Language Learning for Safety
Language learning is an essential investment to help prevent accidents and improve safety in the workplace. Discover what makes Babbel for Business’s solution ideal for multilingual teams looking to improve workplace safety and create a more inclusive environment.
1 in 4
job-related accidents cite language barriers as a contributing factor
340 million
occupational accidents occur worldwide annually
$167 billion
The total cost of workplace injury and ill health in the US in 2021
Why is language learning essential for safety in the workplace?
Misunderstandings can come at a high cost. For businesses, these costs aren’t just numbers—they’re real consequences. Find out how language learning can prevent accidents from happening and ensure your entire workforce is safe.
Why invest in business language training?
Improve workplace safety
Clear written and verbal communication is essential for a safe and operational work environment
Save money
Language learning can help you potentially save thousands of dollars in workers’ compensation and hazard pay
Streamline onsite communication
Employees can better speak up for themselves and communicate immediately when a need arises
Increase efficiency and productivity
Corporate language learning helps to streamline projects, reduce errors, and improve overall productivity
Ensuring Workplace Safety Through Language Skills
While it’s not dangerous to know only one language in everyday life in the US, there can be more serious consequences for language barriers in the workplace. They can be harmful, and even worse, fatal. Workplace accidents not only endanger the lives of employees but also result in significant financial losses for businesses. Addressing language proficiency in the workplace is therefore crucial for ensuring safety and productivity.
In this eBook, we will explore the intersection of language learning and workplace safety, providing practical strategies and best practices for the implementation of language learning programs. Check it out now!
Check out our safety blog posts
Blog post
We explore the impact of language barriers on workplace safety and share practical steps you can take to address language barriers at work.
Blog post
We discuss how multilingual safety training can improve workplace communication and decrease work accidents.
Over 2,000 satisfied companies
It’s priceless. You’re able to speak with your crew in Spanish, and it builds camaraderie and trust. Our people enjoy it. We’ve had nothing but positive feedback.
I would recommend Babbel to other companies: It’s practical and very interactive. I would encourage the combination of 1:1 lessons with the app for the most efficiency.
Learners can be exposed to their new language every day, even just for 15 minutes, which can be more effective than a one-hour class once per week.
The only way we can offer language courses to all volunteers working abroad is with Babbel.
I could listen to expressions, repeat them, and listen to them as many times as I wanted.
Our blended learning solutions
Virtual classes
Join a virtual class with a certified tutor at a time that best suits your schedule. Combined with the Babbel app, this blended learning approach helps learners build confidence through real-life conversations and can fast track language learning.
The Babbel app
Access 13,000 hours’ worth of tailored learning content on the go with our award-winning Babbel app. Our self-study solution offers bite-sized courses in 14 different languages, as well as games, podcasts and business-based content for specific industries.
FAQs
A safe and operational work environment requires clear written and verbal communication, especially when team members speak different languages. When there are language barriers, it’s challenging for workers to understand or relay information about unsafe job-site conditions.
Language barriers can complicate the communication of safety information, which could increase the risk of injury. When a non-English speaking worker doesn’t understand the safety training material or cannot effectively communicate with team members, it can lead to higher safety incidents or even fatalities on the job. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 5,190 fatal work injuries recorded in the United States in 2021.
Effective communication is essential in any business, but even more so with multilingual teams. The ability to communicate effectively and efficiently affects everything from company culture and employee satisfaction to workplace safety.
The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires employers to provide training in a language and vocabulary that workers can understand, but that doesn’t always ensure on-the-job communication.
Equipping employees with language learning helps them communicate more effectively with their team and speak up when a need arises.
Communication and safety go hand-in-hand. By taking strategic steps forward in your communication and language learning strategy, you could make a massive difference in your company’s workplace safety.
With Babbel for Business, multilingual teams can improve language fluency for safer worksites and effective conversations between colleagues and customers. Through our blended learning method, which combines the flexibility and benefits of online self-study with the effectiveness of traditional teaching methods, your employees can practice through the app or take group or 1:1 classes to gain the confidence needed to speak up at the jobsite when an emergency arises.
Yes, we do! We offer catered workplace safety courses for companies to help learners acquire the specific vocabulary and social skills needed to communicate about an emergency quickly and effectively.
Through our courses, learners will also practice their new language with specialized job-related content for their industry. Our digital format also lets learners start at their own learning level and practice at a pace that suits them. To further your learners’ safety content, consider enrolling in our group or 1:1 classes.
Getting started with Babbel for Business is easy and straightforward. We’ve designed our solution to integrate seamlessly with your company’s learning and development goals. To learn more about our language learning method, you can contact us or directly schedule a demo and one of our team members will get in touch as soon as possible. We’ll walk you through the platform, showcasing the custom features and content that make Babbel an effective language learning solution for multilingual teams. Not sure if we have what you’re looking for? Don’t hesitate to ask! We can easily tailor a language learning package that fits your company’s needs and learning targets.
Book a demo
Interested in language learning to improve workplace safety? Book a demo to view our product tour to see the best options for your company.
Language skills have a profound impact on effective emergency communication. We share how organizations can overcome language barriers to ensure a safe and responsive workplace for all employees.