Getting workers to pay attention is the first and perhaps greatest challenge any safety trainer faces. For those of you struggling with this problem, we have a one-word solution: video. In this world of You Tube and reality TV, video is the medium to which most of us relate. Take advantage of this fascination with things video to make your workplace safer.

SafetyXChange is getting set to add a video dimension to help you do this. In the weeks to come, we will be introducing video elements to our website and adding a new Saxcie award for video. Our first initiative is a video film festival (see the announcement below for the details).

We will also be featuring articles telling you how to use video to enhance your safety training. This article is the first installment of this series. It explains a powerful application of video to bring training to life.

Starting a Video Program

One of the great things about video is that it's easy to use. For one thing, the price of admission is low. To create a video, all you need is a camera - about $100, access to editing software and a willing cast. Many companies have video cameras. Check with training personnel, the sales staff or other departments that might have one you can borrow. Also try to locate a computer you can use for editing the tape.

The other enormous advantage of video is that it's democratic, both technically and aesthetically. By that we mean that anybody who has a camera is "qualified" to crank out a video that merits attention. Video is not Hollywood. Production quality is acceptably low. People know that the camera will shake and the sound might be grainy. They understand that the people on the screen aren't trained actors and that the action is unrehearsed.

Far from being a detriment, the amateur quality of video accounts for its power and allure. Video is like a mirror to the "real world." As such it's fascinating and as compelling as any movie or TV show. If you don't believe it, you should check out the enormously popular website, You Tube, www.youtube.com, where literally thousands of people submit their homemade videos.

Bringing Video to Safety: The Workplace Tour

One of the simplest and most powerful ways to use video in safety training is to create a video workplace tour. Videotape your workplace. Use the camera to point out the hazards, the safe procedures and the unsafe. Here are some suggestions for producing and using such a video:

• Video a portion of the work area, showing work stations, equipment, emergency equipment and storage. Show the tape at your next safety meeting. Encourage workers to view and critique the scene as if they had never seen it before. Ask for observations, identifications of hazardous conditions, etc. What they find might be an enormous help. For example, they may notice clutter, out-of-date signs or awkward work arrangements.
• Tape unsafe work practices with an eye to correcting them. Have a worker re-enact the scene, showing how the work was done and why it was dangerous.
• Catch people doing things right. A video that shows everyone wearing the required PPE is cause for congratulations.
• Demonstrate how to do a job correctly. Get several workers to demonstrate safe lifting techniques including a team lift. Done right, this tape can be used again as a review.
• Tape someone working at a computer or doing repetitive assembly work. Analyze the tape at the safety meeting, and ask for suggestions from everyone for ergonomic improvements to prevent repetitive strain injuries.
• New procedures and operating instructions can also be effectively demonstrated on video.

The videos can be done as casually or as professionally as time and talent allows. You don't have to create them yourself, either. You can assign this project to a couple of employees who are experienced at videotaping - or who want the chance to learn.

Safety and Video Production

These are three important precautions to keep in mind when videotaping work:

• You must create no hazards. Do not startle or distract the worker. Do not get in the way as you operate the video camera.
• Don't tape a hazardous situation when you could be correcting it. If a worker is doing something unsafe, you have a responsibility to tell him at the moment rather than letting him continue while you tape it.
• Do not embarrass anyone. Catching someone making a mistake or looking stupid might make an immediate point or get a quick laugh, but the bad feelings will last a long time.

Conclusion

Paradoxically, in today's world, seeing things on screen is more "real" for most people than seeing them live. As a safety professional, you need to recognize this and learn how to harness the power of video to drive home your safety message. Presented in a video medium, the safety message takes on an immediacy and power that reaches workers the way no safety talk or PowerPoint presentation ever could.

VIDEOXCHANGE

A SafetyXChange Film Festival

Here at Bongarde, we've been experimenting with video production for the past few weeks - trying out ways to add value to our products and to provide customer support.

For example, I volunteered to create a Train the Trainer video for our Safety Smart! Online product demonstrating how to put together a safety bulletin (an idea that grew from a great tidbit sent in by SafetyXChange member/contributor John Lowrie).

One thing I learned was that it takes about two hours to create a six-minute video. It's also hot work that pushed me far out of my comfort zone. But I'm pretty pleased with the result; here's a sneak preview of our video.

Now let's see what you've done. Have you been involved in video production in your role as safety trainer? We want to hear about your experiences. What worked? What didn't? What did you learn?

Better still, don't tell us, show us. SafetyXChange would like to host the first-ever safety video festival. So we are calling on members who have created in-house safety training videos to send them to us. Please send us a link to your videos.  

Catherine Jones
Managing Editor
catherinej@bongarde.com

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