Why Safety Training is Key for Reducing Risks
Creating a safe and productive workplace starts with one essential step: health and safety training. Health safety training is key to reducing workplace risk by equipping your team with the knowledge and skills they need to work safely, confidently, and efficiently. While training alone cannot eliminate every hazard, it lays the foundation for a strong safety culture and effective risk management.
Understanding the Hierarchy of Controls?
Let’s start with the basics. The hierarchy of controls is like a safety playbook, providing a clear framework for managing workplace risks. Outlined in legislation such as the Model Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act and Victoria’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act 2004, it prioritises risk management in the following order:
- Eliminate the hazard: Remove the risk entirely.
- Substitute the hazard: Replace it with something safer.
- Engineering controls: Use physical solutions to reduce risk.
- Administrative controls: Change how work is done—this includes health and safety training.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Use protective gear as a last line of defence.
While training falls under administrative controls, it is the glue that holds the whole system together. It ensures employees understand how to apply these controls effectively and keeps operations running smoothly.
Why Health and Safety Training Matters
Health and safety training is about much more than policies and procedures — it prepares your team to handle real-life situations. Even when hazards are reduced, risks may still exist. Training ensures your team is ready to:
- Recognise hazards: Identify potential risks before they escalate.
- Understand controls: Confidently follow safety protocols.
- Take action: Report hazards, use protective equipment, and respond to incidents effectively.
Without proper training, even the best safety measures can fail.
The Big Benefits ofTraining
Investing in health and safety training delivers far-reaching benefits that extend beyond the classroom:
- Empowering Employees: Training helps your team take ownership of safety. They will feel confident reporting hazards, speaking up, and following procedures that protect everyone.
- Building a Safety-First Culture: When safety becomes second nature, everyone wins. A strong safety culture means fewer incidents, better teamwork, and a happier, more engaged workforce.
- Reducing Costs: Fewer injuries mean fewer expenses. From lower downtime to reduced insurance premiums, training is an investment that pays off.
- Ensuring Compliance: Well-trained employees help you meet legal obligations, reducing the risk of penalties and legal issues.
Why Training Should Be a Priority
While eliminating hazards is the ultimate goal, it is not always achievable. That’s why health safety training is key to reducing workplace risk — it ensures employees know how to stay safe, even when risks cannot be completely eliminated.
When your team understands the “why” behind safety protocols and feels confident following them, they become your strongest defence. A workplace that prioritises health safety training is not only safer but also more productive, resilient, and ready to tackle challenges effectively.
What's Next?
If you are serious about managing workplace risks, start by making health and safety training a priority. It is more than a compliance requirement—it is your best tool for creating a proactive, engaged, and risk-aware workforce.
Helpful Links:
- Operating a business in Victoria? Learn about your legal duty to provide training on the WorkSafe Victoria website.
- Operating under the Model Work Health and Safety Act? Find out more about your training obligations on the Safe Work Australia website.
