When it comes to safety it cannot be denied that all workplaces must have safety hazards, and all staff needs regular safety training. Safety training can often be seen as a ‘chore’ as most staff don’t see it as the most interesting or exciting part of their job. But, it’s a necessary task that if done effectively, has the power to save lives. By making health and safety training more engaging, you will ensure that staff retain information and do not become complacent.

By using creative methods and focusing on interactive and relevant approaches, safety training can become more engaging, ensuring that employees remain attentive and retain the necessary information. Here are effective ways to keep your staff engaged during safety training sessions.

1. Use Hands-on Methods and Demonstrations

Many people prefer to ‘learn by doing’ to really absorb necessary information. When you try to teach your staff by lecturing or having them follow e-learning modules, they are much less likely to retain that information. This type of passive training relies heavily upon having a dynamic and exciting presenter to engage employees. For that reason, safety training should be delivered by using hands-on scenarios and demonstrations of safety hazards, to keep your staff actively engaged.

2. Use Real-life Examples

Relate examples of real-life incidents to your staff. This will help them to visualise the outcome of poor safety practices – making the risks more ‘real’ in their minds. Imagery and storytelling reinforce the message and brings to life what would otherwise be a ‘dry’ safety induction. You can even bring in speakers with a real-life story to talk to your staff on training day.

3. Use Humour

Plenty of research has found that humour boosts retention and engagement and helps you file information away in your long-term memory. Many workplaces use humour to engage their staff in safety training. A quick Google will let you view hundreds of humorous safety videos meant to educate workers.

4. Utilise Technology with Interactive Training

Introducing new technologies allows for more engaging and innovative learning experiences. Virtual reality (VR) uses interactive and immersive techniques and is becoming increasingly more affordable. VR helps people learn new skills, be more creative and overcome barriers to learning. Having the power to transform the way we learn makes education more accessible, adaptable, and immersive.

5. Keep Open Communication with Positive Feedback

Engaging your staff in a conversation through open communication helps them to learn by asking questions and having an open discussion in a respectful learning environment. It’s a good idea to have group discussions so that you can identify gaps in their knowledge. This will help them to stay involved and ‘own’ safety in your workplace.

6.Gamify the Training to Make it Fun

Gamification is an effective way to boost engagement by making the training experience fun and competitive. Introduce elements like point systems, badges, or leaderboards to motivate employees to participate. You can break the training into different levels or modules, and offer rewards for completing tasks, answering quiz questions correctly, or demonstrating proficiency in safety procedures.

By adding these game-like elements, employees feel more invested in the training, and it also promotes healthy competition that leads to better retention of safety knowledge.