Occupational safety is a topic of paramount importance in any professional sector. Effective safety training can help prevent accidents, reduce risks and promote a corporate culture that values safety and cooperation.

Thanks to quick improvements in digital technology, eLearning has emerged as a powerful tool for improving workplace safety training. Online platforms, interactive courses, multimedia modules and assessment tools offer a flexible and engaging alternative to traditional training.

However, one would be mistaken to think that this is a tool that limits the user to an isolated training experience. eLearning can be combined with social learning, to take advantage of group dynamics in training.

What is social learning

Social learning is an educational approach that focuses on interaction and collaboration among individuals to foster learning. Unlike traditional individualistic learning, in which a teacher imparts knowledge to students, social learning emphasizes the importance of learning from and with others.

eLearning platforms can enable and foster social learning to share knowledge and experiences and participate in group discussions. This approach promotes active, collaborative and shared learning in which learners can benefit from the diverse perspectives and expertise of other participants.

Social learning has some interesting characteristics:

• Collaborative learning
• Sharing of experiences
• Peer mentoring and tutoring
• Feedback and mutual evaluation

Through collaborative learning, students work together to achieve a common goal, sharing information, resources and ideas. Students can recount their own experiences, problems solved and lessons learned, providing valuable insights to other participants. This allows students to play the role of mentors for mutual support to help each other in the learning process, facilitating understanding and deepening knowledge. In this way, feedback and evaluations are more effective because they complement those of the course instructor and encourage continuous improvement.

Advantages of the social learning approach

From the characteristics listed above, it is clear that the benefits of social learning are many and aligned with the spirit of lifelong learning. Especially in the corporate environment, social learning can provide several benefits to training course design:

• Active involvement
• Comparison of perspectives
• Learning by doping
• Collaborative knowledge construction
• Conflict resolution and development of social skills

Social learning stimulates the active participation of students, who feel involved in the learning process and motivated to contribute. Interaction among students provides access to different perspectives, experiences and points of view, enriching learning and stimulating critical thinking. Through interaction and the sharing of experiences, students can apply the knowledge gained in real-world contexts and develop practice-based skills.

Social learning fosters shared knowledge construction, where students can build new ideas and solutions together. The result can strengthen corporate culture if the values of collaboration, respect for safety and continuous improvement are embedded in the shared knowledge.

Social learning promotes the development of communication, collaboration and problem solving skills, which are critical for success in the world of work. This practice also has a long-term side benefit: the more colleagues and co-workers interact, the easier it is for methods and approaches to emerge to resolve operational disagreements. Discussing organizational goals and opportunities helps collaborative practice emerge, which can help manage and resolve potential later conflicts. The more these social skills are practiced, the more likely it is that a proactive attitude will emerge, more oriented toward conflict prevention than conflict resolution after the fact.

eLearning as a tool for safety training

eLearning is a useful tool for improving occupational safety training. Offering a wide range of features and benefits, eLearning has the potential to overcome the challenges associated with traditional training and provide an effective and engaging learning environment.

This tool allows workers to access safety training materials anytime and from anywhere, using mobile devices or computers. This flexibility allows employees to learn at their own pace and schedule needs.

The variety of multimedia formats, such as videos, interactive presentations, simulations, and interactive quizzes that eLearning is able to offer enhance workers' attention and understanding compared to traditional tools.

Learning courses can thus be designed in detail, down to the customization of content, modules and quizzes for each group of students. This customization can then be evaluated and recorded in a digital format.

The digital badge format allows for a dynamic representation of the skills and knowledge developed by employees. This allows both the employee and the manager and HR manager to assess his or her growth path and career opportunities in the company.

For the specific purpose of occupational safety training, eLearning can make an important contribution. Not least because of the standardization of content and the flexibility of its delivery. This makes it possible to keep training costs under control and increase its effectiveness, thanks to courses that can be adapted to work routines. Ubiquitous delivery allows barriers to access to be overcome.

Integrating social learning into eLearning for workplace safety.

Two strategies can prove effective in integrating social learning with eLearning: the use of forums, discussion groups and chats for sharing experiences; and collaboration and knowledge building through group projects.

Forums, discussion groups and chats

The introduction of forums, discussion groups and chats within eLearning creates opportunities for interaction among participants in occupational safety training. These tools allow employees to share experiences, ask questions, provide advice, and discuss best practices regarding workplace safety.

Employees can share their experiences, best practices and solutions to common problems. This promotes peer learning and knowledge enrichment for all participants. Forums and discussion groups then provide an environment where employees can seek help or advice on specific workplace safety issues. This peer support fosters problem solving and the sharing of helpful suggestions.

It is important that forums have a good organization of conversations by topic. It is very helpful if discussions stick to course topics and their applications to real cases. For example, conversations and consultations about hazard situations experienced or heard, accidents that have happened, and emergency procedures put in place can be very useful to share. This encourages critical reflection and application of the knowledge gained.

Collaboration on group projects

Group projects provide an opportunity for collaborative learning and knowledge building. In occupational safety training, employees can work together on specific scenarios or risk situations, developing shared solutions and action plans.

This allows employees to apply knowledge gained during training to real situations or simulations, fostering practice-based learning. By working in groups, employees can leverage the diverse skills and experiences of colleagues, integrating different perspectives to address workplace safety issues more comprehensively.

By integrating social learning into eLearning for workplace safety, organizations can harness the collective intelligence of their employees, foster the sharing of experiences and expertise, and promote a more robust and responsible safety culture.

Creating a safe virtual learning environment

To ensure effective workplace safety training through eLearning, it is critical to create a safe virtual learning environment that offers engaging and realistic materials. This goal can be furthered by acting along the stages of designing an eLearning safety course.

At the time of its composition, a course can include stories and practical cases that prompt active learning. One solution might be not to present the solution to the proposed cases immediately, to encourage consultation among learners. Only at a later stage, after students have discussed and provided answers and rationale, can the ending of a practical case and evaluation on correct procedures and errors to avoid be illustrated.

It is also very important to enhance the previous experiences and skills of the collaborators. For this purpose, it is useful to provide a space between lectures where each person brings his or her own professional example on relevant cases. Hearing from one's colleague similar experiences to those learned can multiply the active reception of correct practices to be adopted in an emergency. This is also because of the interpersonal understanding that can be developed among colleagues.

Simulations and realistic practices can foster immersion of the learners in the problem to be addressed. Once the simulation has been presented and the initial basics provided, placing the group in a position to make decisions is important to initiate those group dynamics that weld collective practices and skills.

In conclusion

eLearning offers a number of features and benefits that make it a powerful tool for safety training. From the ability to customize content, to allowing flexibility of use or quick updates to the content presented.

Integrating social learning into eLearning for occupational safety can multiply the effectiveness of this tool: encouraging the use of forums, discussion groups and chats for sharing experiences can foster collaboration and the building of social learning.

Very important are group activities and projects, to weld social skills, prevent conflict and establish emergency procedures to be followed quickly and decisively at the appropriate time.