4 Ways to Create Employee Safety & Compliance Training Programs That Stick

Well-trained workers are three times more likely to stay with their employer, so how do you ensure your safety training is up to the task?

• By Shawn Smith
• Mar 14, 2025

Safety and compliance training can mean the difference between a thriving workplace and a dangerous one. But in a recent survey, only 24 percent of frontline workers1 strongly agreed they receive the training they need to succeed. The top three reasons for this shortfall: time constraints, limited practice opportunities, and inaccessible resources. 

Inadequate training has an obvious impact on workplace safety. But it also affects employee retention. Well-trained workers are three times more likely to stay with their employer – but half of those planning to quit cite insufficient training as a key reason. 

Employees need training programs that do more than simply deliver information. They need programs that build confidence and inspire lasting behavioral change. Here are four proven strategies to design safety and compliance training programs that stick. 

1. Take a Mobile-First Approach

There's a high chance you already use tech to administer your safety and compliance training. But not all platforms are effective, especially in the eyes of your employees: two in three workers say their learning tech is "just okay." 

One likely reason why? Many training programs still rely on desktop- or browser-based tech – even though 91 percent of workers want mobile-first training and resource access. 

With a mobile foundation for your safety and compliance training, you can provide on-the-go access to training modules, safety data sheets, incident reporting forms, and more. Employees can consult these resources hassle free – no more searching for paper files or balancing clipboards in the field. 

Push notifications are another mobile-first advantage: the right platform should let you customize reminders for training sessions, workplace safety updates, and compliance deadlines. This way, you can help employees stay on track with their training and keep safety top of mind. 

The bottom line? By meeting employees where they are – on their mobile devices – you can provide training and resources your team will actually use. 

2. Use Stories to Build Emotional Connections

Safety and compliance statistics are helpful to know at a high level: say, when it comes to the most common types of injuries or OSHA violations in your field. But numbers alone don't communicate the value of proper safety and compliance. After all, most people don't connect emotionally to numbers. They connect to stories. 

That's why incident narratives are powerful training aids. They help workers viscerally grasp the consequences of poor safety and compliance practices. And in many cases, narratives can make the difference between training that's forgettable and training that sticks. 

Of course, generic stories won't do the trick: employees can spot these a mile away (and their eyes will quickly glaze over, too). To really make an impact, make sure your narrative content includes… 

• Industry-specific scenarios: These ensure that employees see their day-to-day reality mirrored in the training. For instance, auto repair staff won’t benefit from examples set in a grocery store. They'll want to see ones that connect to their work environment, like scenarios that deal with active vehicle movement or antifreeze spills. 
• Digital incident recreations: Bring scenarios to life with visuals, animations, or even security footage. Instead of reading a 250-word summary of an incident, employees can see how incidents unfold and the chain of events that led to them. 
• Relatable characters: You can increase engagement by reflecting the demographics and roles of your workforce. Employees are more likely to pay attention when they see themselves in the scenarios. 
• High-impact visual aids: Where relevant, consider punctuating your content with photos of injuries – used sparingly and with warning – to underscore the risks of unsafe practices. 
• Employee interviews: It's one thing to listen to a voiceover about a specific safety scenario, but it's another thing to hear a colleague talk about their own injury experience. For instance, imagine watching a worker share how they lost their ability to play guitar after injuring their hand at a pinch point on a suspended crane load. Personal narratives like this one carry an emotional weight that leaves a lasting impression. 

With tailored, narrative-driven content, you can provide highly relevant training that reinforces the practical nature of each policy and procedure. 

3. Keep Cognitive Science in Mind

Information overload is one of the biggest pitfalls of every training program. That's because many don't take into account the cognitive science behind learning. 

Adults have an average attention span of 47 seconds – and most can only hold about seven "chunks" of information in their working memory (plus or minus two, according to Miller's Law). Give employees too much information at once, and it's likely to go in one ear and out the other. 

To hold employees' attention, it's important to keep things as brief and simple as possible. It's important to strike the right balance, though. You don't want things to be so simple that users can finish a module in a couple of clicks. But you also don't want to overcomplicate the learning experience and turn it into a burden. 

My recommendation? Consider optimizing your content delivery with a blend of… 

• Short video segments: These break up dense material into digestible chunks, keeping employees engaged without sacrificing depth. 
• Mixed media: Alongside video, incorporating animations, slides, and infographics can add variety and cater your training material to different learning styles. To spice things up even further, consider adding interactive diagrams or flowcharts that make it easier to understand complex safety and compliance protocols. 
• Gamification elements: Point systems, leaderboards, or rewards can gently incentivize workers to stay on top of their safety and compliance training. 

The takeaway: a science-informed approach can help you effectively communicate key material without overloading learners. 

4. Assess Knowledge Retention Early and Often

Most safety and compliance training programs have some form of knowledge evaluation, like a graded test at the end of each learning module. These are crucial – but they shouldn't be the only way you assess knowledge retention. Frequent, low-stakes check-ins make it easier for employees to understand, recall, and apply critical safety and compliance information. 

Consider a daily, ungraded "knowledge check," for instance – it can keep safety top of mind at the start of each workday. If you recently held a toolbox talk about lockout-tagout procedures, you might push a one-question quiz via your mobile app to see whether the right information stuck. 

You can get creative with things, too. One of my favorite ways to assess knowledge is through choose-your-own-outcome scenarios that let employees explore different actions and their consequences. 

For instance, imagine an interactive module on pedestrian safety when crossing the street to access an auto shop. Your module might give users the option to use a crosswalk or jaywalk – and enter the shop through the man door or a bay door. Each decision will lead to different outcomes: jaywalking might result in a near miss with oncoming traffic, while using the bay door might cause a scrape with a vehicle. 

Modules like these let employees put their knowledge to use in a practical and engaging setting. And explanations for safe and unsafe actions are great tools for reinforcing information. 

As you test employees' knowledge retention, use the results – even if technically ungraded – to learn what's sticking and where employees may need additional support. This way, you can proactively address information gaps before they lead to costly incidents. 

Lay a Strong Foundation for Your Safety Culture

As a safety professional, you know the enormous value of safety and compliance training: it’s an investment in your team’s wellbeing and can protect your company's bottom line. 

But a training program is only as good as the tools used to administer it. In other words, you need great tech that helps you meet employees' training needs, conduct regular inspections, and evaluate compliance progress on an ongoing basis.  

Pair best-in-class software with thoughtful program design, and you'll be well positioned for positive results. With the right foundation, your training program can foster a culture where everyone from the front line to the C-suite puts safety first. 

This article originally appeared in the February/March 2025 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.