This blog was originally published in February, 2020. Corona Virus hit and so did a tornado and I stopped blogging. This is being republished so that Part two can make sense.
We have already talked about the importance of clear communication for a healthy safety climate. Regular consistent safety training in the language’s employees understand and taking into consideration cultural bias and motivations is the best way to communicate safety. Effective training will specify everyone’s role and responsibility in safety. Also, training should include testing to confirm that they are understanding the information.
First things first, nobody likes PowerPoint. PowerPoint is boring. People learn in many ways. Unfortunately, at times PowerPoint is the most indicated way to train in a classroom setting. So, if you are going to use it, don’t read the whole thing! Engage the audience in lively discussions. Share experiences, tell stories, even engage in positive debate. PowerPoint also provides the opportunity to show interesting pictures that everyone can learn from.
It is infinitely better to do hands on training. Studies also shows that people learn best if you can teach someone and then have them teach someone else.
I believe in getting to know my audience. Find out what motivates them and use that as a foundation. You must earn their trust if they are to open up to you. Most Latinos are really motivated by family, so I often discuss safety in a family context. I once had someone completely disengaged in my class, I tried everything and was going nuts trying to figure out how to reach him. Finally, I just asked him why he seemed not to care.
To my surprise he responded by telling me he was a Christian and that he believed he didn’t have to worry about safety because he had Gods protection. Well, that was a first for me. However, now I understood his motivation. With that in mind, I asked him if he remembered the account of the Devil tempting Jesus. In one of the three temptations, he asked Jesus to Jump off the Temple wall since the angels would catch him. He acknowledged that he was familiar with that account. I then pointed out to him that Jesus said do not put God to the test.
I then asked him, if Jesus the son of God refused to take a risk and took appropriate precautions, shouldn’t we? He paused and told me that he never thought of it that way. After that discussion, he became a very engaged student. All of this simply illustrates that safety trainers need to know who we are teaching in order to motivate them to action.
Understanding a person’s motivations and concerns can be an even greater challenge if the are from a different country with a completely different culture. Language barriers are also an extremely difficult problem. Even when a person speaks adequate English, often they are using all their brain power just to understand. This makes it difficult for them to meditate and internalize the safety message. To effectively motivate someone, use a trainer that understands the culture and speaks the language. Another option is to utilize a professional interpreter.
Effective training will explain the facts, the reasons why, and the negative or positive outcomes of actions we might take.
Also, lets not forget management. Management should also get safety leadership training so they understand the critical role they play in creating and maintaining a positive safety climate. The training should include:
- How best to communicate,
- provide feedback,
- be a good role model for employees, particularly when visiting jobsites.
Management should also have a comprehensive understanding of how safety complements quality, production, marketing, and the financial aspects of their organization.
Part 2 will discuss ways to effectively train supervisors.
