Today’s workforce is undergoing a major transition. As experienced employees retire and newer workers take their place, organizations risk losing years of practical safety knowledge. According to APQC, 92% of organizations do not consistently capture knowledge from employees nearing retirement.

That knowledge can be especially difficult to replace when it comes to safety. Experienced workers often develop the judgment to spot when something is off, anticipate hazards and act before an unexpected situation becomes an incident. Newer employees haven’t had years on the job to hone those instincts, even if they’ve completed the required training.

The nature of work is changing, too. New technologies, equipment and regulations continually introduce new risks and responsibilities. Annual classroom sessions and standardized online courses can provide employees with foundational knowledge, but organizations also need ways to help employees put that knowledge into practice and strengthen it throughout the year.

For learning leaders, the opportunity is to evolve safety training from a scheduled event to an ongoing part of work. Making that shift can help employees cultivate practical judgment and prepare them to navigate changing workplace risks.

3 Ways to Build a Stronger Safety Training Program

Effective safety training starts with rethinking how employees learn, practice and reinforce new skills. The following strategies can help you improve knowledge retention and turn safety training into lasting workplace habits.

1. Deliver training in the flow of work.

People retain information best when they can immediately apply it to the work in front of them. Annual classroom sessions and online courses have historically played a key role in safety training, but learning also needs to continue after employees complete them.

Look for opportunities to deliver brief, focused learning when employees need it most. For example, supervisors can review a relevant safety procedure before a shift or offer quick coaching before an unfamiliar or high-risk task. That might mean reviewing blind spots and pedestrian right-of-way before forklift operation or walking through the correct steps before an employee uses unfamiliar equipment.

Mobile-friendly digital lessons and targeted coaching moments also make it easier for frontline and deskless employees to connect learning with real-world situations. When a new process, technology or regulation changes how employees perform a task, these approaches allow organizations to address the change without waiting for the next annual training cycle.

Everyone benefits when training is timely, relevant and immediately applicable. Giving newer employees opportunities to apply formal training on the job can also help them gain practical experience and confidence over time.

2. Make mentoring part of your training strategy.

Experienced employees build valuable safety expertise over years on the job. Pairing newer employees with seasoned mentors creates opportunities to transfer that knowledge through observation, coaching and everyday conversations.

For example, formal training might teach an employee how to inspect equipment and follow the required safety procedures. An experienced mentor can help that employee recognize less obvious warning signs, such as an unusual sound, unexpected wear or a change in how the equipment operates. Coaching employees through situations like these helps them learn to recognize potential risks and respond appropriately.

That approach also aligns with employee expectations. Deloitte’s 2025 Gen Z and millennial survey found that 86% of Gen Z employees and 84% of millennials want mentorship and guidance at work. When supervisors and experienced employees reinforce training on the job, employees have more opportunities to apply new skills.

The learning relationship works both ways. Experienced workers pass along hard-won judgment, while younger employees bring the digital fluency that helps teams use training and safety technologies more effectively. Creating space for both perspectives strengthens learning across your organization.

3. Measure whether training changes behavior.

Training completion rates tell you who finished a course. They reveal far less about whether employees can perform their work safely.

To understand whether your programs are making an impact, identify leading safety indicators that reflect day-to-day behavior. Trends in near-miss reporting, safety observations, audit findings and supervisor coaching conversations provide a clearer picture of whether employees are applying what they’ve learned.

You can also start small. Choose one high-risk task or behavior that’s critical to your organization, build targeted training around it and evaluate whether workplace behaviors improve over time. For example, if proper personal protective equipment (PPE) use is a concern, you might provide targeted training on selecting and wearing the appropriate equipment, then use safety observations to determine whether correct usage increases.

Measuring specific outcomes helps you identify where employees may need additional training or coaching and refine your approach before expanding successful practices across additional topics.

Design Training That Grows With Your Workforce

As newer employees join the workforce and experienced workers retire, organizations need to preserve the knowledge those employees have built over time.

Learning leaders can help close that gap by building learning into daily work, creating opportunities for mentorship and reinforcing training through hands-on practice. These experiences help employees build safer habits, retain critical knowledge and develop the practical judgment to respond confidently when risks arise.