video work instructions Improve workplace safety

by Desiree Schnoor

How do Video Work Instructions make for a safer work environment? By their very nature, Video Work Instructions have several safety measures automatically embedded. Since video instructions capture the entire process in a few minutes, they are faster, better and safer execution of the task. Let’s take a look at the safety features of Work video.

With Video Work Instructions, the trainee is watching what the expert trainer is wearing, saying and doing, so they are learning the safest way to perform the task. And since the video is in the first-person point of view, trainees are seeing what the expert is seeing, causing their brain to easily orient them to be able to replicate what the expert is doing. The trainee can then model the exact actions of the expert trainer, increasing standardization of the task, which means less variations and errors, ultimately, less room for accidents to occur.

A university source says, “Most importantly, the best prevention strategy is to train employees and employers frequently. Creating a learning environment focused on safety promotes a healthy and safe workplace”. Cross-training is another safety function of Video Work Instructions, that elicits diverse and continuous training and learning. Not only do video instructions allow new and existing employees to train quickly, effectively and safely at new tasks, they also allow them to cross train multiple new tasks in the same way. Periodic exposure to training with Video Work Instructions compounds the safety effects of the training tool, and the result is a well-rounded, safe, and effective employee. 

Looking at the financial impacts of safety, “safety is the #1 way to reduce your workers’ compensation costs both direct (insurance premiums) and indirect (cost of hiring, retraining, overtime, and loss of productivity and other costs associated with work place injuries).” 

With rising awareness about how Video Work Instructions reduce both the rising labor availability and training costs, let’s highlight how video drives down manufacturers’ workers’ compensation costs too. Companies experiencing a reduction of the indirect costs associated with workers’ compensation can be traced back to the implementation of Video Work Instructions, as video improves each of the indirect causes listed above. Of course, general improvements in overall safety, such as less work place injuries means lower insurance premiums for employers. 

So, is it worth is? A state Department of Labor website states, “for every $1 invested in workplace safety, employers realize $3 – $10 in cost savings (direct and indirect costs).” And with Video Work Instructions answering both indirect and direct costs, we say video is a “safe” bet.