Designing Safety Learning That Works in the Real World

Whether adjusting a workstation or navigating a complex field site, employees are constantly making decisions that impact safety. To better support these moments, one global organization partnered with Benchmark Performance to rethink compliance training, creating learning experiences that build practical, in-the-moment safety capability across both office and field environments.

Here are two examples of this approach in action.

Example 1: Office Ergonomics — Building Everyday Awareness

In a hybrid work environment, employees must be able to quickly assess and adjust their workspaces often without guidance.

This experience followed a relatable story of an employee experiencing injury due to poor workstation habits, prompting learners to reflect on their own behaviors. Through guided self-assessments and interactive scenarios, learners applied ergonomic principles directly to their own setup, building habits they could use immediately.

Learners analyzed real workstation setups, identified risks, and made adjustments in real time, bridging learning directly to their day-to-day work.

Example 2: Excavation Safety — Enabling Critical Field Decisions

In high-risk field environments, employees must assess hazards and make safety decisions independently, often in dynamic and changing conditions.

This experience placed learners in real project roles, guiding them through decisions across the full project lifecycle, from planning to execution. Through immersive scenarios and visual site inspections, learners practiced identifying hazards and selecting appropriate controls aligned to real responsibilities.

The result was a learning experience that reflects the realities of fieldwork—preparing employees to act confidently in the moment.

Designed to Drive Action

Across both experiences, a consistent set of design principles ensured learning translated into behavior, not just awareness:

• Plain, relatable language over policy-heavy content

• Scenario-based learning grounded in real situations

• Focus on “grey areas” and real decision-making

• Consequences that reinforce real-world impact

• Interactive, visual experiences over passive content

• Embedded tools and job aids to support application

• AI-powered video coaching to guide and reinforce key actions

  
  

These principles reflect Benchmark’s long-standing approach to compliance learning—bringing policies to life through relevance, application, and meaningful practice.

A Smarter Approach to Compliance Learning

This case demonstrates what’s possible when compliance training is designed for the realities of work.

By combining storytelling, immersive scenarios, and practical application, the experience moves beyond awareness—building the capability employees need to make safe, informed decisions wherever they work.