Of all the training programs aimed at improving employee skills - think sales, customer service, maintenance techniques, etc. - or raising awareness - think sexual harassment, diversity and discrimination, etc. - none are as over-the-top as some safety training programs when it comes to mixing blood, gore and slapstick. In one 23-minute video, for example, we counted 19 scenes of workers cartwheeling down steps, stumbling over cords, getting bonked in the head. You get the idea.
These sorts of training programs have been successful sellers in the safety market for years. They can be funny, dramatic, usually not boring, and make the point that, yes, accidents do happen to everyday people doing everyday jobs. But it's a thin line between entertaining employees and turning them into the Three Stooges.
In this edition of ISHN's E-Zine, we take a seat in the back of a fictional safety training class to describe how crossing the line can turn safety into a joke that no one - employees, management and safety pros themselves - will find funny.