Year-End Safety Audit: Strengthening Training, Compliance and Your Culture of Safety

The end of the year is one of the most valuable times to step back and evaluate the strength of your safety training and compliance programs. A structured, honest safety training audit helps you identify gaps, reinforce what’s working, and set clear expectations for the year ahead.

Whether you’re a pest control business owner, branch manager, or training supervisor, a year-end review of your safety program ensures your company will enter 2026 prepared, compliant, and aligned with PestSure’s commitment to risk management, loss prevention and continuous improvement through training and education.

Below are practical steps to help you evaluate your current safety programs, refresh your training calendar, and reinvigorate (or create) your safety committee using proven best practices.

Start With a Comprehensive Program Review

An effective year-end audit begins with a full evaluation of your safety activities over the past 12 months. Consider these core areas:

1. Training Completion and Documentation

• Were all required regulatory trainings completed?  
• Do you have complete, accurate attendance records?
• Were tailgate meetings held consistently?
• Did new hires receive all required training? Did they receive sufficient on-the-job training in the field?

Compare your records to your annual plan and regulatory requirements. Gaps in documentation are as serious as gaps in training.

2. Incident, Injury and Near-Miss Analysis

Examine trends in:

• Auto incidents
• Slips, trips and falls
• Dog bites
• Customer property damages

Identify the behaviors, conditions, or processes that need new or reinforced training.

3. Policy and SOP Review

Get out your training manuals and slide decks and ask:

• Are your written safety procedures current?
• Did you introduce new equipment, chemicals, or service offerings this year that require updated documentation?
• Did you cover new regulatory requirements?
• Do employees understand and follow your policies?

If policies are outdated, unclear, or inconsistently enforced, update them before rebuilding your 2026 training plan.

Build a Monthly Training Plan for the Year Ahead

A year-end safety training audit should directly inform your next year’s safety training calendar. PestSure recommends a structured month-by-month approach; one that reinforces high-risk topics, regulatory requirements, and seasonal hazards.

Consider creating an Annual Safety Training Plan. The following template includes suggested topics, and you can customize it to match your company’s specific needs:

• January: On the job training
• February: Ladder safety
• March: Site inspection and preparation
• April: What to do immediately after an accident
• May: Respiratory safety and fit testing
• June: Slip, trip and fall protection
• July: Heat illness Prevention
• September: Equipment inspections
• October: Crawlspace / attic safety
• November: Driver safety (see Distracted Driving section below)
• December: PPE Use and Care

When customizing your plan:

• Adjust topics to fit service seasons in your branch or region
• Add training immediately after incidents or near misses
• Incorporate hands-on demonstrations, equipment refreshers, and tailgate meetings
• Schedule high-impact training before seasonal peaks (e.g., heat illness prevention training before summer)

Remember, regulatory training must occur before exposure, after incidents, and whenever duties or equipment change.

Distracted Driving Training

When crafting your monthly safety training program calendar, do not forget to add distracted driving to the list. Training on distracted driving avoidance is one of the most critical investments a company can make in protecting its people, its brand, and its bottom line.

Vehicle-related incidents remain one of the leading causes of workplace injuries and insurance losses in the pest management industry, and many of these incidents stem from preventable behaviors - cell phone use, multitasking behind the wheel, in-cab technology distractions, and the pressure to rush between appointments.

Effective training helps technicians understand not just the rules, but the risks: how even a momentary lapse in attention can turn a routine service day into a major safety event.

Distracted driving avoidance training reinforces safe habits, strengthens situational awareness, and ensures every employee has a clear, consistent understanding of company expectations.

When combined with strong policies, use of telematics, ongoing training and coaching, and a culture that puts safety first, this training becomes a powerful tool to reduce claims, avoid costly downtime, and keep employees and the public safe.

11 Steps to Reinvigorate or Build Your Safety Committee

A strong safety committee acts as the engine that keeps your program active all year—not just during your annual review. Use the following steps to build or refresh your committee for the new year.

1. Give the group a name (Solutions Team, Safety Improvement Team).
2. Set a consistent meeting day and time each month.
3. Maintain a fixed meeting duration.
4. Be proactive: share achievements with your full workforce.
5. Review root causes of incidents including behavioral and process issues.
6. Rotate leadership and note-taking duties.
7. Require every member to bring both a problem and a possible solution.
8. Follow a clear agenda and post meeting minutes.
9. Recruit new employee representatives each year to bring fresh insight.
10. Focus on high-hazard areas identified through your injury history.
11. When reviewing incidents, provide reports so all members can analyze trends.

These steps ensure your committee remains grounded in employee engagement, accountability, and problem-solving - three pillars of effective safety culture.

Turning Your Year-End Safety Audit into a Year-Round Advantage

A year-end safety audit isn’t simply about compliance; it’s about building a safer, smarter, more resilient operation. When you combine a structured year-end review, a seasonal training plan, and an energized safety committee, you strengthen your company’s ability to reduce risk, prevent injuries, and protect your employees and customers.

PestSure encourages every insured company to use this season to reset, refresh, and recommit to safety excellence. If you need guidance reviewing your program or customizing your annual training schedule, our team is ready to help.

PestSure – Your Partner in Safety

Founded in 1980, PestSure is the only insurance and risk management provider that is 100 percent dedicated to the pest management industry. It offers industry professionals a full suite of insurance, risk management, and safety training and education offerings.

PestSure provides insurance, safety, and risk management consulting to pest management companies representing $2 billion in revenue, $400 million in payroll, and more than 13,000 service vehicles. The program is administered by Alliant Insurance Services.