OCTOBER 2022
 
 
Article 1 Image

Interactive Safety Training Improves Engagement

 
 

Article 2 Image

‘Tis the Season…to Prepare!

 
 
Article 3 Image

RMI Live and in Person Nov. 18

 

Article 4 Image

Be Sure to Register for These Training Opportunities

Interactive Safety Training Improves Engagement

Interactive Safety Training Improves Engagement

There are all sorts of ways to make training interesting, but few are as creative and interactive as the one developed by the Safety Team at Plainfield Park District. According to Risk Manager Paul Crisman, the event for all employees combined a scavenger hunt with a quiz show/match game theme to cover important safety topics at five different “stations.”
 
“At the beginning of the training, we divided staff into groups,” Crisman recounts. “Each station had a list of questions and/or items to look for; employees had to find the items and answer the questions. After each group visited all the stations, they gathered at the pavilion for more questions — and for participants to receive their snack prizes.”
   
The stations covered critical safety issues identified by the Safety Team. “Our trainings were mainly a refresher for employees, who already have a good knowledge base,” he explains. The locations addressed customer service and behavior management; slips, trips and falls; weather and customer safety; driving hazards and ladder safety. The Safety Team used what was available in the park and created poster boards and props for each topic.

Station One:  Customer service, behavior management

“We used Peanuts characters to illustrate what employees should and should not look like when representing the park district,” says Recreation Manager of Facilities Beth Brannen. “We also discussed dos and don’ts of customer service, our code of conduct and the agency’s behavior policy. The fun part was a “match game” of the different ways we provide customer service.”

Station Two: Slips, Trips and Falls

“To keep staff alert for slip, trip and fall hazards, we set up this area with more than a dozen hazards — cords, tools and other items,” Crisman notes. “Groups had 30 seconds to inspect the area, report all the hazards and how to address them. We also discussed which PDRMA forms they should fill out if a patron or employee slips, trips or falls in one of our parks.”

Station Three: Weather

“We called this a weather station, because it tested the groups on weather-related safety hazards regarding our patrons,” explains Brannen. “The game board was a “match game” for heat cramps, heat exhaustion, sunburn and heat stroke; employees had to match the exposure with warning signs and first aid procedures.”

Station Four: Driving Standards

“We set up the driving hazard like a vehicle accident using park district vehicles,” Brennan adds. “We staged the accident in the parking lot to have groups review what to do in such an event, the steps involved and how to know, find and complete the proper forms for an accident. Groups also discussed defensive driving at this station, and we paired our discussions of PDRMA forms with examples for each one.

Station Five: Ladder Safety

“This station allowed the groups to review ladder safety using one placed on a section of the playground,” he says.

The Strategy and Results

“We have a list of topics we need to train all employees on each year,” says Brennen, “and typically offer two all-staff trainings as well as quarterly sessions. The questions we ask are usually geared to see what staff remembers and what refreshers employees may need.

“The Safety Team spent a lot of time planning this training to make it fun and interesting. We noticed much more engagement from staff with our stations getting them up and moving around.”

“All five stations were pretty successful,” observes Crisman, “and the more active and engaging they were, the better!

“Think outside the normal PowerPoint and video trainings for new ways to make your training more interactive.,” he advises. “You may be surprised how much more your employees enjoy — and remember — it.”