Enhancing Safety Through Play: The Gamification of Health and Safety Training.
Regardless of an organisation’s size and sector, health and safety training is an essential activity. Providing staff with greater expertise and knowledge is arguably more important for those involved in higher risk industries. As an employer, it is your responsibility to provide information, instruction and training wherever possible to ensure the workforce remains free from harm.
Traditional training methods such as classroom-based teaching are not particularly well suited to organisations that need to prioritise health and safety. Members of staff often struggle for motivation, while the business itself must find the time and resources to implement employee training
More and more businesses, therefore, are looking at different training approaches, such as gamification. While some employers may consider workplace fun to be counterintuitive when culturing a safe environment, gamification combines the need for training with more interesting and engaging learning materials.
When it comes to health and safety training, most organisations will formulate a plan that relates to the skills and knowledge needed to avoid accident and injury. This can involve looking at previous instances of workplace injury, near misses, or cases of ill health to learn lessons and gain greater insight into the risks that exist.
When this process is complete, you will know exactly what information or expertise is required for staff to comply with health and safety procedures. The real obstacle is choosing a method of training that effectively teaches employees about these risks and how to avoid them
By injecting some fun into training and providing the workforce with rewards, each and every employee will not only be more likely to take part in learning, but also complete the tasks in front of them. Gamification gives members of staff a challenge to complete, provides a framework on how to overcome it, and then offers instant gratification at the end.
The Gig economy introduces a new way of working in modern society, characterised ‘by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work, as opposed to permanent jobs.’ It is continuing to prove itself as an increasingly popular option for people seeking work, with an estimated 5 million employed within this area. Popular organisations that are involved within the gig economy include Uber, Airbnb, 
