Awesome Safety Training
Make every minute count!
Awesome safety training – is that even possible?
Yes, but it may take a little change to achieve “awesome,”
and you have to be ready to change you –
the trainer – first.
With traditional safety training, here is the problem: us – the
safety training people. We don’t want to do bad training. We don’t
want to make the workers roll their eyes or fall asleep during class.
But we are so busy and buried under work, sometimes we just go
through the motions of training. You know that class: reading from
slides, addressing everything as a compliance issue and committing
death by PowerPoint. So, what can you do? Take little steps
towards improvement starting with enthusiasm, knowledge, relevance
and interaction.
Enthusiasm
Yes, get excited! If you don’t love what you are doing, how will your
learners? Get yourself in the right head space! Leave all your old
baggage and any negative attitudes at the door and go have fun!
Smile, laugh and encourage others to, as well. Safety training can
be fun – whether you tell a good joke or story or ask others to share
experiences. (Just be sure to keep it positive and work appropriate!)
Take the time to let your learners know you want them to love
their safety training. Humble yourself and ask them what you can
do to improve.
Knowledge
Know your stuff. That seems pretty simple, but many times we
default to reading slides because we don’t know the topic that well.
If it’s important enough to include in your learning materials, you
need to make sure you fully understand and explain the content.
Referencing 29 CFR 1926 before a sentence is neither fun nor does
it prove you know your topic. Let’s be honest – your workers don’t
care what the regulatory reference is anyway.
Relevance
This is where I give you full permission to teach less. Yes, less – if
you were already teaching too much. Safety training needs to be
right for the audience. It should be relatable to their work and the
tasks they perform. Teaching course materials that are part of the
law or in the presentation you have doesn’t make it relevant or
even necessary to teach. Evaluate what you teach. Learners only
need to know how to do their jobs safely. If they hear things that
don’t relate to their work, they will tune you out and then they may
miss the parts they really need to know. Keeping your information
relevant is also a sign of respect. By letting the workforce know you
took the time to make it right shows that you respect the workers’
and managers’ time.
Interaction
Building on the concept of fun, how can you involve the workforce
in the training? What can you do other than lecture or
read slides off a screen? Think about all the options. Have experienced
workers co-teach the class with you. Develop hazard
hunts or case studies. Consider using crossword puzzles to test
knowledge other than a “test.” How about training in the field
with the equipment instead of explaining the hazard without
the visual advantage? The way to teach materials can vary and
is limited only by your imagination.
How do I know these concepts will work in your company?
Because it is human nature. People want to feel respected, that
their time is valued, that they can smile and connect to other
workers while learning. Consider this: You have a captive audience
for your training class – those minutes could be the difference
between life and death. Make every word, interaction, story and
smile count! t
Regina McMichael, CSP, CIT is president of The Learning Factory, Inc.
By Regina McMichael, CSP, CIT, The Learning Factory, Inc.
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