Why Safety Training is Key for Reducing Risks

Why Safety Training is Key for Reducing Risks at Work

Australian workplaces have a duty of care to provide a safe working environment, both physically and psychologically.

The challenge for many organisations and employees is understanding what this actually looks like and knowing how to promote and ensure safety.

The best place to start is with education.

Health and safety training  (also called WHS Training or OHS Training) is the foundation of risk management, equipping your team with the skills and confidence to work safely, prevent harm, and build a culture of accountability.

While training alone cannot eliminate every hazard, it ensures employees and leaders understand risks, apply control measures and contribute to a safer workplace.

The following insights explain more about physical and psychological safety training in the workplace, the roles they have to play and the flow-on benefits of providing quality training.

    The Role of Training in Physical Safety Management

    The term ‘hierarchy of controls’ is the industry standard when it comes to managing physical workplace risks.

    This framework, outlined in the Model Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act and Victoria’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Regulation, helps businesses prioritise how they address hazards, for example:

    • Eliminate the hazard by removing the risk entirely.
    • Substitute the hazard with a safer alternative.
    • Use engineering controls to create physical barriers that reduce exposure.
    • Implement administrative controls to change how work is done, including providing safety training.
    • Use personal protective equipment (PPE) as a last line of defence.

    Physical safety training plays a critical role in ensuring that safety measures like this are understood and applied effectively.

    Need to train your team on basic workplace safety? Trust Culture can help.

    Adapting the Hierarchy of Controls for Psychosocial Hazards

    There is another set of risks at work known as psychosocial hazards, and these require a broader approach.

    In this case, what’s known as a Total Worker Health model considers both physical safety and mental wellbeing, ensuring workplaces address psychosocial hazards such as bullying, discrimination, aggression and other harmful behaviours that can impact employees.

    Total Worker Approach

    By adapting the hierarchy of controls to reflect harmful behaviours, organisations can take a proactive approach to preventing and managing psychosocial hazards by:

    • Eliminating harmful working conditions that contribute to stress, burnout, and toxic workplace culture.
    • Substituting poor management practices with policies, leadership strategies, and programs that promote respect, fairness, and employee wellbeing.
    • Redesigning jobs, workloads, reporting structures, and workplace environments to reduce high job demands, low job control, and workplace conflicts.
    • Educating employees and leaders to identify, prevent, and respond to bullying, harassment and aggression.
    • Encouraging organisational and personal changes that support resilience, inclusion and psychological safety.

    Embedding psychosocial risk management into workplace culture means organisations meet legal obligations and create an environment where employees feel safe, valued and supported. The result is a happier workplace with higher productivity, improved engagement and lower turnover.

    Why Health and Safety Training Matters for Psychological Wellbeing

    Health and safety training that is focused on harmful behaviours empowers employees and leaders to take an active role in creating a safer workplace.

    Training ensures your team knows how to:

    • Recognise hazards by identifying warning signs of workplace stress, bullying, and poor organisational justice.
    • Understand controls by applying risk management strategies and following reporting procedures.
    • Take action by speaking up, reporting concerns, and contributing to a respectful workplace culture.

    Without training, even workplaces with well-documented safety policies can struggle to prevent harmful behaviours and ensure psychological safety.

    When you’re planning training on the topic of psychological hazards at work, it’s a good idea to host separate training for managers and employees. This allows people to speak more freely and ensure information is relevant to each group.

    The Benefits of Investing in All Forms of Safety Training at Work

    Investing in health and safety training delivers long-term benefits for employees, teams and organisations.

    • Empowering Employees – When workers understand their rights and responsibilities, they feel more confident speaking up, reporting hazards, and contributing to a safer workplace.
    • Building a Culture of Psychological Safety – A workplace that prioritises safety, fairness, and inclusion reduces stress-related absenteeism, burnout, and workplace conflict.
    • Reducing Costs – Preventing workplace injuries, compensation claims, and employee turnover saves businesses money and resources.
    • Ensuring Compliance – Meeting legal obligations under WHS and OHS laws protects businesses from penalties and reputational damage.

    By making training a priority, organisations strengthen safety leadership, reduce risks, and create healthier workplaces.

    Make Safety Training a Priority

    While eliminating hazards is always the goal, some risks cannot be completely removed. That is why health and safety training is critical in preventing harm and ensuring employees know how to manage workplace risks.

    When employees and leaders understand the “why” behind safety measures, they become active participants in fostering a safer, more respectful, and compliant workplace.

    What’s Next?

    If you want to improve workplace safety and risk management, start by making health and safety training  a priority for managers and employees. It is not just a compliance requirement. It is the foundation for a strong, engaged, and risk-aware workforce.

    Training is more effective when it is tailored to your business. To plan an insightful half-day session for your managers and employees, connect with Trust Culture today

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