Back in 2005, a client of mine, Brad Okoniewsk, gave me a call and asked if I could come out to his company Cabot Corporation (now Cabot Supermetals) and help the SH&E department spice up their annual safety refresher training. Of course I said sure, and was thrilled to get one of my favorite types of projects.
The refresher sessions that year were a grand success. The Cabot SHE team and I came up with loads of fun and stimulating ideas such as a set of slides on Respiratory Protection that featured famous actors and musicians (i.e. Mick Jagger saying “You can’t always get what you want, but you gotta get a respirator that’s clean and inspected”).
Early the next year, I got a call again to help with Cabot’s 06 refresher training. I was thrilled! But this time I told the SH&E team that this time “we are going to blow the roof off the joint! So get ready.”
After a bit of brainstorming we came up with “The Safety Olympics” based on the ancient Greek Olympic games. Each topic (root cause, hazmat, blood borne pathogens, etc.) revolved around the theme. We divided each class (about 50 people) into teams and had the teams compete in fierce mental games. One of the highlights was “The Tale of Ergonopolis” starring Helen of Trauma, with co-stars Standstraightacus and Hurtyourknees.
Not only was it hilarious, it also helped employees better understand ergonomics and how to take care of their bodies. After watching the skit, the teams garnered points by quickly answering questions about what they witnessed.
What a good time was had by all! Employees not only enjoyed the training but a common comment was “I learned a lot.” Of course there was much more to the training than I can put into a brief blog. But the experience overall verified just how powerful “making safety fun” can be.
Let me know how you are making safety fun. I’d love to hear about it.
‘till next time.
Richard
