The pandemic has seen seismic shifts in ways of working, with many aspects of normal business now being carried out via video conferencing and other interactive online delivery methods.  For those working in an office environment this has been a relatively easy transition but for construction workers, who can't work from home, this has been harder.  No manual trade can be done from home, and it follows that safety training also is hard to do virtually.  While e-learning for fire safety, data protection and other mandatory training requirements for most jobs can be done from home; it's not so simple when it comes to the safe use of site equipment.

Associated Builders and Contractors, a US based trade association with over 21,000 members, has taken on the challenge of how to safely deliver ladder training from a distance.  It's not an ideal situation, as the ability to carry out hands-on training can't be done when people are in their living room, but they have been able to deliver training sessions and demonstrations over the internet.

John Newquist, who runs a training company, has been running virtual ladder safety training sessions from his home studio, allowing participants to watch and learn as he sets up various ladders and climbs them to demonstrate the proper use of the equipment.  Although there is no physical element for the participants, they can still learn a lot of vital information about how to prevent ladder falls and the safe use of height access equipment.  Now, as restrictions ease, some in-person training has resumed with small groups, with more people attending from their own home in the same session.

With job losses and the suspension of some construction projects the workforce in the construction industry has experience a lot of flux, with some people out of work for a year before re-joining the trade.  Some of these people are experienced ladder users, but everyone can benefit from some refresher training.  In fact, refresher training is a really useful tool in the fight against complacency and bad habits, which form slowly over a period of time before becoming ingrained.  Refresher training helps realign people's priorities and raises awareness of common bad habits, and how to overcome these.

Kevin Cannon, the senior director for Health and Safety at the Associated General Contractors of America, believes online and distance learning is here to stay for the construction industry.  The major benefit is time and cost savings, as parts of the training can be delivered virtually, with a final day actually on site putting the newly taught skills into practice.  Another benefit is that training materials can be provided in advance of the session, allowing participants to go through a presentation at their own pace, to then use the training time to ask questions and delve further into the material.

Virtual learning also offers the ability to quickly assess how much the participants are learning, with short quizzes during each session to test that the participants have understood the training material.  While this can be done in-person, the technology used to deliver and score quizzes saves a lot of time and delivers an instant break-down of results.  Trainers can then use this insight to identify which aspects need more time spent on training.

While there are certainly aspects of ladder safety training that require an in-person, hands-on approach, there are also many aspects that can easily be delivered virtually, which can save time and money compared to training sessions that are entirely face-to-face.  If you are considering how to train yourself or your staff while in-person training events are limited, look for virtual training events and self-directed e-learning that can provide the bulk of the learning, leaving only the practical training to be conducted in person.