Safety training videos play a critical part in orienting workers to workplace dangers, protocols, and emergencies. Engaging videos have the potential to enhance retention, participation, and adherence to safety measures. A training video that is well made serves the dual purpose of communicating how to stay safe in a workplace and minimizing accidents and injuries. The essence of effective safety training videos is in the convincing and engaging narrative, visuals, and hands-on demonstration. This article seeks to discuss how to make safety training videos that are appealing and effective.
State the Critical Goals
The first step to producing a safety training video is setting specific goals. Questions such as what safety measures do employees need to know, how to use particular equipment safely, and how to avert accidents need to be answered. The point of articulating specific goals is to ensure the video addresses relevant content and pertinent information is given efficiently. In the absence of specific goals, the video becomes subjective, whereby critical safety information is rendered ineffective. It is also very important to make sure that the goals are in line with the safety measures put in place and the legal obligations that are to be met.
Aim for Brevity and Clarity
Prolonged training videos can cause viewers to lose interest and reduce retention. Therefore, it is best to keep videos around 5 to 10 minutes for each topic and, if covering more than one topic, make them into multiple short and easy to follow sections. Employees stand a better chance of retaining the information, and being engaged, when the videos are concise. Avoid sprinkling unnecessary details and instead put focus on the core safety points that employees should be well versed with. Well-structured and concise content increases the chances of employees recalling the safety measures when required.
Incorporate Practical Examples and Graphics
Retention of information is better when it is shown in action instead of purely verbal explanations. Using real-world workplace situations, some animations and even graphics to show the hazardous areas of the workplace increases understanding. Safety instructions can be complex but inferring them with step-by-step demonstrations makes them easier to understand. Engaging visuals simplify complex safety issues into easier concepts for understanding. Instructions and demonstrations must be very clear and use different types of media such as text, voiceovers, and screen instructions to ensure learning. These concepts are more likely to be remembered by employees if the animations and videos portraying the message are more appealing.
Involve Real Employees
The easiest way to make the training credible and relatable is by using actual employees in the safety videos. The employees will pay more attention to the training if they can recognise faces on the video. Normal safety practices can be proficiently performed by employees who can provide valuable assistance on pertinent safety issues. The inclusion of employees also increases the pride in ownership, which motivates members of the team to comply with safety measures. Employees should tell their own stories and experiences to give real meaning to the necessity of compliance with safety rules.
Achieve Clarity and Simplicity
Do not resort to the use of complex jargon that might hinder the understanding level of the employee. Use easy phrases and instructions instead. Non-native speakers would benefit from subtitles and captions as well. The target audience is employees of different educational levels, and they all need to understand the procedures being discussed. Instructions need to be simplistic, hence, avoid verbose details that may make the core points unclear. Adherence to a script and reasonable narration can greatly improve the efficacy of the training video.
Incorporate Simulations and Feedback Mechanisms
Simulations, feedback mechanisms, and quizzes tend to engage employees as well as help in understanding the concepts better. Learning becomes effortless when real-life participation is welcomed. Incorporating quizzes after every segment can increase the learning retention ratio as well. Adding these components gives training sessions a more ‘hands-on’ approach and reduces the risk of being a passive consumer, so maximum learning can take place. Many businesses try to use game-based mechanics like incentives and achievement systems to increase participation.
Use High Quality Production
Credibility is lost when video content is poorly produced or edited, especially when low-quality visuals and audio are used. When attention is paid to production quality, the communicated message is clear and succinct. Ensuring the use of a microphone facilitates clear audio, while capturing video through a camera improves visual clarity. Effective video editing enhances content flow by simplifying segmentation and excluding unnecessary content. Using proper video production strategies aids in conveying relevant messages while improving learning. These could include focusing on less expensive and faster methods for video production when budget constraints exist.
Final Thoughts
Effective video safety training needs careful pre-production planning and design along with uploading the right and complete information. These simple efforts will go a long way in ensuring that there is greater awareness of safety procedures, eliminating accidents, and building a defense culture. Quality, after all, targets any workplace problems that exist. Safety training and supervision are a fundamental piece of workplace control risk reduction. Safety training is compliance but, when done right, supports the general proactive approach to the safety posture of an organization.
