Finding and training new workers while simultaneously keeping up with customer demand has its challenges. 

An article, Why Labor Shortages Increase Turnover and Safety Risk," discusses how worker training can be adversely affected with high turnover as well as labor shortages. This could lead to a compromise in safety training. 

The article offers the following advice:

Protect the nonnegotiable elements of onboarding. Define the instruction, site orientation, and supervised demonstration every worker must complete before performing safety-sensitive tasks. Track exceptions and prohibit staffing urgency from becoming an informal waiver.

Preserve institutional knowledge before turnover occurs. Ask experienced employees to document site-specific hazards, explain why procedures exist, and contribute to demonstrations or mentorship. Build knowledge transfer into normal operations rather than waiting for a departure notice.

Give supervisors the capacity to lead safely. Clarify accountability for coaching and enforcement, train managers to receive concerns constructively, and examine whether spans of control allow meaningful observation. A supervisor cannot consistently reinforce standards without time and organizational support.

Bring temporary and contract workers into the same safety environment. Set site-specific orientation requirements, define responsibilities with staffing partners, and verify appropriate insurance documentation before work begins. Review a contractor’s safety and claims history when the work creates material exposure.

Use safety technology as a feedback system. Cameras, driver monitoring, and ergonomic tools can identify speeding, distraction, or unsafe movements that may result in an injury or claim. Assign responsibility for reviewing alerts, coaching employees, documenting action, and determining whether the data reveals a broader work-design problem.

Create a transparent return-to-work path. Develop modified-duty options and communicate what an injured employee can expect throughout recovery. A documented plan can help employees remain connected to the team while giving managers a consistent structure for supporting a safe return.

Review staffing and safety indicators together. Combine turnover, vacancies, overtime, training completion, near-misses, injuries, and employee concerns in one leadership discussion. The combined view can reveal where workforce strain is becoming a safety exposure before a serious event occurs.