The Safety Training Net -Mar. '24 🎨🏟️👁️
"Copy, Then Create," Health Homerun, The "Eye" Knows safety training game, plus Situational Awareness
What do Baseball and Coal Mining (and Safety) Have in Common?
Mark Twain once said “There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible.” In the same line of thinking, “Copy, Then Create” is a philosophy found in many fields around the world. In safety and health, it can be beneficial to copy successful ideas from other occupations and then create (or adapt) the idea for S&H needs.
One example of “copy, then create” can be found in baseball. Before the invention of batting helmets, Major League Baseball players stepped up to the plate protected by nothing more than their standard baseball caps. The tragic death of Ray Chapman in 1920, struck in the head by a pitch, underscored the dangers players faced. Yet, it wasn't until 1939, nearly two decades later, that a significant shift occurred, thanks to Willie Wells, a shortstop for the Newark Eagles of the Negro Leagues.
Wells introduced an unusual sight in baseball when he appeared at bat wearing what seemed to be a makeshift helmet. This move drew laughter from the opposing pitcher, who saw Wells's protective gear as nothing more than a joke. Unfazed, Wells stood his ground, and the subsequent pitch that hit him in the head proved the effectiveness of his innovation. He not only survived the hit without injury but also continued the game with impressive performance, marking a turning point in baseball safety.
Wells used the idea of “Copy, Then Create” and drew inspiration from another profession known for its hazardous conditions, coal mining. Wells saw the potential of adopting the protective gear used by miners. Miners wore hard hats to shield themselves from falling debris, a concept Wells adapted for baseball by fashioning a helmet out of a coal miner's hard hat, without the light. Wells saw a problem, drew inspiration from an unlikely source, and implemented a solution that would eventually become standard in the sport.
Can you think of any other area in safety that has benefited by “borrowing” ideas from other fields?
Health Homerun Training Activity
Speaking of baseball, baseball’s opening day was just last week so I am happy to share a training activity that is based on a baseball diamond. In this activity, trainees work in teams to advance a team representative around the bases by answering training class-related questions correctly. This activity originally appeared in my first book, SafetyFUNdamentals: 77 Games and Activities to Make Training Great and was created then as an activity to be used alongside health-related training. The packet provided here provides sample questions related to general healthy practices but the activity can be easily modified for any training topic.
To download the Health Homerun activity, click here.
Upskilling - Situational Awareness
If you read the December VIP issue, you will be familiar with Upskilling in 2024. This chart includes suggested areas for professional development and each month, I include content on one of the topics as it relates to safety training. This month, we are focusing on the area of Situational Awareness.
Situational awareness can help prevent accidents and injuries, avoid potential threats, and improve overall decision-making. The following information can be used in a training class offered to help others learn how to develop situational awareness. Additionally, three suggested training activities for situational awareness safety training are provided for VIP Subscribers.
Introduction:
We all go about our days with a certain level of awareness, but are you truly tuned into your surroundings? Situational awareness is a vital skill that goes beyond simply looking around – it's about actively observing the world around you to identify potential risks, make better decisions, and protect yourself.
What is Situational Awareness?
At its core, situational awareness is knowing:
What's happening around you right now.
What's "normal" in your everyday environments.
How to spot things that are unusual, out of place, or could signal danger.
How to Develop Situational Awareness
The Art of Observation: Practice paying attention to details with all your senses. Go for a walk through your work area and focus on the specific sights, sounds, and even smells around you.
Know Your Baseline: What's typical? This allows you to spot anomalies faster.
Spot the Red Flags: Learn to identify potential dangers. This includes unusual behaviors, objects out of place, or changes that feel "off."
Trust Your Gut: If a situation feels wrong, don't ignore it. Our intuition is often picking up on subtle cues we can't consciously process.
Three Tips
Minimize Distractions: Put away your phone and take out earbuds when walking or in unfamiliar places.
The OODA Loop: When in doubt, use this framework:
Observe: Actively take in your surroundings.
Orient: What are you seeing and what could it mean?
Decide: What's the safest course of action?
Act: Do it (whether that's leaving a situation or calling for help).
Know Your Exits: Always be aware of potential escape routes when entering a new space.
Possible Class Activities for Helping Trainees Understand Situational Awareness
What to Do If… Discussion Cards
Create a variety of scenarios that a trainee could find during the day that should be acted upon. These could be as simple as finding an unusual unlabeled container in a shipment alongside other labeled products they are familiar with or describing a scenario where an unidentified, unaccompanied, and unexpected individual is walking through the work area carrying a duffle bag. Prepare a variety of scenarios before a training class. During the class, divide the trainees into teams, assign several scenarios to each team, and ask them to discuss concerns and solutions amongst themselves before presenting their scenarios and proposed actions to the rest of the class.
One of These Things is Not Like the Other
Take a photo of a work area or other location on a job site or at a facility where trainees are familiar with the setup and daily activities. Next, make a small change in the area that would represent something out of the ordinary, and take a second photo. For example, in an area that usually has fire safety doors in the closed position, prop open a door, take a second photo, and return the door to its proper, i.e., closed position. Print out both photos and provide a copy of each to a team of trainees. Several of these pairs of photos should be taken and printed out before a training class. Just like in the example above, photo pairs should be given to each team of trainees, and they should be asked to identify the differences and then discuss the appropriate steps.
Hazard Hunt
Hazard Hunt is an activity that most subscribers of The Safety Training Net are very familiar with. In hazard hunt activities, a scenario is provided to teams of trainees, and they are asked to work together to identify various hazards. This exercise can help trainees improve their skills of observation as well as learn what conditions in the workplace may lead to accidents and incidents. Hazard hunt activities have been provided in several issues of this newsletter and can also be found on the SafetyFUNdamentals website. A sample hazard hunt activity can be found below.
Situational awareness can be an important skill to have outside of work and during normal job responsibilities. In fact, practicing situational awareness at work may lead to individuals paying more attention to their surroundings and making better choices when facing situations that may put them at risk while they are off the job, too. It can be helpful to always include discussion about opportunities for situational awareness, and hopefully, those in safety training classes may also take this message home to their loved ones.
The EYE Knows Eye Safety Training game
With eye safety in the news more than normal due to the total solar eclipse happening in just a few days, I am happy to share a new eye safety training activity.
The EYE Knows is based on two games that many people may have played as children (20 Questions and Clue). The game consists of a list of possible locations, possible jobs, and possible types of eye injuries, which are used to create a fictional accident that teams must figure out by asking a series of educated guesses. Complete details and game materials can be downloaded here.
VIP Section
Starting last month, I am now sending one newsletter to both VIP subscribers (that’s you!) and all others. The biggest difference you will notice is that all download links, which lead to resources only available to VIPs, are in this section at the bottom of the newsletter. Free subscribers will receive this same newsletter, but most of the content, including most download links, will be located behind a paywall. Paid subscriptions are still only $50/year, so if you know someone who could benefit from all content, please send them a recommendation to subscribe.
Download links for VIPs
The EYE Knows eye safety training game
Health Homerun activity
Did you know that VIP Subscribers received a special gift a few weeks ago to celebrate the 3-Year Anniversary of The Safety Training Net? If you missed this email, you can find it (and the details of your gift) here.
As always I appreciate and am grateful for your support of The Safety Training Net! To be sure I am providing resources you find valuable, I always welcome your feedback and requests. You can always reply to the newsletter, email me directly, or comment below to get in touch. Please don’t forget to click the small heart at the top or bottom of this newsletter if you liked this issue. - Linda