More than 100 of OSHA’s current standards contain requirements for training. But, safety is more than adhering to regulations, it’s about protecting people. The impact of one worker’s safety practices ripple far beyond the workplace, affecting families, teams, and entire communities.
That’s why ResponsAble Safety Staffing is committed to safeguarding lives – those we directly come into contact with and those we don’t. It all starts with comprehensive workplace safety programs that go beyond checking a compliance box. The right training helps create a culture where safety isn’t just a rule, but a shared responsibility where the #1 priority is making sure every worker goes home safe at the end of the day.
Quality safety and health training not only helps prevent work-related injuries and illnesses, but effective training also empowers workers to advocate for a safer workplace. Several key factors contribute to successful training programs, and they can mean the difference between a close call and a tragic accident.
Foundational to success is ensuring that the training facilitator exhibits safety and health expertise, sound instructional skills, and flexibility.
Overview of Best Practices for Training Adults
Training providers and instructional facilitators who recognize and embrace characteristics of sound training and principles of adult education will maximize the benefits of the training for their participants.
When training is done right, it fosters an environment that transforms safety from a piece of policy to a mindset.
“Treat Learners Like Adults”
Tips for Effective Health and Safety Training for Adults
1. Adults are people with years of experience and a wealth of information.
Remember, you’re working with people, so consider where you can add emotional relevance to create more buy-in and engagement. Focus on the strengths learners bring to the classroom, not just gaps in their knowledge. Provide opportunities for dialogue within the group. Tap their experience as a major source of enrichment to the class.
Remember that you, the teacher, do not need to have all the answers if you know where to go or who to call to get the answers. Students can be resources to you and to each other.
2. Adults have established values, beliefs, and opinions.
Demonstrate respect for differing beliefs, religions, value systems and lifestyles. Let your learners know that they are entitled to their values, beliefs, and opinions, but that everyone in the room may not share their beliefs. Allow debate and challenge innovative ideas.
Ultimately, they all share one goal: learning to do their job well to make it home safely at the end of each shift.
3. Adults are people whose style and pace of learning have probably changed.
A one-size-fits-all approach won’t be effective for safety training. Use a variety of teaching strategies such as small group problem solving and discussion to make sure every worker retains the information.
Use auditory, visual, tactile, and participatory teaching methods. The reaction time and speed of learning may slow, but the ability to learn is not impaired by age. Most adults prefer teaching methods other than lectures.
4. Adults relate new knowledge and information to previously learned information and experiences.
Assess the specific learning needs of your audience before your class or at the beginning of the class. Safety is personal, so get to know the people you’re teaching. Then present single concepts and focus on application of concepts to relevant practical situations.
Summarize frequently to increase retention and recall. Material outside of the context of participants’ experience and knowledge becomes meaningless.
5. Adults are people with bodies influenced by gravity.
Plan frequent breaks, even if they are two-minute stretch breaks. During a lecture, a short break every 45 to 60 minutes is sufficient. In more interactive teaching situations, breaks can be spaced 60 to 90 minutes apart.
Do what you can to help your students avoid fatigue and maintain their attention and focus on the material.
6. Adults have pride.
No one wants to feel like they don’t know what they’re doing. Self-esteem and ego are at risk in a classroom environment that is not perceived as safe or supportive. People will not ask questions or participate in learning if they are afraid of being put down or ridiculed. Allow people to admit confusion, ignorance, fears, biases, and different opinions.
Acknowledge or thank students for their responses and questions. Treat all questions and comments with respect. Avoid saying “I just covered that” when someone asks a repetitive question. Remember that the only foolish question is the one left unasked.
7. Adults have a deep need to be self-directed.
Engage the students in a process of mutual inquiry. Your workers are more likely to embrace safety protocols when they feel a sense of ownership in the process. Avoid merely transmitting knowledge to students, expecting total agreement.
Do not “spoon-feed” the participants. Give them the chance to actively participate.
8. Individual differences among people increase with age.
Consider differences in style, time, types, and pace of learning. Use auditory, visual, tactile, and participatory teaching methods.
9. Adults tend to have a problem-centered orientation to learning.
Workers don’t want theoretical knowledge, so you’ve got to make it real for them. How will it personally affect them? Emphasize how learning can be applied in a practical setting. Use case studies, problem solving groups, and participatory activities to enhance learning.
Adults want to immediately apply added information or skills to current problems or situations.
10. Adults need to know “what is in it for me?”
How does it impact their daily lives? The latest information and skills must be relevant and meaningful to the concerns and desires of the students. Know what the needs are of individuals in your class. Students do not wish to learn what they will never use, so make sure your training is clean and meaningful.
At the end of the day, safety isn’t just a requirement or a test to pass, it’s a lifeline.
Additional Note. The learning environment must be physically and psychologically comfortable.
Remember:
Adult students remember 10% of what they hear
35% of what they see
65% of what they hear and see.
Safety Begins with People
At ResponsAble, we believe that safety begins with people. That’s why we constantly recruit for our national bench of qualified EHS and safety, so we can place the right people in the right roles. Our safety staffing experts support your training efforts to produce a workplace culture that truly values safety. When it comes to protecting lives, safety can’t be anything less than our #1 priority.
Learn more about our temp hire services.
For more information on adult learning in a safety and health system environment visit this link from www.osha.gov: osha3824.pdf