5 Activities to Improve Your Next Safety Training
Studies have shown that training in the workplace has a positive impact on the safety practices of workers. That’s why it’s important that your workers are able to get the most out of your next safety meeting.Read on for 5 activities that can increase engagement during your next training.
#5 Think, pair, share
This is a widely used teaching strategy in which participants are asked to turn to a partner and answer a question or find a solution together. After a few moments of discussion, one person from each pair reports their answer or solution to the larger group. Example: Participants are asked to partner up and think of three ways to prevent common injuries in the workplace. Each group reports their best answer.
#4 Brainstorming
Group brainstorming is a great way to find out what your participants know at any point during a meeting or presentation. Collect responses by writing them on a white board or other display for later reference. Example: Create a mind map by identifying choices that a worker makes throughout the day that keep them safe.
#3 Guided notes
If you expect your participants to take notes, producing guided notes is a great way to set expectations. If you’ve created a presentation using PowerPoint, this can be done easily by selecting the “3 Slides” option in Print settings. Example: Print a copy of your presentation without text and ask your participants to record one fact from every slide in the space provided.
#2 Jigsaw
This learning method works by breaking a large topic into several smaller ones. Participants become an expert in one of the smaller concepts before teaching it to a group of their colleagues. This does require some advanced preparation of training materials. Example: A new safety policy is printed in sections, and each member of a group receives a different section to learn about and teach to the other members of their group.
#1 Pre- or post-learning evaluation
Doing a pre- or post-learning evaluation can be as simple as or as complex as you’d like, from a show of hands to an entire survey. Asking participants to evaluate what they think they know or what they think they’ve learned is a great way to improve retention of information. Example: Create a list of statements about safety procedures that participants can choose to either agree or disagree with before they begin their training.The common thread in each of these training methods is getting involvement by your participants. The more you involve your workers in their safety training the better they’ll retain the information that you’ve given them, and that means a safer workplace for everyone.