Workplace accidents and injuries can be costly for organizations, and to date, little consensus exists on how to best provide training to improve safety. This leaves organizations, especially those in high-risk industries, with potential liabilities and few clear solutions. To better understand the current research on workplace safety training, researchers (Bisbey et al., 2025) conducted a meta-analysis, which is a statistical combination of many past studies.
THE OUTCOMES OF SAFETY TRAINING
The researchers examined 157 studies of workplace safety training. Overall, safety training had positive effects on workplace safety. The strongest effect was for immediate outcomes, such as trainee learning and positive reactions to the training program. More moderate effects were found for transfer of training, which occurs when trainees apply their new safety knowledge to their jobs. The smallest effects were found for longer-term outcomes, such as lowering accident rates.
The nature and framing of the training shaped the outcomes. Technical training (i.e., how to safely perform specific tasks) generally improved individual well-being. On the other hand, non-technical training (e.g., communication, teamwork) had stronger effects on large-scale organizational outcomes, such as reduced accidents. Similarly, training that focused on avoiding safety hazards primarily improved organizational safety outcomes, while training focused on building positive safety attitudes improved individual health and well-being.
PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
In general, workplace safety training matters. To design the most effective training, organizations should consider the criteria of interest. If the goal is to improve organization-wide safety outcomes, non-technical training (e.g., teamwork or leadership development) may be needed to shift safety attitudes and culture. If the goal is improving individual safety and health, technical training may be the most effective strategy. Once the needs are identified, organizations can use the authors’ integrative framework to identify which training levers to pull to strengthen safety learning, transfer of training, and long-term results.
Bisbey, T., Linhardt, R. M., Woods Herron, A., Kilcullen, M. P., & Salas, E. (2025). How does training contribute to workplace safety? A meta-analysis examining the effects of safety training. Journal of Applied Psychology. Advance online publication.