Using Technology to Deliver and Track Safety Training
Learning management systems (LMS) are a simple, efficient, and effective tool for delivering safety training across multiple locations, authoring content, establishing learning paths, and tracking completion.
Let’s consider two different scenarios that illustrate the benefits of an LMS. In the first scenario, an organization uses traditional training methods such as sign-in sheets found in a file cabinet. The company experiences a severe injury that meets OSHA’s reporting requirements. Based on the severity of the injury, OSHA sends a compliance, safety, and health officer (CSHO) to the facility to perform an inspection.
Shortly after arrival, the CSHO requests training documentation for the injured employee. The facility’s manager fumbles through a file full of training rosters and cannot locate or prove that the employee was trained on critical subjects and requirements related to the incident.
In our second scenario, the facility uses an LMS to deliver, manage, author, and track employee training. Upon requesting training documentation, the manager quickly logs into the LMS and runs the employee’s training history. Within minutes, he hands the CSHO the employee’s training history to include the dates of individual online, hands-on, onboarding, and classroom training as well as test completion data. This scenario illustrates the value of an LMS, particularly around compliance.
A learning management system (LMS) is a software application used by organizations to create, deliver, administer, and track educational or training programs. It serves as a centralized online hub for managing all aspects of learning, from distributing content and resources to assessing learner progress and reporting on outcomes.
LMS Benefits
To be effective, an LMS must have a user-friendly interface and easy navigation. An effective system also allows tracking of classroom, hands-on, and third-party training. Tracking features allow administrators, managers, and employees to track progress, activities, and performance as well as generate custom reports. These systems can also allow an administrator or manager to automate enrollments and reporting related to learning and development.
Many provide access to a vast library of online safety, compliance, and professional development courses. They may also offer the flexibility to utilize courses from other providers. “SCORM” is an acronym for a Sharable Content Object Reference Model, a set of technical standards for e-learning software that allows online courses to be transferred and reused across different LMSs. It ensures interoperability by defining how course content, such as interactive elements and assessments, should be packaged and how data, like completion status and scores, is tracked and communicated between the course and the LMS.
In addition to importing SCORM courses, many LMSs provide e-learning authoring tools to create interactive courses without advanced programming. Courses can be created using existing materials such as PowerPoints or videos. Quizzes or acknowledgements can also be incorporated into courses for documentation purposes. One important benefit of e-learning authoring tools is that they allow organizations to tailor training to fit their company’s requirements or operations.
Some LMSs also offer tools that automate personalized, structured learning paths by linking courses with logic to adapt to learner progress. This creates flexible, goal-based programs for onboarding, upskilling, and streamlining administration while keeping learners motivated with targeted content and automated recognition, such as certificates.
For those concerned about running separate systems and the ability to track training, do not be. Tools such as Webhooks or Application Programming Interfaces (API) can transfer data between different systems, such as a learning management system and a safety management system. A webhook is an automated message sent from one application to another when a specific event occurs, enabling real-time communication between them. For instance, when a course is completed by a learner (the specific event), the requested data is automatically pulled into the receiving system. Instead of continuously asking for updates, an application can use a webhook to pull data into the receiving application automatically.
An API is a set of rules and protocols that allow different software applications to communicate and exchange data with each other. An API acts as an intermediary, defining how software components should interact. For instance, a procedure may be scheduled daily or weekly to pull course completions into the receiving system.
While a one-size-fits-all approach is nice, it is not necessary. Tools such as Single Sign-on (SSO) can allow a single-entry point for diverse types of tools, such as an LMS, safety management, human resources, or payroll system. SSO is an authentication method that allows users to log in once with a single set of credentials and access multiple applications and cloud-based systems, eliminating the need to remember multiple passwords. By logging in once, users can gain access to all pre-configured applications for which they have permission, improving user experience and security by centralizing authentication.
An LMS is a simple, efficient, and effective tool for delivering training across multiple locations, authoring content, establishing learning paths, and tracking completion. While technical in nature, they are a simple, efficient, and effective way to improve worker education and safety.
Joe Mlynek is president and safety and loss control consultant for Progressive Safety Services LLC, Gates Mills, OH; 216-403-9669; and subject matter expert for Safety Made Simple, LLC, Olathe, KS.