I’ve been to many places that required safety training. Usually I’d watch the video made in the 80’s and then go about my day.
I have a standout favorite. At an American ceramics manufacturer, the training focused on safety as a prerequisite and NOT a priority, since priorities are routinely shuffled. It’s likely that I’d seen dozens of safety initiation videos by this point, this was the first company that I registered the video as anything besides CYA.
On the other end of the spectrum was a training video at a paper products facility that had been built in a lemon orchard, with the lemon trees retained where their removal wasn’t required. The safety video included the line “Do not pick the lemons, they are [company name’s] property.” Additionally, if one were to climb a ladder over three feet tall, one would need to use a harness with a 6 foot safety strap.
Let me know your favorite (or least favorite) safety training!
Many, many moons ago I held a job that required me to evaluate safety training videos. They are almost uniformly awful but the most memorable was a radiation safety video that featured an older gentlemen standing against a featureless background droning on about rads. I stopped watching when he absentmindedly stuck his finger in his nose, glanced at it, dropped his hand to his side, and rubbed his fingers together. Ugh.
Now upon reflection, I should have recommended its purchase and then prefaced every viewing with a reminder to the audience to stay awake at least until 5:32 min in for a fun surprise.
The is a comedic forklift safety video called (iirc) “The Color of Danger” that had our shipping guy roaring with laughter. Lifts driving through walls and driving off of docks, etc.
I don’t know if this is my FAVORITE, but it was memorable:
I was sent to a small chemical plant to help with some security work, and I didn’t really have any idea what they manufactured. Before being issued my pass, I had to watch an old VHS tape for the visitor safety program. It only took a minute for me to realize that they make hydrogen cyanide…tons and tons of it. I think the main point of the training was to get one to react to the emergency klaxon by running (in a calm manner) as fast as one can.
After viewing the tape, I asked my escort what they used the product for. “Oh, mostly pesticides. Only two companies in the US even make this anymore.” I mentioned that it seemed that there would be some hazards involved, especially if the liquid form escaped. “Nah. When it’s a gas, it’s lighter than air. And if the liquid comes into contact with water, it just turns into ammonia.” I don’t know if this was accurate, but it did not make me feel much better.
A Caterpillar made video called “Shake Hands With Danger” (basically regarding the dangers of heavy equipment and taking shortcuts during maintenance) is pretty funny, mostly due to the narrator and soundtrack. For the general public, there’s an old video made by the Tasmanian government called “Don’t Be a Bloody Idiot”, which is more “stupid tourists in nature” in content.
Due to covid and restrictions my employer’s “get together in a big group and watch a safety video” is hopefully now a thing of the past.
Probably my favorite video is of a guy (Steve?) who is driving around drunk/under the influence on a high lift and gets pulled over by the cops.
The best, or the ones that made me take the most notice, is the series with Charlie who was severely burned in a explosion because he didn’t follow safety procedures.
People joke about how these videos’/classes/demonstrations are a waste of time but after 20+ years of seeing them I am always thinking twice when at home I am climbing a ladder, using chemicals/cleaners, hearing protection, lifting ergonomics, etc…
My least-favorite was a mandatory child-abuse prevention training program, required for teachers. It consisted of two videos, one with information about child abuse, and one with what to do about it. The information one stressed that child abusers are usually people who are trusted by everyone in the community, most often parents, and almost never strangers. The second one said to always trust your gut, to make sure that your classroom was open to parents, and to make sure that strangers never got in.
Sounds like a facility I worked at occasionally in central PA. Similar obligatory video followed by a live talk. It seemed to understate the actual risks from much of the products they handled.
We had (easily detectable) things like SO2, ammonia and HCl. Hear a siren, go upwind with local plant employees.
The HF area always scared the crap out of me. And boy was I ready to run like hell whenever we were in that vicinity.
I always got a kick out of the Duck and Cover spots. You know, the ones that tried to assuage your fear of Nuclear Annihilation by hiding under your desk.
