Making a world-class safety training program available to employees requires a number of strategies as well as a huge amount of support from all sectors of the company. At Faith Technologies, the leadership team places the highest value on safety, which is essential to the success of our efforts.
Let’s walk through three strategies the company has implemented to make our safety training program successful.
Strategy No. 1 — Curriculum
Developing a consistent message in each training module is an integral part of our efforts. Using small committees of experts from our safety team, we can tailor our training to the needs of our internal customers. This allows us to reach far beyond OSHA’s minimum requirements to truly affect the safety of our internal customers on every project across the country. A consistent message is particularly vital when we blend teams from all parts of the country for major projects. A common “language” of safety provides a more seamless integration of disparate teams on a given site.
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Strategy No. 2 — Facilitator development
Each member of our safety team has a unique skill set and expertise in different areas of safety. We make every effort to build our team from the best and brightest safety professionals available. By tapping into this individual expertise, each facilitator can bring the consistent message of our curriculum to life in a manner that fits his or her personality and teaching style. The basic message remains the same, but the presentation varies to capture the attention of the audience. By utilizing our specialists in each area and having other personnel observe and assist, it develops their skills in each area both in the classroom and on the job site. True understanding comes from the ability to convey knowledge to others in an effective manner. We employ a basic five-step plan to help safety professionals prepare to facilitate each class. Individual preparation efforts to gain the basic knowledge base for each module are a key element in the success of this plan.
Strategy No. 3 — Scheduling
A majority of our safety training occurs during “training weeks,” or as an element of our internal apprenticeship programs. We schedule six training weeks across the country to allow our employees an opportunity to attend all required safety training during one week of each year, rather than attend classes in the evenings or on weekends. Employees can enroll for needed classes from a half-day to six days in a week. This allows them to focus their efforts specifically on the safety training information at hand, rather than trying to stay alert in the evening after an eight- to 10-hour workday or on Saturday after a 45- to 50-hour work week.
The results of our evaluation process indicate this approach is much more effective than after-hours training. By building safety into our apprenticeship program, it drives home the message that safety is an integral part of our overall operations. When we have an opportunity to work specifically with an apprenticeship group to spend four to eight hours with a focus on safety, they better understand the value placed on safety in our organization. Satellite classes are scheduled as needed per site requirements throughout the year as well.
Many who see or hear about our company’s program focus on the cost of providing the level of training provided to our teams. But our leadership team has made a commitment to develop our employees in every area of their professional careers. By providing best-in-class educational opportunities in safety, leadership, and professional development, those at every level of our organization have an opportunity to grow and develop.
What is your organization doing to keep safety top-of-mind?
Rutledge is safety director at Faith Technologies in Kansas City, Kan. He is responsible for formulating, developing, and coordinating safety and loss control initiatives for the company. He can be reached at [email protected].
