Recently, I went to a meeting where the guest speaker presented a training session on ladder safety. My first reaction was, “Not another ladder safety training session!” This had nothing to do with the quality or expertise of the presenter, nor did it have anything to do with the good intentions of the organization hosting the meeting. I have attended a few ladder safety trainings in my time, and I was a little skeptical of what new information I could possibly learn. But, that ended up not being the case.
When it comes to safety training, a great goal to keep in mind is will the topic and method used reach out to the audience in a way they will understand, retain, and allow them to apply the information in a practical way that benefits them and the company. That’s exactly what the presenter of this particular ladder safety training was able to do so I’d like to share why I felt it was effective.
First, the speaker was both experienced and knowledgeable regarding the subject, and good examples were given that caught my attention. For example, have you ever used something other than a ladder to reach an elevated surface in your business or home? As much as I hate to admit it, I have. Last week I woke up to a beeping smoke detector at 2:00 am. Rather than go fetch a ladder from my garage, I climbed up on a piece of furniture and turned the annoying noise off. Fortunately, my not-so-good choice did not result in a fall or injury, but it easily could have.
Second, the speaker presented a simple statistic that justified the need for the training. Despite the latest technology and resources available regarding ladder safety and use, injuries have actually increased rather decreased. Again, this caught my attention because people are still getting hurt at work and at home. Not only do most people want to prevent on-the-job injuries, but it’s even better if we can also use the information to prevent similar incidents from happening at home. For example, as the holiday season approaches, the potential for falls from ladders or elevated surfaces increases because many people are decorating or putting up lights in their businesses or homes.
Third, the speaker incorporated learning styles into the presentation that reached out to the various ways in which people learn. For the visual learner, the presenter had PowerPoint slides, photographs, video clips, and a written handout. For the auditory learner, the presenter spoke with experience and passion for the subject, and reintegrated the main “take home” points various times throughout the training. For the kinesthetic learner, which is how I learn the best, the presenter used hands-on examples and demonstrated how to inspect and properly use a ladder.
When your company is training on ladder safety or any other topic, the greatest gift you can give your employees is showing them that you are truly knowledgeable about the subject, how it applies to their daily tasks, and ensuring they actually benefit from the experience. By doing so, the company will potentially benefit from staff members who are actively engaged in preventing injuries, thereby decreasing insurance claims and associated premium costs.
For more information regarding taking your safety training to the next level, contact the Loss Control Consultant in your area.
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