Back in 2007, I was a keynote speaker at a Tap Root Summit in San Antonio. There was an evening reception with food, drinks and a country band. I love receptions. Particularly because I get to hang out with the folks I’ll be speaking too.

About a half hour before the reception officially started I was walking around in the hallway outside the ballroom saying hi and getting a head start on my “smoozing,” when I saw something that was both cute and disturbing. It caused me to smile and then shake my head.  The sight has stayed with me and I still talk about it during my “The Future of Safety” keynote.  

A woman was pushing an adorable toddler in a stroller; I’m guessing the child was about a year old or so. To my surprise the child’s forward view was blocked by a computer screen designed into the stroller.  ‘Wow!’ I thought. There’s a person who is going to feel comfortable around machines. I also wondered what’s going on with the child’s ability to interact with humans and its ability to focus or calm its mind.

I own a Droid, computers, a Flip Video along with other electronic devices, so I’m not opposed to technology or its common use. This is about something else. It’s about the need for us safety and health leaders to realize that the employees at our companies are facing different “hazards” then they did 20 years ago (or a more intense version).

One of them is “distracted living,” which is driven by a hectic, over stimulating environment.  It is part of the cause for a huge host of physical and mental injuries and death (accidental death from drug overdose has risen 400% during the past 20 years and distracted driving is fast becoming a leading cause of accidents on the highway). And the overall health damages from stress are fantastically high.  (Just search for “stress and health problems” or something similar.)

We’ve come a long way.  Less than 100 years ago the workplace was often a very dangerous place. Safety programs had to focus on wearing PPE, having the right permits, making sure equipment is guarded, adequate ventilation and other important safety issues. We’ve done such a good job of it that most companies have made the workplace way safer for employees than their homes!

Now it’s time to spend more resources on what is really hurting and destroying people.

Stay tuned for tips and ideas on how to do this.

‘till next time.

Richard
www.makesafetyfun.com

I’m a motivational safety speaker who specializes in helping Safety Leaders around the world Make Safety Fun! I also give inspiring talks to employees on ways to improve their focus and  better control negative emotions. This helps them perform better and make less mistakes that lead to kerfuffules.

Yesterday while hanging out at a social club near my home I asked a buddy of mine, with the nickname Wild Red, what he was going to get me for Christmas this year. “The same thing I got you last year only with a different color bow,” he replied. Then, he told me that by asking I had just “ruined the surprise!” We laughed and I obviously won’t be holding a space open under the tree for Wild Red’s present.

But unlike Wild Red, if you would like to get me a Christmas present this year (it won’t cost you any money) it sure would make my heart glad.

As a speaker, author and publisher of Safety Stuff, I feel it’s part of my responsibility to share as many helpful ideas as I can and to keep pace with trends in the safety and health industry. So, I would love it if you would let me know what you or your company are doing (if anything) about these three topics:

1. Avoiding addiction/misuse of prescription drugs.
2. Handling negative emotions such as anger, anxiety, fear, etc. (and depression).
3. Getting employees’ families involved in safety and health.

Respond to this blog or send me an e-mail message richard@richardhawkinc.com with a few details. If you prefer, send me a message and we can set up a time to chat over the phone about what you’re doing.

I’m writing a book on the first two topics, which have become among the top safety and health issues of our time. The third topic is just a great one to include in any SHE program. Of course, innovative ideas on any safety and health topic would be an awesome Christmas gift.  Can’t wait to see what you get me!

Oh, and what am I getting you? Same thing as last year, but with even more cool ideas, contests, and fun “Safety Stuff!”

‘till next time.

Richard
www.makesafetyfun.com

I’m a motivational safety speaker who specializes in helping Safety Leaders around the world Make Safety Fun! I also give inspiring talks to employees on ways to improve their focus and  better control negative emotions. This helps them perform better and make less mistakes that lead to kerfuffules.

Rock ‘n’ Community Connections for a Cause was about to begin. The stage was set. Everyone in the band had showed up. We did a sound check and were ready to go.

My friend and Executive Director CMM at the National Safety Council Karen Howe came by with another NSC employee to do a final “safety check” of our setup. Everything was good. We had railings on the back of the stage, two steps with railing to get on and off. We couldn’t tape down all of the wires because we moved around too much with our instruments but we did keep the stage as clear as we could.

During the first set we wore these crazy hardhats which my wife Jackie had decorated. She even decorated one for Philadelphia’s Mayor Nutter. Everything was going smoothly. We took a short break before the Mayor showed up and changed costumes (it was Halloween).

For the second set, everyone in the band wore some kind of fake beard or mustache. I was wearing a Groucho Marx setup with a bushy mustache and eyebrows, along with a black top hat, thick framed glasses and a coat that was as wild as could be (see pic on right and below).

Well, even though we thought we had taken all reasonable safety precautions, halfway into the second set something happened that was very unpleasant and could have been disastrous!

While I was singing Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison a piece of my mustache broke off and I inhaled it. What a nasty experience! I ran off stage (glad the steps were nearby), went behind the sound board and coughed up most what I inhaled.  I quickly got back on stage and took over for our other singer Angel who started singing the song as soon as I ran off.   Though I did feel a bit nauseous for a while, everything was fine. It could have been serious though. What if I would have inhaled a larger piece of the moustache or even the whole thing!

I don’t know exactly what lesson I learned—other than that being diligent is important with all aspects of your work and play and to be on the lookout for not-so-obvious hazards. The moustache I was wearing was put on with spirit gum which is standard for fake facial hair. It was on securly and the moustache didn’t have any loose parts when I first put it on. I suppose when I was jumping around, sweating and singing a piece came loose. (Yes I took off the mustache before I got back on stage.)

Overall it was a wonderful experience and we had an awesome time.  Though I believe what I’ll remember the most is the “Moustache Madness!”

Got any stories of your own mishaps? I’d love to hear about them.

‘till next time.

Richard
www.makesafetyfun.com

I’m a motivational safety speaker who specializes in helping Safety Leaders around the world Make Safety Fun! I also give inspiring talks to employees on ways to improve their focus and  better control negative emotions. This helps them perform better and make less mistakes that lead to kerfuffules.

Here we are with our Halloween Hardhats

I was working with a bunch of awesome musicians from Fame and Fortune

Here we are with our “moustache and beard” costumes.

When I was conducting Radiation Worker Training for PSEG in Salem, NJ, one of
the concepts that new employees had to understand in order to pass the exam, was
the difference between Radioactive Material (the stuff that gives off radiation)
and Radiation (the energy/particles that are emitted by the material).
Particularly, they had a hard time distinguishing what happens when you ingest
or inhale the material from being exposed to the energy when it’s outside of
your body.

For many students it was a breeze and a few of your standard examples and explanations was enough for them to “get it.” However, there were always a few folks who had a hard time figuring it out.  Try as I could, even with some private tutoring it was a tough concept for them to grasp. So, I put to use one of the skills I have developed over the years and came up with an innovative, and fun way to explain the difference.

The eureka moment came while I was grocery shopping.

When I need to be creative, one trick I use (it’s really not a trick as much as a technique) is to keep my mind open to everything I’m experiencing while reminding myself of my objective. In this case I was open to a way to use a unique but common example to demonstrate the difference between Radiation and Radioactive Material.

Well, while I was in the grocery store I strolled into the cookie aisle to get some cookies for my kids. When I reached for a box of butter cookies I said out loud “here are some beta butter cookies.” That was it!  Excitedly I grabbed two boxes, one for the kids and one for my training class. I also bought a box of “alpha wafers,” along with a “neutron party mix” and “gamma crackers.” (Alpha, beta, gamma and neutron are the common terms used for the energy/particles that are omitted by radioactive material.)

When I got home the first thing the kids and I did was make new labels for the boxes.  They were an awesome training prop.  Not only did they get a laugh but I was able to use them as a demonstration of what happens when you ingest radioactive material and other points about radiation vs. radioactive material. These props worked way better than a slide or drawn demonstration.

‘till next time.

Richard
www.makesafetyfun.com

I’m a motivational safety speaker who specializes in helping Safety Leaders around the world Make Safety Fun! I also give inspiring talks to employees on ways to improve their focus and  better control negative emotions. This helps them perform better and make less mistakes that lead to kerfuffules.

I was getting ready to speak to a group of linemen and meter readers for the city of Springfield, MS. Before the talk, I was hanging out with the audience and introducing myself to as many people as I could. When I got to Ed, a large 6’ 3” man with huge hands, he enveloped my hand in his giant mitt and gripped it tightly. Not enough to hurt, but enough to get my attention. Then he asked, “Why you goin around and asking everybody their name? You goin to remember everybody’s name?” 

“No Ed,” I told him. “But I will remember yours!”

Well, now I knew who I would question as part of my talk introduction. Here’s how it went:

“Hey Ed?” I hollered out. Ed looked at me cautiously knowing that I was up to no good and said,

“Yea.” I paused for a moment and then said,

“Are you married Ed?” Now it was Ed’s turn to pause. He smiled and said,

“Yep.”

“Did you get married in a church?”

“Nope.”

At this point two things were going on in my mind. One was that Ed might not have been the best person to call on, seeing that I was only getting short one syllable answers. My other thought was that I knew Springfield Missouri was farm country and because of Ed’s laid-back nature and size there was a good chance he grew up on a farm. So, I now asked Ed,

“Did you get married at home on your farm?”

“Yep.”

“Did you have a preacher come to your house to marry you?”

“Yep.”

“Were just a few family members and friends there?”

“Yep.”

“Did you two newlyweds go on a honeymoon?”

“Yep.”

Now I’m thinking, ‘enough of this yep and nope stuff’! So, I asked Ed a question that he would have to answer with more than one syllable.  But I didn’t get the answer I expected, that’s for sure.

“Ed, where did you go on your honeymoon?” Without a moment’s hesitation he said,

“To bed.”

I busted out laughing and so did everyone else in the room. It was an awesome way to start a talk.  (Later I sat at lunch with Ed. He was a great guy with a sharp wit. I’m glad I picked him.)

For most of my speaking career, I’ve found that the best way to get an audience involved in a topic is to make them part of it. And one of the best ways to do that is by asking personal questions about opinions or life events that an audience member will easily know the answer to.  ( “Mary, Do you like coffee?” “Tom, how long does it take you to drive to work?” “Amy, what do other drivers do that bothers you?” etc.)

Try it at your next safety meeting or presentation. (If I have a large audience I’ll sometimes bring a volunteer onto the stage.) Ask a “personal question.” Not too intimate; you don’t want to embarrass anyone. But personal enough so that it will get your audience to realize the session is about them, not just a required safety topic.

As always, I’d love to hear about your experiences.

‘till next time.

Richard
www.makesafetyfun.com

I’m a motivational safety speaker who specializes in helping Safety Leaders around the world Make Safety Fun! I also give inspiring talks to employees on ways to improve their focus and  better control negative emotions. This helps them perform better and make less mistakes that lead to kerfuffules.

Larry was a cool boss. He let me come to work whenever I wanted as long as I gave a safety meeting to the craft every week, kept the OSHA log up to date and spent some time out in the field. Other than that, I could pretty much do what I wanted. I was the “safety guy” on a Stone and Webster electrical project. I knew everybody on the project, as I should, and was doing your typical safety tasks.

However, one day Larry asked me to do something that I had never done before. Something that ended up having a profound affect on my outlook about my job as a safety professional. One morning when I came into his office to say hi he asked me to go out and “see how the guys are feeling.”

‘Do what?’ I replied.

“We’ve been behind schedule a bit and I know the supervisors are trying to get everyone to hustle and I want to make sure it’s not causing them to get stressed out and sloppy. So, go look around and see how everybody is feeling,” Larry explained.

So, for the first time as a safety professional, I purposely went around a site trying to figure out how everybody was feeling. It was odd at first but after a bit it was fun. Not only that, but I also came to realize that Larry wasn’t just a cool boss, he was insightful too. Over time, I’ve learned that how people are “feeling” matters  more than any other single thing (besides developed skills) when it comes to personal performance, which of course has a direct affect on a crew’s performance.

I came back and gave Larry my first “how everyone was feeling” report. I don’t remember what was in it but I do know I remember thinking that it was a novel and powerful idea—to directly connect a performance with emotions. Now, I give talks and workshops on the subject. Thank you Larry.

How about you? Do you include helping your employees handle negative emotions better as part of your safety and health efforts? There is an amazing amount of evidence both scientific and “tribal” showing that emotions are a driving force behind the quality of human performance.

Let me know.

‘till next time.

Richard
www.makesafetyfun.com

I’m a motivational safety speaker who specializes in helping Safety Leaders around the world Make Safety Fun! I also give inspiring talks to employees on ways to improve their focus and  better control negative emotions. This helps them perform better and make less mistakes that lead to kerfuffules.

It had only been a few weeks since I got my new job as an “Access Training Instructor.” I was assigned to give a “Radiation Worker Review” class, which was an annual requal class for anyone who had to work in a Radiological Controlled Area.  So everyone in the class had worked at the plant for one year. Most for many more.

Barb came up to me after our second break and said “Hawk, what’s wrong with you?” I was taken back a bit and asked her what she meant.

Barb told me she was surprised I was such a BORING trainer! She thought that when I came out to Access Training I would give fun classes. She said without restraint that I was acting like a “regular boring instructor.” Barb and I had worked together for a few years in the Radiation Protection (RP) Department at Salem Nuclear Generating Station.

Yes, I was a bit of a fun character when I worked in the RP department–always laughing and “cutting up.” So, that’s why Barb was surprised  I had turned into this “regular boring instructor.”

That’s all it took. It’s surprising sometimes how one statement, article, book or event can drastically change your life-path.  Well, what Barb told me that day was one of those moments for me. From that point on I made a personal oath that I was going to be myself when I train (and now, give talks) and use every device I could to make my training fun, interesting, interactive and helpful.

Here’s a short list of some of the unusual ways and things I’ve used:

• Live animals-(Emperor Scorpion, Red-Knee Tarantula, Miniature McCaw, Beta Fish and Cock Roaches)
• Fake animals-(Insects, chickens, monkeys, fish, cats, dogs, etc.)
• Songs, Poems, Stories and all kinds of Riddles, Jokes, Optical Illusions and Pictures
• Skits, Short Videos, Costumes, Finger Puppets, Large Puppets, Crazy Hats, etc.
• Props to varied to list even 10% of the total here but a few memorable ones include: whips, fake brain, chicken feet, baby powder, cookie boxes labeled as “beta butter cookies,” “alpha wafers,” “neutron mix” etc. and very large styrofoam tools
• Interviews, pictures,  drawings, and original craftwork
• Known Game Shows, Original Games, Team Games to Create Useable Products i.e. Safety Marketing Plans, Meeting Goal Template, Safety & Health Mascots, Posters
• Anything else my imagination can come up with that is possible

How about you? Any life changing career moments or something you’ve done to make your safety & health training more fun. Please, I’d love to hear about it.

‘till next time.

Richard
www.makesafetyfun.com

I’m a motivational safety speaker who specializes in helping Safety Leaders around the world Make Safety Fun! I also give inspiring talks to employees on ways to improve their focus and  better control negative emotions. This helps them perform better and make less mistakes that lead to kerfuffules.

Last Friday was a beautiful day in Peru, Indiana. Everything was setup for my talk and I had time to schmooze with the employees from Schneider Electric as they strolled into the tent to sit down. Retirees and their mates were invited to the event too.

I went over to Ed and Irene. Ed was a retiree. I asked the couple if they would mind if I asked them a few questions as part of my talk. Irene wasn’t sure but Ed said “fine.” So Irene went along.  I found out later that after I had left, Irene leaned over to her husband of many years and said “Don’t embarrass me Ed.” 

A few minutes into my talk I looked over at Ed and asked him ‘How he got married? Was it a church?’ “Yes” he said. I then asked him if it was a big or small wedding and other details about the momentous occasion.

It was when I asked him ‘Why he got married?’ that he ignored his lovely wife’s demand that he not embarrass her in front of nearly 500 people, many who she knew. Without any hesitation when I asked Ed ‘why he got married’ he boldly said “Because I had to!”

Everyone laughed and Irene was visible embarrassed.

Later, when I hung out with the couple during lunch, Irene told me right away that “we were married ten years before we had our first child.” I told her that didn’t matter anymore, Ed had fixed that. She actually wasn’t mad. Having been married to Ed for several years, she was not surprised by her husband’s response. In fact, we all got a big chuckle out of it.

What the episode with Ed and Irene did reinforce for me was that, whether it’s at an in-house safety meeting with a group of carpenters or at a convention with safety professionals from around the world, when you get your audience to be a part of what’s going on rather than just standing up and preaching safety, it’s better! Yes, it’s a bit risky. Whenever I ask a couple ‘why they got married’ I don’t know what will happen. But almost all the time it’s good. And sometimes, like this past Friday at Schneider Electric, it’s awesome! Thanks Ed–I hope Irene forgives you.

If you’ve ever had a similar “audience moment,” I’d love to hear about it.

‘till next time.

Richard
www.makesafetyfun.com

I’m a motivational safety speaker who specializes in helping Safety Leaders around the world Make Safety Fun! I also give inspiring talks to employees on ways to improve their focus and  better control negative emotions. This helps them perform better and make less mistakes that lead to kerfuffules.

Last May I got a chance to speak in India.  It was an amazing experience.  I hosted three two-day safety leadership training sessions. My audience consisted of managers and safety professionals from several different companies in three cities; Mumbai, Chennai and New Delhi. Of course I was excited and a bit nervous. It was new territory for sure! 

As I started the first session I quickly realized I was dealing with a different type of audience than I was use to. No smiles. No response to my playful ideas and animated style. It was painful.

During our first break in the morning I hightailed it to the rest room and tried not to have a nervous breakdown.  At first I was thinking, ‘what can I do. They do not like this or me at all! I have three of these to do! Maybe I should change my style, or fake a heart attack.’ I was desperate.

Then a thought came to mind; one that made all the difference in the world.  I realized that no matter what the situation, if I’m true to myself and give my best effort to help my audience, things will work out fine.

And they did.

In fact, by the afternoon of the second day we were having a great time. We were laughing, learning and becoming friends. (The same thing happened during the other two sessions.) They just needed time to get use to me and I needed the same thing. Yet, I didn’t give up on “making safety fun,” that’s what I mean by being true to myself.

I know from many years of speaking experience that humans, everywhere in the world, want to have fun—which in this context means “energetic enjoyment.” It just varies a bit with different cultures and situations.

When you care about your audience and want them to have a fulfilling training experience, not just a lecture full of facts, your chances of succeeding soar. Touching hearts is an essential factor to molding minds and changing behavior. That’s one important lesson that was driven deeper into my psyche during my memorable time with my new Indian friends.

Have you had any similar experiences? I’d love to hear about them.

‘till next time.

Richard
www.makesafetyfun.com

I’m a motivational safety speaker who specializes in helping Safety Leaders around the world Make Safety Fun! I also give inspiring talks to employees on ways to improve their focus and  better control negative emotions. This helps them perform better and make less mistakes that lead to kerfuffules.

Vicki was sitting next to me at a safety leadership convention. She was a manager for an engineering and construction company.  I asked her if her company was doing anything innovative with their safety program. “Yes, she said. I love this one thing we’re doing and I also hate it. ”

“How come I asked?”

“Well, it’s something our section is doing that is voluntary. My department has really gotten into it and it’s one of those things that you know is good for everybody but it also can be a bit challenging.” Vicki explained.
Now I was intrigued and began asking all kinds of questions.

Vicki told me how they had divided her department into teams. There were four members on each team. The team members could get points in a variety of ways. Some were easy. For example, you could get points simply by replacing the batteries in your fire detectors at home. Other tasks took more effort.

It was an honor system and Vicki said she was confident that most everyone, if not everyone was being honest about the points they accumulated. Folded cards were made up that had categories and point values so you could easily keep score.

All the categories were either off-the-job related or about improving your health. After six months you turned in your card and tallied up the points and the team with the most points in a category got a prize and the team with the most overall points got a grand prize. (I don’t remember what the prizes were.)

It sounded like a wonderful program. So what did Vicki hate about it? Her twin daughters loved getting points—especially the “exercising with your children or other family member tasks.” Vicki told me that her girls asked her nearly every day to exercise with them so they could get more points for the team.

One day they asked her if she would do sit ups with them for 20 minutes. “No way!” she said. Instead, she agreed to a few sit ups and then they went outside and played catch with a beach ball for the rest of the time. “Twenty minutes of sit ups would kill me!” she told me with wide eyes. I laughed but thought, wow, how cool is that?!! To have positively affected a family to that degree with a safety program contest is wonderful. It’s a lesson for all of us safety leaders.

If you’ve done anything innovative that has affected your employees and their families’ safety & health, I’d love to hear about it.

‘till next time.

Richard
www.makesafetyfun.com

I’m a motivational safety speaker who specializes in helping Safety Leaders around the world Make Safety Fun! I also give inspiring talks to employees on ways to improve their focus and  better control negative emotions. This helps them perform better and make less mistakes that lead to kerfuffules.