Why is Microlearning the Future for Health & Safety Training?

An accident at work is defined by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) as ‘An unplanned event resulting in death, or resulting in an injury such as a severe sprain or strain (for example, manual handling injuries), a laceration, a broken bone, concussion or unconsciousness. ‘An employer’s duties under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 includes the requirement for the provision of training. 

Most businesses do have a provision for safety training in place and most employers have (especially given the  current necessity) embraced online learning. This is a current trend. But what’s the trend for the future? 

Long, clunky, eLearning pieces (I’m sure you’ve seen these too!)  can be boring and laborious to employees. This is where microlearning comes into play.

 

What is Microlearning?

 

Micro-learning is a modern approach to delivering learning materials in small, bite-sized portions that target specific topics. The conciseness of these materials makes it easier to digest.

 

• Microlearning is performed in short time bursts.
• It requires little effort from individual sessions.
• It involves simple and/or narrow topics.

Millennials will make up a large part of the future workforce. Traditional models of eLearning just won’t cut it with this demographic, and will naturally be phased out. The popularity of microlearning is on the up as it’s the  ideal way to ensure that learning is received, digested and engaged with.

 

How to use Microlearning Effectively

The following are some examples of how microlearning can be applied in practice: 

 

Short and brief tips: When so much information is thrown at workers, the possibility of retaining all of it is very low. For effective transfer of knowledge, the microlearning objective should focus on just one concept.

 

Use interactive videos: The process of taking in information is better easier with the use of videos rather than bulky materials that cover an excessive amount. Even better if the video contains branching scenarios . 

 

Use of short quizzes for checking progress: The employees are provided with continuous access to these materials, and as each section is completed, they are required to provide suitable responses to the questions.

 

Use of gamification: Short games, or some gaming elements within the microlearning can be used by companies to increase interactivity, add an element of competition, the end goal being to help train their staff in health and safety more effectively. 

 

Shorter, asynchronous,  interactive courses with the above elements can benefit all health and  courses,  from Food Safety (HACCP), COVID-19 Compliance Officer, First Aid, Infection Prevention and control, to name but a few.

 

If you are looking for an effective way to streamline your safety training needs, Myelearnsafety.com offers a suite of health and safety courses to cover you. We offer a free trial to those who are interested, so you can see the benefits for yourself. 

 

For a free trial contact cormac@elearn.ie or call direct on 01 278 1938.

 

 

 

Employers Beware: COVID-19 and Remote Working Obligations

The Safety Health and Welfare at Work legislation boils down to the fact that Employers are obliged to provide a safe place to work.

There are significant sanctions for employers who breach the legislation including fines up to €3 million and imprisonment for up to 2 years for a serious breach. In 2019 in HSA v Walker the defendant was prosecuted for a breach of s11(1)(c)(ii) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and sentenced to 6 months with only 2 month suspended.

In these COVID 19 times a workplace can mean working from home for many employees. Employers have a duty therefore to check that their employees have the appropriate facilities and equipment to work safely. The big difference now is that people working from home are doing so for their  full working day or at least a large part of their working hours. Appropriate desk, chair and work station ergonomics need to be considered. How do you keep in touch with your staff to check on their well-being? Is there inappropriate online activity? How is everyone’s mental health holding up? These are just a few of the considerations that you need to consider and find ways of dealing with issues that were previously dealt with in the office environment.

 

“Having a designated COVID-19 Compliance Officer within the workplace

is looking like becoming the new norm.”

 

Having a designated COVID-19 Compliance Officer within the workplace is looking like becoming the new norm. This person or persons will be tasked with ensuring businesses meet any instructions or rules issued by the Government in order to allow them to continue trading. Online training, health and safety awareness and carrying out up to date risk assessments can be implemented easily and at low cost. A simple example is asking your employees to send a photo of their workstation. This can then be reviewed by an appropriate qualified person to assess its suitability. Creating appropriate checklists and procedures can help employers and employees assess what needs to be done in everyone’s best interests.

 

Myelearnsafety.com provides a range of courses and our experts are on hand to give advice and courses to suit your business helping you create a better safer workplace in a changed pandemic world and helping you meet your legal requirements to provide a safe place of work.

Benefits of eLearning to COVID-19 Transmission Rates

eLearning Trends

eLearning was already on the rise pre-COVID-19. For some time there has been a phenomenal growth of eLearning use among the corporate sector. 90% of corporations now use e-learning compared to just 4% in 1995. And the reason for this is obvious; with employees delivering increased productivity for every euro/dollar invested in e-learning.

Though it was trending that way anyway, the onset of COVID-19 has meant that the growth of eLearning has spread well beyond the corporate sector, to now encompass the education, healthcare, computer & info tech, retail and eCommerce and construction sectors, among others.

People working remotely, businesses moving online and people choosing to learn online rather than in the classroom – the necessary restrictions caused by Covid-19, have seen technology take centre stage in so many aspects of business and life.

There has been a two-fold benefit when it comes to reducing the rate of transfer of COVID-19.

Reducing the Transmission Rate

As well as the positive environmental impact of an increased uptake in eLearning, there has been a two-fold benefit when it comes to reducing the rate of transfer of COVID-19. The first, and most obvious of these benefits, is the reduction in face-to-face contact. The second benefit is the opportunity to increase employee awareness, training and general education regarding COVID-19, with COVID-19 specific courses such as COVID-19 Infection Prevention & Control, COVID-19 Compliance Officer, and COVID-19 Lead Worker Representative courses.

Looking at COVID-19 Infection Prevention & Control courses as an example, this type course provides a better understanding of the basic principles of infection control and the ability to apply standard precautions while understanding the chain of infection and an employees’ own role in the prevention of the spread of infection. All going towards reducing the transmission rate of COVID-19.

 

“Students acquire knowledge and skills through online and offline eLearning as well as or better than they do through traditional teaching”

 

 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) itself has taken a proactive approach to providing eLearning courses aimed at controlling and preventing the spread of infection of viruses such as the novel coronavirus. This is not surprising, as the findings from a review commissioned by the WHO showed that students acquire knowledge and skills through online and offline eLearning as well as or better than they do through traditional teaching.

 

 

 

If you are interested in taking precautions to minimise the spread of COVID-19 either now, or upon return to work, speak to Cormac at: +353 1 2781938 or cormac@elearn.ie

Covid-19 Compliance Officers to Become the New Norm in the Workplace

Having a designated COVID-19 compliance officer within the workplace is looking like becoming the new norm. This person or persons will be tasked with ensuring businesses meet any instructions or rules issued by the Government in order to allow them to continue trading.

As we emerge from lockdown, the working landscape will look and feel different, with compliance now being of maximum importance. Businesses will have to adapt according to whatever protocols are put in place. The Return to Work Safely Protocol published by the HSA and the HSE, the Department of Health and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, describes the steps that employers and employees should take before a workplace reopens to make sure they can return to work safely. It also covers how businesses should operate after they reopen to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace.

The Return to Work Safely Protocol sets out specific duties of the employer, including:

•  The duty to appoint at least one lead worker representative to make sure safety measures are in place and being followed.
• Updating business and safety plans, including the business COVID-19 Response Plan, the occupational health and safety risk assessment and the safety statement. Include how to deal with a suspected case of COVID-19 in the safety plans and appoint a dedicated manager in charge of dealing with suspected cases.
• Develop, consult on, communicate and implement workplace changes or policies.
• Send out a pre-return to work form to employees at least 3 days before their return to work. The form will ask employees to confirm they have not had symptoms of COVID-19 in the past 14 days, have not been diagnosed or suspected of COVID-19 in the past 14 days, have not been in close contact with someone confirmed or suspected of COVID-19 in the past 14 days and are not self-isolating or cocooning.
• Provide COVID-19 induction training for all staff.
• Put in place temperature testing in line with public health advice.

It will be the job of the Covid-19 compliance officer to ensure that this, and future protocols are being adhered to.

According to the Association of Compliance Officers Ireland (ACOI)’s chief executive, Michael Kavanagh, “Organisations will have to adhere to strict rules to ensure we hold our ground in the fight against the spread of the disease. In order to do this, employees and management will need to know exactly what they have to do. Invariably, one person, or even a team of people, depending on the size of the organisation, should be tasked with ensuring compliance.”

The Covid-19 compliance officer will essentially act as a go-to person for the HSE and gardaí regarding putting the necessary processes and procedures in place.

What is not sure is for how long a business will need to have a designated Covid-19 Compliance Officer in the workplace. What is more of a certainty is that businesses need to ensure that the Return to Work Safety Protocol is strictly adhered to now; and the first step towards this is to have a trained Covid-19 Compliance Officer in the workplace at all times.

Myelearnsafety offer a COVID-19 Compliance Officer online course.

 All readers of this article are eligible for a 25% discount on the following COVID-19 Compliance Officer online training courses: 

COVID-19 Compliance Officer – General Workplace

COVID-19 Compliance Officer – Construction

(Insert COVID25 as your coupon on our website)