Employees were unaware of how to properly signal to others when using a forklift for example, which type of fire extinguisher to use on a chemical fire, or what the difference in the emergency evacuation alarm sequence. 1.

Why training is the best way to address a performance gap since it ensures all employees are informed of the company policy in the same manner. It also makes certain all employees are aware of any updates or enhancements to the training that may come along due to quality improvements or new regulatory rulings. With training individual and corporate skill levels can be assessed in a non-threatening and safe playing field. Where it is not required to directly confront any individual whether they be a supervisor, manager, senior member, or entry level employee.

Other reasons...

In the case of workplace safety the cost to a company for accidents affects the entire company and all employees. The Bureau for Labor Statistics has reported that a person is injured every 5 to 10 seconds. The result can be up to 18,000 accidents each day, with the costs associated being upwards of $6 million annually (BLR 2011). These costs can influence the amount of salary increases available to workers as well as benefit costs.
Economically accidents due to unskilled or untrained workers have an annual costs of more than $110 billion each year. The loss of productive hours cause insurance rates to increase as well as disability expenses and the replacement hiring and training adds to the expense as well.

Regulatory