Make safety training stick

Channel your training efforts so safety skills get transferred to the jobsite.

The secret to successful safety training is to make it so straightforward and practical that workers easily adopt the newly acquired knowledge or skills into their work practices. “Workers must first learn the concepts, then transfer that knowledge to their jobs,” says E. Andrew Kapp, assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Department of Occupational and Environmental Safety and Health. Kapp teaches and works with commercial construction firms on developing ways to improve safe work skills on the jobsite.

Through the years, Kapp has developed a list of tips and tricks that can help safety skills be internalized by workers faster and better.

Explain why, not just what and how.
“Adult learners – anyone over 18 years of age – need to know why, not just how. Trainees almost always need to be sold by telling them what’s in it for them,” he says.

Acknowledge – and leverage – their skill level.
“Experienced workers know how to do the job but they may have also developed some unsafe habits that are hard to break. Try to leverage the knowledge they have and build off of that.”

Train as close to the work setting as possible.
“Train on safe work practices in ways that are as close as possible to real life.

A slide presentation isn’t as effective as hands-on, how-to demonstrations. The more the training environment is like the working environment, the more likely the information will be retained and used on the job.”

Appeal to all of the senses.
“People get bored with using one set of senses. Appeal to more senses and interest will increase.”

The less a safety skill is used, the more it must be reinforced.
“For example, fall protection needs less reinforcement on a high-rise building project because it must be used almost all of the time. But on jobs where fall protection is used only occasionally, proper use and behaviors must be rehearsed to be retained so that it can be used on those infrequent occasions when it is needed,” he says.

Management buy-in is key.
“The organization must support the safe practices. The trainer and the jobsite supervisor must agree on what is considered safe behavior. Lack of following up on the safety practices sends a very clear message to workers that safety isn’t really important. Follow up with all levels of management to reinforce the importance of training and the application of those newly acquired skills on the job. Emphasize what’s in it for management – more productive workers, fewer injuries, lower insurance claims and a great return on investment,” he says.

Prepare before presenting.
“Expect to spend about three times as long preparing for training as it takes to give it. A good training program is built like a Legos project – one piece at a time, with each piece selected on the basis of what it can do. In your preparation, consider what questions may come up or what problems may occur,” Kapp suggests.

Once you’ve prepared the presentation and given it, tweak it as needed to improve it. Although you don’t need as much prep time in subsequent presentations, use some prep time to make sure it matches the trainees’ needs as closely as possible, he suggests.

Customize the canned presentations.
“Canned training packages are a great resource, but they still must be refined for your audience. Look to what’s already available for good training ideas. Short, well-done video clips can help. You don’t need to play all of the beginning or ending credits. Play only the part that you want to highlight. A five-minute clip is more effective than a complete 20-minute videotape. Shorten it to the absolute meat,” he says.

Measure results.
“Training is never done until the new knowledge is assessed. Signing a form that says the person attended training really only proves the person was present. Instead, test the newly acquired knowledge or skill.

Testing shouldn’t be limited to a paper and pencil exercise, either. Create an observational checklist of the important points and assess every worker as they demonstrate the new knowledge or skill. Use the same checklist for every worker. Include a space for name and date on the form. That makes it objective, complete, and documented. When you are finished with your onsite assessment, tell the worker how he or she fared and offer praise and tips on how they could do their work more safely. Have them sign and date the form as well,” he says.

Get supervisor feedback.
While testing after training and onsite assessments can measure initial training effectiveness, getting feedback from frontline supervisors can point out training areas that may need improvement for longer term success.

“Talk to supervisors to see if what was trained is sticking. Their observations can help bridge the gap between the training and what happens on the jobsite. It also helps reinforce the importance of safe work practices to the supervisor on the jobsite,” he says.

Build your skills.
“Train the trainer classes can be very helpful. Like any skill, training methods can be improved. It’s all about developing instructional skills and combining them with personal experience. Many know the material that needs to be covered, but have not necessarily mastered the skills needed to communicate it. These skills can be developed,” he says.

Be ready for challenges.
There are always a few workers who feel it’s their duty to challenge every step of the training process, says Kapp.

They may do it actively by emphatically interjecting their opinions or in a passive way by ignoring or not paying attention to the material being presented.

For active challengers, work to direct their energy in a constructive way, or politely request they hold their “questions” until the end of the session in the interest of getting through the material. “For passive challengers, you may be able to engage them by trying the alternate approach of soliciting their input on the material during the training,” he says.

Published in the January/February 2007 issue of Contractor Tools and Supplies magazine.

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