How many of your project managers know when heat-management training for everyone on their crew expires? What about bulldozer operator certificates? Scaffolding safety?

On the flip side: How many of those same managers feel comfortable calling workers over to finish a job to meet a deadline?

My guesses: None of them and all of them.

That’s not a knock on your managers. Nobody should have to keep all that information in their head, and everyone should be able to expect their crew to pitch in. But the reality is that asking someone to do a task they’re not trained for is a recipe for accident and injury. The good news: Digital training solutions can greatly mitigate the risk. Here’s how:

1. Custom training content: Every construction firm is different, and every jobsite is different. A bricklayer with five years of experience at one company will need additional training to learn the specifics of a new employer. An experienced crew may need special training for a new jobsite. Digital-training software makes it possible to create custom content that communicates exactly what your employees need, word for word, slide for slide, image for image.

2. Training available anywhere: With a mobile component, workers can access digital training from anywhere, on any device. A site manager could call over three people to help finish a scaffolding teardown, for example, and, before they got started, have them watch a three-minute tutorial.

3. Push notifications: Even the best-kept paper or spreadsheet records require employees and managers to proactively check them. That’s a lot to ask when day-to-day work is high-stakes and deadline-driven. Digital-training software can provide push reminders about expiring certifications, so staying in compliance stays top of mind.

Competency is key to safety, and with the construction industry facing a historic labor shortage that extends to teachers and trainers, one of the most important things you can do to protect your crews is ensure they know how to do the work you ask of them—safely. Digital training solutions make that much easier by ensuring necessary guidance is always relevant and always available.