Instead of Lecturing on Safety, Try These Three Engaging Activities
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Companies take on-the-job safety very seriously. But that doesn’t mean you have to beat employees over the head with serious and sometimes boring safety lectures. Instead, focus on making these trainings an engaging part of the workplace. Science tells us that humans will remember information better when it’s delivered in an engaging, humorous and more lighthearted way.

 

Here are a few tips for lightening up your next safety training so that employees will not only enjoy it more, it will stick with them longer.

 

Laughter Helps People Retain Information

 

People retain information better if they are relaxed and laughing. Did you know there is a psychological phenomenon called the humor effect? Studies show that people have an improvement in memory and retention when information is presented to them in a humorous way. This demonstrates that safety managers should consider training staff in new ways to improve the chances that they remember the rules for workplace behaviors.

 

Training Techniques

Making your OSHA training more fun probably seems like an unusual idea to most workplace safety professionals. But the next time you’re considering a training, try these techniques:

  • Offer a payoff to anyone who attends the training. This could take the form of lottery tickets, gift cards, candy or other small items.
  • Offer rewards for accident free weeks, like giving employees the right to wear jeans or some other bonus.
  • Use custom safety scratch off cards to impart a message or celebrate a big win. Why not pass one out when you observe workers exhibiting safe workplace behavior? Or, use them when employees answer questions correctly during training sessions.
  • Conduct role plays with prizes at the end for the correct answers. For example, you could ask a team to walk through how to exit the building in case of a fire. At the end of their successful exit, they could receive a gift card or other prize.
  • Invite workers to create a song or rap about workplace safety. Give each department a video camera and have them film their own version of safety karaoke and let the company vote on the winners.
  • During training, use break-out groups to conduct safety skits that act out good and bad workplace behaviors. Some examples include: Act out how to use a forklift properly. Or, show us what would happen if a hazardous chemical spill occurred. Employees with the most effective and entertaining skit would win a prize.
  • Safety bingo is a fun way to engage and inspire employees with positive messages about OSHA regulations.

 

Investing in safety training is a necessity. But humans learn in a variety of ways, not just from hearing a lecture. Engaging employees in new ways will help ensure the safety information you’re sharing is retained for the long haul. Safety training does not need to be stodgy to be effective.

 

Twin City Staffing works with employees seeking better engagement in a new job. We also work with employers to link them with talent. We can help your team succeed. Give us a call now!