At Nelosca, training is the backbone of our safety program, and we have come to discover a high return on investment by bringing much of our training in-house. Doing this helps us prepare our workforce for our unique work features, which in the long run, lowers our Experience Modification Rate (EMR). A company’s EMR is a number used by insurance companies to determine the past cost of injuries and any future chance of risks. The lower your EMR number, the better your standing compared to similar companies. The average industry EMR rating is 1.00, so companies that can get a lower rate than this save money when it comes to insurance premiums (not to mention savings associated with eliminating workplace injuries). When taking into account the number of manhours we work each year, our current EMR of .52 translates to a savings of up to $400,000! We believe one of the reasons we achieve such a low EMR is because we focus on quality when it comes to training.
Great companies have cultures that put their employees’ safety above all else, and the best course of action to accomplish this is proper training. Of course, you want to get the most out of each training session. At Nelosca, we have a dedicated employee training center where we organize several types of courses, including skills-based compliance, hazard recognition, and most importantly, leadership.
We do little internet training at Nelosca unless a client specifically requires it. While the content can be informative, it is not particularly engaging. If you are going to pay for an employee’s time, you need to maximize the value of the training and give him or her a venue where he or she can contribute to your program. We cannot stress enough how many ideas and changes we have had come out of our training programs from engaged employees eager to make the work environment safer, more productive, and more efficient.
Training costs money up front, but it will pay off in spades in the end. Lowering your EMR will result directly in lower insurance costs, not to mention fewer injuries result in fewer worker’s compensation claims. Invest in proper training, and it won’t take long to realize a real return!