The More the Merrier — Make the Most of Training Opportunities

There’s no such thing as a crowd when it comes to training. The more employees who attend, the stronger your safety culture becomes. That’s why more and more managers bring employees with them to attend training together — so everyone’s on the same page when they return to work.
According to Bill Hooker, PDRMA Training Program Supervisor, it’s a smart move. “Our training sessions are comprehensive and promote risk management best practices. It’s important that coworkers and supervisors are familiar with concepts, standards and best practices when you look to implement them back at work.”

Manhattan Park District

Shannon M. Forsythe, Superintendent of Recreation at Manhattan Park District, agrees. Logistics can complicate scheduling, but there is usually more than one session of any course in a given year.

“Various staff have attended the same training over the years,” she notes. “It’s important for everyone to have consistent communication and follow through, starting with administration and management.”

Executive Director Jay Kelly explains that new leadership at Manhattan Park District instilled a team approach when it comes to safety, providing a consistent message to staff and the community. “Communications and expectations are clearer when everyone is on the same page, and with a smaller organization like ours, there’s often an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ philosophy to keep things running smoothly. It’s now clear to the entire team that safety is our number one priority, and we know what the expectations are.”

The impact of staff attending trainings together reaches far beyond the classroom. “Going as a group creates more conversations back at our agency,” Vicki Pacewic, Recreation Supervisor, notes. “We also get to hear from other PDRMA members about how they handled similar situations.”

Kelly points out a significant improvement from staff attending training is a better understanding of documentation. “All staff now knows the importance of documentation in all areas of the organization and how that can impact our future safety performance. We’re more diligent in maintaining that documentation and being consistent with our training schedules.”