Pre-shifts are a useful way to keep health and safety at the forefront of everyone’s mind and help make them aware of risks and hazards. Daily and/or weekly briefings help to foster a culture of good health and safety. As you all are aware, since 2008, the Safety Department has written and sent weekly pre-shift meeting topics to all terminals.

Starting June 1, the Safety Department will be converting from the weekly paper pre-shift topics to video-based pre-shift training, which will be accessed via your terminal’s smart TV.  

More and more companies are turning to video for safety learning and training. That’s no surprise considering how far video technology has evolved in the last 20 years. Quality and accessibility have increased and companies are now able to easily connect and engage their dispersed employees no matter where they are located.

But, video is doing more than just providing an additional layer of instruction. It is literally transforming the way we learn in the workplace. It’s creating a deeper, richer experience for not just dockworkers and drivers, but for managers ,too.

The majority of our brain real estate is devoted to processing visual information. Our brain loves visuals and learns much faster from pictures than words. We're really good at remembering pictures and they draw our attention. Called the "Picture Superiority Effect," we remember 65 percent of what we have learned three days after, provided both a picture and words were shown together, compared to just 10 percent for words alone. Presenting information both audibly and visually reinforces information in multiple areas of the brain. This dual-encoding process increases the chance that material will be stored in our long-term memory.

There are also several other benefits to using video for learning and training in the workplace:

1. It reduces costs.

Training can be time-consuming and costly. Utilizing a video platform drastically reduces the planning and organization of in-person training. It also eliminates the physical cost of paper used to print weekly safety pre-shift meetings. Best of all, employees can access the training material from any terminal TV at any time.

2. It accommodates different learning styles.

As you’ve likely discovered, not all employees learn the same way. It is said that people remember only 10 percent of what they hear, 30 percent of what they read, and 80 percent of what they see. Sure, video is primarily visual, but it actually incorporates a variety of learning styles. This includes aural, visual, reading/writing, and kinesthetic. Video also helps participants learn at their own pace with the opportunity to re-watch anything they may have missed.

3. It keeps employees engaged.

Video engages and motivates employees in a way that text-based communication can’t. When employees have access to training videos, they can view the content at their own pace, and on their own time. Video also provides that human element, making participants feel as though they are personally mentored.

4. It provides a consistent message.

With video-based pre-shift meetings, we can control the information that is sent out to employees. In the past, the paper version pre-shift topics may have been misinterpreted or had key information left out. With video-based safety meetings, all of our employees will receive the same message.

Why do we have weekly pre-shift safety training? Pre-shift meetings are an opportunity for management and your Safety Department to communicate to employees how they can do their jobs safer and better.

Topics discussed may be ones that you are familiar with, or something you have limited knowledge about. If the topic is something that you are familiar with, it may be easy to tune it out and not listen to . However, do yourself a big favor and listen to the information as if you have never heard before. You may just learn something new - something about the latest protective equipment or a smarter way to do your job.

Information passed on in a safety meeting has a purpose…..To stop you or your co-worker from being injured. Safety meetings also allow employees an opportunity to relay safety/health concerns or improvement ideas to their supervisors.

Accidents result from unsafe acts or unsafe conditions. For a variety of reasons, unsafe acts typically account for 90 percent of all accidents, according to some experts. Pre-shift safety training serves as a preventative measure against unsafe acts by educating employees on how they can do their job safely.