Warehouse training that drives safety and performance

As demand for online shopping and last-mile delivery increases, so too does warehouse work. Today, ecommerce accounts for 20.5% of global retail sales—and is only expected to grow.

While demand is good, it puts pressure on your warehouse workforce. Moving too quickly can increase the risks of injuries and errors—and so can adding a lot of new staff who don’t yet know the ropes. And these injuries have a high cost. Safeopedia reports that on-the-job injuries cost companies an estimated $38,000 in direct expenses (like medical bills) and $150,000 in indirect costs (such as lost time and training new staff).

Plus the industry is rapidly evolving, with new automations and robotics constantly coming on the scene. For instance, Amazon has a Mechatronics and Robotics Apprenticeship program for warehouse staff to take over technical maintenance roles.

That means the best tool you have to stay competitive—and to future-proof your team—is effective training. So whether you’re onboarding new staff or upskilling your team to take over as robot technicians in the near future, they’ll be ready to meet the moment.

Here’s how industry leaders are investing in warehouse training that creates more resilient, high-performing teams.

Core warehouse training every team needs

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, injuries in warehousing and transportation are down compared to previous years. However, it’s still high, with the fourth-most injuries of any industry. By contrast, construction, mining and agriculture are all safer.

It’s not that warehouse workers aren’t receiving safety training. But if it’s not top of mind, it’s easy to forget or become complacent, especially in a fast-paced warehouse environment. That’s why reinforcement is so important.

The most frequently-cited injuries include overexertion; falls, slips and trips; and contact with equipment. Effective safety training should pay special attention to these areas—and review them often so when workers face an unsafe situation, the training is fresh in their mind.

While each warehouse environment will be different, here are some of the core training basics that all warehouse employees need to know to be safe on the job.

Ladder safety and fall protection

Cover the hazards involved in working at heights, correct ladder technique (three points of contact), use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and any other specific information about how to use the types of ladders employed in your specific warehouse.

Forklift and equipment operation

A valid safety certification is required to operate a forklift in the US and Canada, but don’t assume that’s enough to ensure safe operation. Make sure to review the safety basics regularly, including: pre-shift checks, proper loading and unloading, safe driving and secure parking.

Lockout/Tagout

Ensure employees are familiar with the lockout/tagout procedures for any system or equipment that can emit hazardous energy. This includes the physical processes for shutting down the equipment and releasing stored energy, how to apply physical locks, and how to effectively communicate the shutdown—and subsequent re-engerization—with the rest of the team.

Hazard Communication (HAZCOM)

By law, employees have a right to know about hazardous substances in their workplace and how to protect themselves. In the US, this is covered by HAZCOM and in Canada, by WHMIS. While employees should receive this training when they begin work (or anytime a new substance is introduced), it’s important to regularly refresh your employees’ knowledge.

Ergonomics and injury prevention

Some of the biggest injury risks to staff are heavy lifting, repetitive motions, or awkward movements. Training should educate employees on proper lifting techniques, the proper use of ergonomic equipment, and injury prevention. Encourage staff to take regular breaks to stretch so they don’t overexert themselves.

Emergency preparedness and first aid

Your team should know where first aid and emergency resources are kept and how to use them. Additionally, they should be educated on possible emergency scenarios—such as fire—and what actions to take. For instance, your evacuation plan, responsibilities of designated fire marshalls and reassembly point. Review these often so they can act instinctively in high-stress situations.

▶️ Also read: Frontline compliance: best practices, real-world results + free checklist

Beyond safety: The new skills warehouse workers need

The warehousing industry is rapidly changing. In addition to health and safety best practices, your workers need to be able to adapt to new technology and the new ways of working it creates. This includes:

• Hardware and software skills: Staff need to understand and effectively use your warehouse management system (WMS), scanning devices, and automated systems such as conveyors, automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) and robotic arms. As technology advances, warehouse staff’s responsibilities will evolve to be less about manual labor and more about effectively operating and maintaining these automated systems.
• Communication and collaboration: With warehouse operations growing increasingly complex, staff need to be able to communicate with each other effectively, including collaborating meaningfully across shifts. This means knowing how and when to leverage the different communication means at their disposal, from team huddles, to task assignments in your WMS, to digital messaging and even wearables.
• Problem-solving and continuous improvement: Warehouse workers have the best on-the-ground view of how your processes and systems are actually functioning. They likely have suggestions on how to improve efficiency or address common issues. Their training should empower them to voice their ideas and take action to solve problems in the moment, through the appropriate channels.

▶️ Also read: The ROI of workplace safety in grocery

Common pain points in warehouse training programs

Warehouse training is essential, but it isn’t always easy. Here are some common issues that companies run into:

Training doesn’t stick

The time between passing safety or other training and when workers are actually faced with an unsafe situation can be long. In the meantime, they forget—leading to unsafe decisions or time wasted trying to find the right approach.

Inconsistent delivery across sites

When teams across sites receive different or inconsistent training, that can lead to uneven performance and quality issues, impacting your brand perception.

Time off the floor Is too expensive

The time it would take to re-up on education takes staff off the floor for too long, leading to schedule delays and lost revenue.

That’s why modern teams are turning to continuous, incremental reinforcement through microlearning. Below, we’ll break down what this strategy is and why it works so well for warehouse teams.

Microlearning: The modern training solution for warehouse teams

Modern warehouse teams don’t have time to waste—but it’s critical that they review their training regularly so they’re able to act safely and effectively. That’s where microlearning comes in. Rather than scheduling a time-intensive training session and taking staff off the floor, microlearning allows you to slot a 3-5 minute review session at the start of every shift, saving time and keeping your team’s knowledge fresh.

It’s possible to do this manually, such as a manager quizzing staff on key information during a team huddle, but a simpler and more streamlined solution is to use an app-based learning platform like Axonify.

The advantages of using an app-based system are numerous:

Take advantage of personalized learning paths

Instead of reviewing the same information with the whole team, each employee gets a custom review session based on their own learning journey. If there’s a question they can’t answer correctly, they’ll keep getting served that question until they know.

Keep staff on the floor

Instead of pulling staff aside for lengthy training sessions, they can instead check in at the beginning or end of their shift to complete a quick review session. This keeps their knowledge fresh while minimizing downtime.

Generate data-driven insights for managers

Managers and team leads can keep a much better eye on their team’s skills and safety knowledge, flagging any potential safety or compliance concerns before they occur.

Measuring the ROI of warehouse worker training

Once your training program is in place, how do you know it’s working? Using a tool like Axonify ties your team’s learning to real business impact. Here are some key metrics to watch—which we’ll illustrate with real stats from Walmart, which implemented microlearning with Axonify for its warehouse staff.

• Reduced safety incidents: Benchmark your injury rates and monthly recordable incidents before beginning your new training program and check in again in a few months. Is there a considerable decrease?
  
  Walmart success: The team cut recordable incidents by 54% across eight warehouses.
  
• Better efficiency, accuracy, and throughput: Track your key performance indicators (KPIs) around fulfillment, accuracy, replenishment, inventory turns, or other key metrics for your business. How has training impacted these numbers?
  
  Walmart success: The team reduced lost time by more than 50%.
  
• Improved retention and morale: If you’re not already, take a pulse check of your team’s net promoter score (NPS), ideally once a quarter, to see how training has impacted your staff’s work satisfaction.
  
  Walmart success: Staff knowledge on safety topics increased 15%, employee confidence increased 8%, and staff morale increased.

How to build a culture of continuous learning

Effective training isn’t a one-time event, it’s a system. To ensure your training is effective—and to build a culture where your team consistently learns and grows—it’s important to follow a few key steps.

• Assess current training gaps: Use digital assessments and quizzes to understand where your team’s knowledge gaps are and where you should be focusing your training efforts.
• Set measurable goals: Decide would make the greatest impact for your team and set targets to aim for. These could include things like injury or incidence rate, productivity-related KPIs, or team net promoter score.
• Make microlearning a daily habit: To get training to stick, small, regular effort is more effective than training binges. Set aside a few minutes at the start of each shift to review key concepts, whether in a team huddle or getting staff to individually sign into a learning tool.

The future of warehouse training

Thanks to increasing demand, the pressures on warehouse teams are high. And with new evolutions in technology, they’re only going to get higher. That means it’s not enough to review training a few times a quarter. Ideally, your team should be refreshing their key skills and safety knowledge every day.

Using an AI-enabled platform like Axonify can help reinforce key knowledge, identify gaps and create personalized learning paths that will help each staff member continuously adapt and grow their skills. So your team can perform at their best—and safest.