at least 20 hours of safety training each year, employees are more likely to follow safety protocols. When employees adhere to safety regulations, they greatly reduce the risk of injury and damage in the workplace.

Still, accidents happen and emergencies arise unexpectedly. However, when people are trained on how to properly respond to various types of emergencies, their training will kick in during a real situation and that makes all the difference. They’ll also be able to help other people who may be experiencing a freeze response or just general confusion.

Enforcement is the key to improved safety

Training your workforce is only the first step. It’s also critical to enforce your safety policies to prevent certain emergency situations in the first place. For example, if your company deals with hazardous materials that need to be handled in a specific manner, you’ll need to enforce your safe handling policy to prevent mishaps. Never allow anyone to violate safety policies because it will only send a signal to other employees that they can get away with the same thing. Not enforcing safety policies only increases the risk to your business and employees.

Drill your trainings

Once you’ve gotten your employees through safety and emergency response training, it’s important to run drills to make sure they gain the muscle memory regarding how to respond. It’s one thing to have the conceptual knowledge of what to do, but that isn’t always enough.

Running emergency drills periodically will get your workforce used to responding quickly and efficiently, and will help prevent unexpected, dangerous situations from becoming bigger disasters.