While making your safety training programs adapt to new technologies or regulations is required in order to stay ahead of any potential hazards, making it fun and engaging is not. But it should be.
We all learn better when we’re engaged and interested, so why not take time to make your safety training programs a little more fun? Granted, ‘safety training’ and ‘fun’ aren’t often in the same sentence – but it doesn’t have to be that way!
Engaging your employees should be equally as important as designing and updating your safety data sheets and training plans, so here are five ideas to increase engagement and encourage your employees’ commitment to compliance and safe workplace behavior.
1. Break the ice.
Ask everyone to get a sheet of paper and number it from one to five. Ask the following questions and instruct everyone to write down the first thing that comes to mind without hesitating.
- What is your favorite color?
- Name a piece of furniture.
- Name a flower.
- Pick a number from 1 to 4.
- Name an animal in the zoo.
(We’ve listed the most common answers at the end of this article.) How many of their answers matched those below? Like most people, they likely had four or five out of five match. Why? It’s human nature to conform to what is common and easy. Your safety training should reflect the same.
2. Choose the best training materials.
Make sure that the information is presented clearly, completely and accurately. Videos and demos tend to be more engaging than handouts. You have many choices, so choose what’s best – interesting and informative – for your needs.
3. Focus on the individual.
Help your employees learn the specific safety data sheets, pictograms, and hazard warning statements that apply specifically to them, the chemicals they use and the work they do.
4. Play games.
Create games – THINK: Jeopardy! or bingo – to help your employees learn new information through fun, lighthearted competition. Maybe consider awarding little prizes for winning teams or individuals.
5. Give context.
Understanding chemicals and safety data sheets can often overwhelm – and maybe scare – non-technical people but with some context, it can feel a lot more relatable. Offer situations in which a safety data sheet may need to be created or accessed and debunk the myth that you need to be a compliance or chemical expert to manage safety data sheets.
Considering these five ideas should not only help you craft a more engaging safety training program, but they should also serve to increase learning and understanding of compliance, safety best practices, and how to manage safety data sheets more efficiently. After all, safety training is only successful if the information shared is easily understood and then practiced in the workplace.
At GSM, we want to be your complete SDS compliance partner. We will work closely with you and tailor our software and services to your specific needs so you can focus on efficiency and put the ‘FUN’ back in compliance and safety FUNdamentals.
- What is your favorite color? Blue
- Name a piece of furniture? Chair
- Name a flower? Rose
- Pick a number from 1 to 4? 3
- Name an animal in the zoo? Lion
