Safety training videos are essential for ensuring employees understand the necessary precautions and protocols to maintain a secure work environment. However, these videos are known for being dull and outdated, often featuring poor acting and cheesy dialogue. Thankfully, there are ways to make safety training videos engaging, relevant, and entertaining without undermining workplace compliance’s importance. Below is a guide for creating professional safety training videos that foster an emotional connection with your workforce and promote a culture of safety.
Focus on Realistic & Relevant Compliance Challenges
Stick to Real-World Scenarios
When creating safety training videos, focusing on realistic scenarios and challenges that employees encounter daily or are feasible within their job roles is crucial. For example, call center employees are more likely to need training on maintaining a safe workspace and defusing tense situations over the phone rather than dealing with a knife-wielding assailant. Effective workplace safety training courses should keep it real so employees can apply their knowledge in practical settings.
Customize Training for Different Industries & Job Roles
Different industries and job roles have unique safety concerns and compliance requirements. For instance, construction workers and warehouse employees may need training on personal protective equipment and forklift safety, while office workers may require training on ergonomics and emergency procedures. Tailor your safety training videos to address the specific needs of each industry and job role to ensure maximum relevance and effectiveness.
Keep it Brief & Concise
Opt for Short, Focused Videos
Employees have limited time to watch lengthy safety training videos, especially when trying to complete their work tasks. Keep your videos short and focused so employees can quickly bridge knowledge gaps and return to their duties. For more complex topics requiring in-depth exploration, consider breaking them into a series of shorter videos that address sub-topics or tasks.
Use Microlearning Techniques
Microlearning is an instructional design strategy that delivers training content in small, manageable chunks to facilitate quick and effective learning. Incorporate microlearning techniques in your safety training videos to make them more engaging and digestible for your employees. This approach saves time and helps enhance knowledge retention and skill development.
Use Animation & Graphics for Hazardous Tasks
Use Animation to Demonstrate Risky Situations
Some situations may be too hazardous to act out in live-action videos. Consider using animation to re-enact the scene and provide essential pointers in these cases. Animated videos can effectively illustrate potential hazards and safety procedures without putting anyone at risk during the production process.
Utilize Graphics & Visual Aids
In addition to animations, incorporate graphics and visual aids in your safety training videos to emphasize key points and enhance understanding. For example, use diagrams to illustrate proper lifting techniques or infographics to summarize essential safety statistics. Visual aids can help convey complex information more effectively and make your videos more visually appealing.
Include Personal Anecdotes & Real-World Examples
Share Personal Stories & Experiences
Personal anecdotes and real-world examples can help make your safety training videos more relatable and engaging. Share stories of past incidents or near misses that highlight the importance of compliance and the potential consequences of safety breaches. Employees are more likely to form an emotional connection with the content and remember the lessons learned when they can relate to real-life situations.
Showcase Best Practices and Lessons Learned
In addition to sharing personal stories, demonstrate best practices and lessons learned from previous incidents or industry case studies. This approach reinforces the importance of compliance and provides employees with actionable tips and strategies for maintaining a safe work environment.
Optimize for Mobile Viewing & Accessibility
Ensure Mobile-Friendly Training
Modern learners expect mobile-friendly training that they can access on any device and at any time. Optimize your safety training videos for mobile viewing to accommodate employees’ preferences and needs. This may involve compressing media files, adjusting video dimensions, and ensuring the content displays correctly on various screen sizes.
Provide Subtitles & Localization Options
Include subtitles in your safety training videos to cater to employees with special needs or those who prefer to learn on the go. Subtitles not only make your videos more accessible but also facilitate content localization, as employees can choose their preferred language for viewing.
Monitor Employee Performance & Update Content
Once your safety training videos are live, monitor employee performance to gauge the effectiveness of the training content. Collect data on safety incidents, compliance rates, and employee feedback to identify areas for improvement. Update your videos as needed to ensure they remain current and continue to meet the needs of your workforce.
Hire a Professional Video Production Team
Consider Outsourcing Video Production
If you lack the necessary skills, resources, or time to create safety training videos in-house, consider hiring a professional video production team to handle the project. Outsourcing partners can provide the expertise, equipment, and design skills needed to produce engaging and effective safety training content.
Vet Vendor Qualifications & Request Proposals
Before hiring a video production team, research potential vendors and evaluate their qualifications, experience, and portfolio.
Offer a Wide Range of Safety Training Topics
Cover Essential Safety Training Areas
Ensure your safety training videos cover a wide range of critical topics, such as personal protective equipment, hazard communication, machine guarding, and emergency response. Providing comprehensive safety training helps employees stay informed and prepared for various safety risks and compliance requirements.
Include Additional Training Modules
In addition to mandatory safety training topics, consider offering supplementary modules to address other relevant safety concerns. This may include courses on OSHA record-keeping, hearing conservation, or industry-specific safety topics. Expanding your safety training library can help employees gain a well-rounded understanding of workplace safety and best practices.
Utilize an Learning Management System (LMS) for Training Delivery
Integrate Training Videos into an LMS
Upload your safety training videos to a Learning Management System (LMS) to streamline content delivery and tracking. An LMS allows employees to access training materials at their convenience and provides administrators with a centralized platform to manage and monitor employee progress.
Offer Mobile Access and 24/7 Availability
Ensure your LMS supports mobile access and 24/7 availability so that employees can access safety training content whenever and wherever they need it. This is particularly important for mobile workers, such as plumbers, electricians, and construction personnel who may need to review training materials on-the-go or during different shifts.
To recap, creating engaging and effective safety training videos is essential for promoting a culture of safety and compliance in the workplace. By focusing on realistic scenarios, keeping content brief and concise, utilizing animations and graphics, sharing personal anecdotes, optimizing for mobile viewing, gathering feedback, hiring professionals, covering a wide range of topics, and utilizing an LMS, you can create safety training videos that resonate with your workforce and help prevent accidents and injuries on the job.
