Which Safety Training Should Become a Video? A Three-Question Test

You probably have more safety training than time to improve it. So which topics deserve a training video?

Turn a training into a video when it repeats, already exists in writing, and either changes often or is too small to justify a traditional shoot. If it also needs someone to demonstrate a skill, keep that part in person. Here's how to check each one.

It repeats, and a different person teaches it every time

Annual refresher courses. Ladder and fall safety. Safe patient lifting in a hospital. These topics come around again and again, and every time, someone different delivers them.

That's where things drift. One trainer spends ten minutes on the part they care about most. Another is running short on time and skips a section. A third is a supervisor who was handed the slides that morning and has never enjoyed standing at the front of a room. Same course title. Three different trainings.

A video says the same things, in the same order, every time. It doesn't run out of time, and it doesn't skip the boring slide. For anyone trying to keep safety training consistent across trainers, shifts, and sites, that sameness is the whole point.

It already exists in writing: handbooks, SOPs, slide decks

You don't need a finished script to get started. A handbook section, an SOP, a slide deck, even a page of notes your trainer works from is enough. The thinking has already been done. What's left is turning it into a training video people can watch.

That's the part we handle. We have 20 years of experience reviewing training content and bringing clarity and focus to it. As we turn your material into a script, we read it the way a new employee would. What will I be learning? Why does it matter? What happens if it's skipped? Are the steps in an order that makes sense?

People always want to know the why. If it isn't spelled out in the material, we ask. A rule written as a requirement usually has a reason behind it that the person who wrote it knows well. We draw that out and build it in, so the video explains the reason as well as the rule.

Legal language is a good example. We recently read training content that was a legal statement and nothing more. It said what was required. It didn't say why the rule exists or what could go wrong if it wasn't followed. That's exactly the kind of gap we catch while writing the script, and the questions we ask to close it are where a good video starts.

By the time you see the script, those questions have been answered.

Does it change often, or is it too small for a film crew?

Some training matters a great deal and still never got a video, because the math never worked. A site orientation for one location. A policy that gets updated twice a year. A seasonal reminder. A procedure that only applies to one department. A video that needed to be in four languages.

A traditional shoot means scheduling people, booking a crew, and starting over whenever something changes. Nobody signs up for that to cover a small, specific topic. So those trainings stay as a stack of pages people skim, or a talk that depends on who happens to be free.

Short videos built from the materials you already have work differently. When something changes, you update the video instead of starting from scratch.

Video or in-person? Keep demonstrations in the room

Some training has to be seen in person to be understood. If you need to watch someone do it to know they understand, like lifting a patient safely or setting up a ladder, a video can't do that job. One person demonstrates. Another tries it while someone watches.

For skills like these, the answer is both. In person first, then video as a reminder the week before someone needs the skill again. It supports the training. It doesn't replace it. We all know how quickly people can forget things if they aren't reminded of them.

Where to start: Focus on the training everyone dreads

Write down three trainings. Run each through the questions.

Then look at the ones that pass and pick the one people dread. New employee orientation. Site orientation. The topic that makes everyone sigh and think, here we go again, for the hundredth time. It's the training your people sit through most, so a better version pays off there first.

Common Questions

Should safety training be video or in person?

Both, for different jobs. Video works well for training that repeats and has to be the same every time. Skills that need to be demonstrated and watched, like safe patient handling or setting up a ladder, belong in person, with a short video as the reminder afterward.

How do you keep safety training consistent across trainers and locations?

Start every trainer from the same source. A short video delivers the same message in the same order, whoever is in the room that day. Trainers can then spend their time on questions and hands-on practice.

Is video training effective for safety?

It depends on the job you give it. Video is strong at consistency, because the message is the same every time. It can't tell you whether someone can do the task. In the 2024 State of Safety Training Survey from EHS Today and SafetyNow, over 90% of respondents agreed that blended training, which mixes live sessions, online courses, and video, makes training more engaging and effective.

How do you keep annual safety refresher training from getting stale?

Change the format before you change the content. Teach one idea at a time, explain why it matters, and break one long session into short pieces people can watch when their schedule allows. Same facts, less glazing over.

How long should a safety training video be?

Short, usually under five minutes, and focused on one idea. If a topic has several parts, make several videos instead of one long one. Videos like these are often called micro videos.

Can you turn a handbook, SOP, or slide deck into a training video?

Yes. If the material exists, it's the starting point. We review it, write the script, and ask questions wherever the reason or the order isn't clear.

Should new employee orientation or site orientation be a video?

Often, yes. Orientation repeats with every hire, so it's a strong fit for a video every new employee sees the same way, including people who start mid-year. Keep a walk-through of the site for the parts that need to be seen in person.

Source

EHS Today and SafetyNow, 2024 State of Safety Training Survey (article published February 20, 2025): https://www.ehstoday.com/training-and-engagement/article/55265454/the-future-of-safety-training