Labelmaster suggests the e-version

TRAINING TOOLBOX

COMPLIANCE • LABELMASTER’S RHONDA JESSOP* ENCOURAGES COMPANIES TO LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE TRAINING PROVISION AND ENHANCE PROFITS AND SAFETY

SHIPPING DANGEROUS GOODS (DG) and hazardous materials (hazmat) has become highly complex and increasingly challenging. The sheer number of items now classified as ‘hazardous’ makes the safe, secure movement of these goods more important than ever. But, when coupled with ever-evolving and expanding shipping regulations, ensuring DG shipping compliance becomes a moving target.

In today’s demanding environment, organisations cannot afford to find themselves non-compliant and risking serious operational, financial and environmental ramifications as a result. This is why DG training is so crucial. Unfortunately, for many organisations, their training is insufficient and ineffective. Addressing these issues requires a more strategic and engaging approach to training and learning – including the use of e-technology and virtual reality.

TRAINING TODAY Training in the handling and shipping of DG is critical to ensuring a safe and compliant supply chain, which is why it’s mandated by global regulatory agencies. So, it’s no surprise that, according to Labelmaster’s 2019 Dangerous Goods Confidence Outlook survey, almost 76 per cent of DG professionals use training as one of their primary sources of information and guidance to keep current with the latest DG regulations.

But just because something is required, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s effectively implemented. In fact, 25 per cent of respondents to a 2018 Labelmaster survey felt their company’s DG training did NOT adequately prepare people within the organisation to comply with DG shipping regulations.

One of the major barriers to effective DG training is that many organisations view it as simply a ‘necessary evil’. Consequently, a minimal effort is directed towards training - enough to satisfy regulatory requirements, and not much more. Another barrier is that many companies lack the necessary infrastructure to put forth value-added training that supports compliance across the supply chain in the first place.

As a result, the training employees do receive can be ineffective and insufficient to add real business value or drive compliance success, leaving organisations vulnerable to putting their brand and customer relationships at risk. In fact, 15 per cent of survey respondents said “insufficient or ineffective training” is their greatest compliance challenge and 53 per cent ranked it in their top three.

Therefore, it’s not surprising that, when asked how they would prioritise additional investment from senior leadership, 33 per cent of DG professionals surveyed said they would put more resources toward improving employee training.

THE MODERN METHOD But reinventing employee training as a growth opportunity versus a box to be checked as ‘completed’ can be a challenge. The key to improving DG compliance training across the supply chain lies in creating impactful, engaging content presented on interactive, intuitive platforms. This makes learning easy and convenient, and adds real business value.

One of the biggest assets an organisation can employ in the quest to improve the quality and interactivity of hazmat compliance training is an online e-learning platform.

Online training is not new - it’s been embraced across many industries for years - but it can be especially useful in helping employees digest complicated DG shipping regulations and procedures in a more convenient, interesting and memorable manner. Specific benefits of embracing an e-learning platform include: - Cost savings: companies spend less by eliminating the travel costs associated with bringing employees to a centralised, in-person training location - Greater productivity: anytime, anywhere access to training means employees spend less time away from the workplace and away from performing job tasks - Faster onboarding: DG organisations can experience high employee turnover; online learning makes it easier to train new workers quickly and properly, without waiting until enough learners fill a physical training session - Employee convenience: Workers get to follow the training materials at their own pace, and can even re-review as needed, since e-learning is on-demand and accessible 24/7 - Interactivity: Online training content is flexible, scalable and customisable to the specific compliance requirements of each worker’s role; and because it’s interactive and can encourage learning through quizzes, games and role playing, it encourages greater retention.

IMMERSIVE LEARNING One particular type of e-learning - Virtual Reality (VR) - is gaining traction as way to overcome many online learning challenges and better engage employees. VR, and its close counterpart the 3D online experience, creates an immersive environment that mirrors an employee’s actual workplace, leading to a more effective, realistic training experience than any book or PowerPoint slide can provide. This heightened interactivity can reinforce a faster understanding of training content, and caters to how younger generations are already consuming content.

Just how popular has VR training become? Major companies like Walmart, Chevron and Verizon are now using it to train employees, with beneficial results. In fact, another major company - Tyson Foods - has leveraged VR for safety training and as a result reduced injuries and illnesses by 20 per cent.

Whether an organisation opts to conduct hazmat shipping compliance training in a real-world class environment, as an e-learning curriculum that incorporates VR, or a hybrid of both, it must add business value and support engagement no matter what. The following are considerations that can lead to training success when developing or revamping the organisation’s training approach: 1. E-learning technology platforms reduce time and costs: - Changes in regulatory content can be updated immediately - Training recorded can be accessed quickly, ensuring clean-up-to-date records are available whenever needed - Training costs and goals are easier to plan and monitor - Training content can be shared easily and

is consistent across supply chain partners. 2. E-learning platforms make it easier to develop consistent content that is relevant to a company’s unique needs: - A company’s own policies, procedures, industry, products and suppliers are easily integrated into the materials - Functionality, tasks and examples unique to the company’s situation can be added - Adult-based learning principles are supported through a methodical approach.

LEADING THE WAY Labelmaster works closely with both small and large companies to ensure that their customers’ training investment is adding real business value. Whether it’s leading in-person classroom training at the customer’s location, offering nearly a dozen online courses or designing a hybrid offering that combines both, customer feedback is very positive. In fact, Labelmaster’s virtual reality training programs are currently in development.

To help organisations figure out who needs what training, Labelmaster has developed a ‘Training Decision Tree’, available at www.labelmaster.com/content/files/images/ pdfs/who-needs-dg-training.pdf. Further information on Labelmaster’s complete suite of training options can be found at www. labelmaster.com/services/training. *Rhonda Jessop is director of global learning at Labelmaster.

E-LEARNING OFFERS BOTH FLEXIBILITY AND CONSISTENCY,

ENSURING A COST-EFFECTIVE AND TIME-EFFICIENT WAY

OF DELIVERING THE TRAINING THAT IS REQUIRED BY