SAFETY SURVEY: Best Training Ideas

Gavin Johnson
Regional Safety Coordinator
Consolidated Grain and Barge
Tulsa, OK

“There are three main parts to our training that we believe set up employees for success: computer-based training, follow-up, and hands-on mentorship.

“Computer-based training is implemented for efficiency and consistency. To be effective, we split up our training into two-hour increments during the worker’s first four days of employment. We believe this helps with retention.

“The second aspect is follow-up. We do this by having the new employee walk the facility with management to discuss what they learned that day and how it applies to their specific facility.

“The third aspect is our mentorship program, and this is crucial because it provides hands-on training as the new hire watches the mentor perform work correctly. For example, the employee might watch their mentor perform a truck dump four or five times while the mentor explains the task. Then they switch roles, and the mentor watches the mentee. New employees stay under a mentor for at least the first 30 days to prove they can operate safely.”

To be effective, we split up our training into two-hour increments during the worker’s first four days of employment. We believe this helps with retention. -Gavin Johnson, Consolidated Grain and Barge

Kyle Joseph Waletich
Director of Safety and Risk Management
Cooperative Farmers Elevator
Rock Rapids, IA

“Our top focus is on rail safety and fall protection for shuttle loading. We’re trying to be sure we’re doing everything to protect employees with the right equipment and practices, when they’re up in the air with moving parts around. We make sure we have a competent fall protection person onsite.

“This year, we’re also focusing on site security. With the high price of grain, we’ve beefed up our site security plan. We’re making sure we place all keys in the shed at night and locking up grain spouts, ensuring a consistent routine so our sites don’t look tempting to thieves. In our area, there have been multiple instances of grain theft.

“Another focus is on preventive maintenance and auditing concrete for dust. We’ve performed surprise inspections to ensure facilities are up to standards, inspecting concrete for dust, mostly in basements and headhouses, to reduce the chance of dust explosions.”

This year, we’re also focusing on site security. With the high price of grain, we’ve beefed up our site security plan.
-Kyle Joseph Waletich, Cooperative Farmers Elevator

Jim Holliday
Safety and Compliance Manager
Aurora Cooperative Elevator Co.
Aurora, NE

“The best training is in-person, employee-led training by employees who have good knowledge and experience on the topic. We might use videos to go over a training, and then have an employee go in-depth and answer questions from his or her peers. It’s easier for employees to talk to a peer than a safety person they don’t know as well, and it’s better to hear from someone who does what they do every day.

“We also prioritize hands-on training. We can teach in a classroom, but it’s better to get out and show how things are done. For example, when we do lockout/tagout, we show employees the piece of equipment, so they can see it up close and know exactly what they need to do. Without this hands-on training, they’re not getting all the information they need to do the job safely.

“Finally, online training is another important aspect. With 80 locations in six states, it’s difficult to get everyone together. Specialized trainings are conducted via Zoom or another virtual platform. This isn’t the ideal way to do training, but it’s necessary for larger companies.”

The best training is in-person, employee-led training by employees who have good knowledge and experience on the topic. We might use videos to go over a training, and then have an employee go in-depth and answer questions from his or her peers. -Jim Holliday, Aurora Cooperative Elevator Co.

Matt Surdick
EHS Manager
CHS Inc.
Inver Grove Heights, MN

“Keep training continuous. We can’t just train an employee one time and think we’re done. The training must be refreshed and reinforced several times to ensure it stays with the employee. We use weekly briefs (webinars), pre-shift meetings, and newsletter articles to reinforce our training.

“On the other hand, we believe it’s best to provide hands-on training. Employees will remember it better in person. For example, for lockout/tagout, confined space entry, and even fire extinguisher training, it’s best to provide the training hands-on. Certain practices are just much easier to be understood when seen first hand.

“Another tip is to bring in outside safety experts on occasion. It’s good to vary who is delivering the message to keep things fresh and receive other perspectives from those with different experiences.”

Gabe Meador
Safety Specialist
Growmark, Inc.
Bloomington, IL

“At Growmark, we’re starting to do more behavioral-based trainings to help get employees in the right mindset while performing their various tasks throughout the day. This behavior-based training has been provided to higher management all the way down to employees at various locations, and it’s starting to show some very valuable benefits that are beginning to lower some of our loss trends.

“After this year’s CONVEY‘22 conference, I had one subject that really piqued my interest, and that was the fumigation portion, so I’ll be working to develop some trainings. I’m going to be focusing on the process of proper application, testing, and documentation of fumigation to ensure employees understand how to fumigate grain effectively, as well as keeping themselves and the public safe.

“The third training topic that I’ve been focusing on has been trying to eliminate slips, trips, and falls, which is a very big injury producer for many companies. Right now, my focus is on providing classroom training. I developed a voiceover PowerPoint presentation that can be viewed at the start of a new employee’s orientation, and we also do a facility walk-through focusing on slips, trips, and fall hazards.”

I’m going to be focusing on the process of proper application, testing, and documentation of fumigation to ensure employees understand how to effectively fumigate grain. -Gabe Meador, Growmark, Inc.

Gary Robertson
Vice President of Safety and Security
United Quality Cooperative
New Town, ND

“The biggest fault I see in safety training is when employees are being trained at a higher level before they have mastered the basics. Leaders need to determine each person’s level of experience and knowledge prior to training.

“Show employees how to do things safely, and lead by example. I push snow in the winter with my employees, so they know no one is above helping out to keep things safe. Employees also respect those who pitch in and help.

“Look and listen for signs of a stressed out or fatigued worker. When employees get too stressed or fatigued, they’ll take shortcuts in their work. By taking the time to review and explain things carefully when an employee is stressed, you’ll ensure they’re as safe as possible.”

Jamie Sand
Safety and Compliance Specialist
Farmers Co-operative
Dorchester, NE

“We have annual trainings, known as the annual ‘Rodeos,’ for each department. Employees like hands-on training better than watching a video. By engaging them, employees retain the training better.

“We recently had our annual Harvest Rodeo, and for the past year, our focus has been on preventive maintenance, housekeeping, and fall protection. We brought in old, broken down equipment and recruited some seasoned employees to conduct the training. They showed the equipment, discussed how the breakdowns could have been prevented, and if/how it could be fixed or replaced.

“Finally, we have conversation-based training on safety-related topics. We get employees to open up about how they do their jobs, which leads to conversations about easier, better, and safer ways to work.”

We have conversation-based training on safety-related topics. We get employees to open up about how they do their jobs, which leads to conversations about easier, better, and safer ways to work. -Jamie Sand, Farmers Co-operative