If you're looking for a way to add more interest to your safety meetings, try inviting the occasional guest speaker. You may be thinking you don't have the budget to hire speakers. But who says you have to spend money for a guest speaker? There are plenty of people who would welcome the chance to deliver a safety message to your workers and do it for free. Here's a guest speaker strategy to use.

Choosing a Guest Speaker

The phrase "guest speakers" summons up images of consultants, motivational presenters and other for-hire experts. But consider these other possibilities:

• Someone from your own company's safety department, industrial hygiene staff, fire brigade or first aid office.
• A representative from the company supplying equipment or safety gear. Sales reps are often knowledgeable about the products they sell and can give information on safe use and effective maintenance.
• A representative from a community-based organization. The Red Cross, for example, may have local specialists in water safety who can address your meetings.
• Individuals from municipal agencies. For example, the local fire department may be happy to conduct a fire extinguisher training session in which each participant gets some hands-on practice.
• Somebody from an automobile or transportation safety organization. Since motor vehicle incidents are the No. 1 killer in the workplace, a talk about driving safety is always a good idea. Individuals in your company's fleet division may know where to find a good speaker.
• Leaders from your own company. The manager, division head, chief financial officer or chief executive officer might be pleased with the chance to reinforce the safety meeting in person. The company officer might also get some ideas from your workers about how to help them work more safely.

Prepare Your Guests

Don't simply turn the guest speaker loose on your audience without knowing what the person plans to say or providing instruction. You need to do some planning in advance. Some tips:

• Contact the person well in advance of the meeting and be prepared to give a choice of meeting dates.
• Find out if the speaker needs any equipment, such as a video player, and make the arrangements.
• Call the person the day before to confirm the plans.
• Your speaker will need the telephone number and address of your work area as well as directions on how to get there and where to park.
• Arrange for someone to meet the speaker and provide an escort to the meeting area.
• Remember to have any necessary PPE on hand for the speaker, such as a hardhat or safety eyewear.

Conclusion

No matter how engaging your safety meetings are, it helps to change the pace every once in a while. A guest speaker is a perfect way to do it. A fresh face, voice and perspective adds juice to the safety message and enlivens what for your workers might otherwise be a dull and repetitive routine.

SAXCIES PROFILE

Safety Trainer of the Year: Steven L. Pollock

Steven Pollock (middle) accepting the Safety Trainer of the Year Saxcie from Catherine Jones (left) and Mark Ziebarth (right) of Bongarde Media, parent company of SafetyXChange.

Criteria: The Safety Trainer of the Year Saxcie is awarded to a safety professional who exhibits individual success and leadership in the field of safety training.

The Winner: Steven L. Pollock of Stacy & Witbeck, Inc. (working with Herzog Contracting on joint venture project: Salt Lake City Commuter Rail Constructors).

Profile: Safety Trainers face a tough challenge. Not only must they convince management of the value of their training programs, but also persuade the trainees that what they have to say is worth listening to. To accomplish this, Safety Trainers must think creatively, speak clearly, understand complex and abstract material, translate that material into plain language, have a good sense of humor and, above all, be trustworthy. An effective trainer, in other words, must be like Steve Pollock.

After leaving high school, Steve took a job as a clerk with a railroad in South Bend, Indiana. He became involved in Operation Lifesaver, a nation-wide organization dedicated to educating the public about railroad safety. He then rolled his railroad experience and his passion for safety into a career in the construction industry, teaching roadway safety to California construction workers. His training techniques caught the eye of some important people. Steve didn't need to persuade management of the value of his training. They came to him. Soon the railroads were insisting that project workers go through Steve's training.

Steve has since tailored his training program to numerous railroads, uniting rules from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) with each railroad's own set of rules. He uses flip charts, DVDs, overhead projectors and movies that demonstrate the speed and destructive nature of passenger trains. On completion of training, workers receive a special sticker for their helmet. No sticker on your helmet = No access to the work site. Those who don't pass the course receive one-on-one training with Steve until they do. In the past 14 months, Steve's issued more than 2,000 stickers.

Every morning, Steve meets with the railroad personnel for special instructions and to establish the type of protection needed for the day. He then goes to the office, to a special map he's made of his current 44-mile long project. The map is on a 4'x 8' white board, adorned with 5 colors of striping tape and dozens of small magnetic writing boards. On those small magnetic boards, Steve writes daily safety information required by the FRA and places them on the appropriate spot on the map. It's an essential information tool that many workers rely on every day.

But it's not just Steve's ingenuity or thoroughness that mark him as a great trainer. According to the nominator's essay, Steve "uses his experience, personal connections, understanding of railroad culture and often a hearty laugh to make this a safer, more enjoyable job for all who work here."

It's a trust thing. Companies trust Steve's programs and employees trust Steve. And it's his success in this tough balance that makes Steven Pollock Safety Trainer of the Year.

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