Any way you look at it… workplace safety is a super dry subject and it’s a very fast and busy world we are all exposed to in 2018… for some even instant coffee is too slow!
The combination of these two factors, makes delivering engaging safety messages a major challenge for us all.
Case in Point.
Here are 4 easy to deliver safety engagement ideas using video:
01. Safety Toolbox Talks Video
I have shot video footage at many organisations around Australia and, have seen enough to suggest that the toolbox meeting is one platform of communication that could be improved dramatically.
In my mind’s eye, I see one person standing out front delivering a safety message by reading (in some cases not very well) from a page of A4 to a group of workers. Their level of interest and engagement, or lack of, is reflected in the constant movement of their eyes that are seemingly desperately searching for something, anything, that might pique their interest.
Perhaps a better solution might be for the team leader to ask rather than tell.
Open up the meeting for some dynamic discussion. Ask the workers for their opinions, their ideas and their suggestions. Get them engaged and thinking about the subject matter.
They say a picture paints a thousand words. As a prompt, I see a low cost solution could be simply a photo of the workplace featuring the risk or subject matter.
Not so low cost but certainly, not a prohibitive price is a short video on the subject matter to open up discussion later.
Here rather than tell, the facilitator of the toolbox meeting could ask for opinions from his or her audience.
02. A Safety Training Video Featuring Your Staff + Your Workplace
Obviously the ultimate solution for safety engagement with a training video with your staff is for that video to have recognisable scenes.
Footage of your factory, your warehouse or your office featuring your people going about their work and assisting in a visual sense to deliver the safety message.
One of the drawbacks with this is that it can be an expensive exercise having a tailored made video produced for your organisation.
One of the beauties of safety however is that we all have the same set of rules that must be adhered to. Therefore the message hardly varies workplace to workplace.
Just imagine taking an already produced and highly acclaimed video training program. You then replace the generic footage with footage of your staff at your workplace.
Now that’s engaging training!
03. Safety Training That’s Self Paced, Interactive and Online
The most sought after health and safety topics in 2018 have definitely been Bullying and Harassment and the perennial Manual Handling.
The last few years have also seen a shift in the way we are training our workers. The large training room with lots of workers huddled around the TV screen watching a training video has been replaced by the computer screen where the trainee, in many cases can watch the same video, but then completes a series of questions at his or her pace.
Its effective, engaging and causes minimal disruption to the workplace.
Many organisations have invested in a Learning Management Systems (LMS) that can program the training for individuals based on their needs, report test results, flag possible problems or deficiencies and track the progress of training within that organisation
Other organisations, without an LMS, can deliver training online and self paced but requires a certain amount of creative thinking to be able to track results.
Either way, it is still less disruptive, far more convenient and engaging than workers being taken off the factory floor to watch videos together
04. Bringing your induction up to the 21st century
Hands up those of you who are still delivering your inductions via power point
Yes they are new to your work place. Therefore, they have a vested interest in taking notice of all that is said and delivered. But just how efficient is that training?
Firstly, we need to rely on the person delivering the induction to be as enthusiastic as they were this time last year. At the time when they were delivering, possibly, the exact same induction.
Another consideration is in this era of technology, and various ways of streamlining training, is the power point creating the sort of first impressions of your organisation that you are looking for?
If the two previous paragraphs have rung any bells for you, there is a fantastic solution available to you that can be tailored to suit almost any budget.
The solution features your current powerpoint presentation being converted to a self paced online induction program. One that can be completed offsite so your new employees can ‘hit the road running” if that is your preference. Also one that eliminates the need for your top line people locking themselves away days at a time conducting inductions.
A presentation where the spoken word is presented by a professional voice over artist and subject to your budget, photos or video footage of your premises can be included to support the spoken word.
Its not as expensive as you possibly think and far, far more engaging!