OHS course are a whirlwind when it comes to rules, knowledge, and safety. When you do begin this training it feels kinda like you are stepping out into a jungle with no map. It’s not all about hard hats and hi-vis vests you’ll be glad to know! I’ll tell stories and share advice to light up your course into occupational health and safety.

Here’s a bigger picture: Your workplace where Bob from accounting gets up on his swivel chair to reach a high shelf. You know how the story will end badly. OHS training is meant to carve a culture where common sense meets due care, and not just in preventing ready-to-happen accidents like Bob’s. It’s the meatballs and spaghetti of creating a safe place.

Amusingly, an OHS syllabus allows you to converse with imaginations like risk management and emergency response—a rather boring seemingly set of topics. But, if we think of them in these terms, they become the workplace superheroes! Incredibly adept at preventing slips, trips, and calamities. Not so boring now, huh?

Add stories to the mix for lively training sessions. Remember when Gary unplugged the toaster BEFORE cleaning it? Gary still is our coffee break story guy, not yummy toast thanks to quick OHS thinking. These narratives make orders livable advice. Soon, safety begins to look like a narrative woven through the fabric of the workplace.

A test here, a workshop there, a group activity here turns a dull lecture into a vibrant brainstorm. Ever given thought to roleplaying a fire evacuation? Think of it as a “Simon Says” only with added smoke alarms. These deviations from the norm of training improve engagement and retention a lot.

but something rather vital now: keeping it light enough yet still important. Let’s lessen the grimness with playfulness. The comic relief that softens the blow of harsh truths is comedy. Crack a joke about Steve’s helmet hair; it might just get across why helmets really matter on field trips.

More than just another box to check is OHS training. This is a life-altering experience that will allow you to protect your co-workers and ourselves. Wet floor—beyond a slip precaution when you next see this sign—you’ll feel sorry for the cleaner.