In early February, a two-day Total Safety Culture training meeting was held in Division 15, South Florida.
In this training, utility line clearance craftworkers were separated into small groups to show leadership how they perform each operation.
Later, the whole group discussed how each training operation went by doing After-Action Reviews (AARs). A total of 40 AARs were completed with our craftworkers. The AAR participation was amazing.
The topics we covered were:
- CDL Training (for drivers)
- MOT Set-up
- Spotter Training
- Customer Service and After Action Reviews
- Drop Zone Operations
- Bucket Inspection
- How to Perform a Gate Check
The safety discussion board:
The customer service discussion board:
After the training, we had a team-building activity with all our craftworkers and management.
At the end of the day, the team completed an After Action Review of the training!
What was expected to happen?
It was expected to have our craftworkers:
- Go through the different stations
- Demonstrate to leadership and the rest of the team how they perform each operation
- Perform an After-Action Review as a group to help us learn from each other
What actually happened?
Our craftworkers had knowledge of how to perform the operations but were grateful for the reminder. They brought up that their intention, every day, is not to commit something in which they will get hurt but that different situations can cause them to act in different ways. It was good to be reminded how important they were to the company and also to their families learning from each experience.
What surprised us?
We were very surprised by all of the stories they shared with leadership and the many ideas they had. We were surprised how this training brought us together more as a big family and by doing team-building activities, we earned the trust to share close calls and how they really feel. Also, every group had a different story to share.
What went well and why?
The training went well. Leadership learned a lot from the craftworkers. Our craftworkers and leadership learned our Corporate Safety Specialist (CSS) was also involved. Employees could see that we are looking for their best interests which is their safety. Everybody was talking about that.
What could be improved and how?
We can improve on being more prepared and also doing more team-building activities with our craftworkers.
What did we learn that would help others?
We learned that hands-on training and letting our craftworkers demonstrate their skills to leadership in a safe environment can help us to see their level of training. When performing After-Action Reviews to know more about our employees, we can be amazed about how they really want to speak out and how appreciated they feel when you hear what they have to say.
