Using Learning Management Systems To Improve Contractor Safety Training

Contractors provide organizations with specialist knowledge, workforce flexibility and a cost-effective alternative to hiring additional employees. However, their status as recently onboarded workers introduces a range of additional risks which – without adequate safety management – may result in harm to both contractors and internal personnel. An essential part of contractor safety management involves the hiring client ensuring that contractors have the necessary qualifications and reasonable levels of safety competency. This often requires upskilling initiatives.

Yet, traditional contractor safety training is frequently burdensome, costly and inefficient. It prolongs onboarding timelines, increases management costs, and too often fails to deliver the intended improvements in safety performance. To address these challenges, EHS practitioners may opt to use learning management systems (LMS), which Verdantix defines as:

Centralized digital platforms that streamline workflows for creating, assigning, delivering, scheduling and tracking training, and reporting on learning and development programmes at scale.

When implementing these tools, EHS practitioners could either use a contractor safety management platform’s inbuilt LMS or a standalone LMS solution that is integrated into their contractor safety management processes. While LMSs have the potential to streamline and augment contractor safety training, turning theory into reality is not always straightforward. EHS decision-makers need to build a business case for using systems to train workers who are only working for them temporarily, and then decide which LMS features best assist them with their contractor safety training.

The upcoming Future Of LMS report delves into the value of different LMSs for contractor-intensive industries such as oil and gas, construction and transportation. It outlines how digital workflows for contractor safety training will become more mature as LMS developers build out their AI capabilities and expand their content partnerships.

The report also highlights the distinct training needs of contractors. Contractors often have limited familiarity with site-specific hazards, operating procedures and safety controls, while hiring clients remain responsible for meeting contractor safety compliance obligations. As a result, organizations face an ongoing need for frequent induction and site-specific training, delivered more regularly than for permanent workforces.

For more expertise on contractor safety management, look out for the report’s publication on the Verdantix research portal, or schedule an analyst inquiry call to discuss the topic in greater depth.