Teaching the Teachers

The Watco Safety Center in Birmingham, Alabama, recently made the first step in a new initiative: They’re teaching the teachers. The new Safety Leadership Training course equips instructors to go into the field with an understanding of adult learning fundamentals.

The safety team hopes the new program will create a ripple effect across Watco. After taking the course, the instructors are better prepared to share the information with our leadership by understanding how the leaders learn. Those leaders will then be empowered to more effectively share safety messages with their teams.

Travis Herod, SVP of Environmental Health, Safety, and Training, said the new course means:

• Using proven methods of adult learning, which helps new team members by preparing them to do the work needed for our customers in an even safer manner.

• Equipping the training team with better training materials, which can prevent accidents and injuries.

• Reducing the learning curve for people entering the industry, which will ultimately make the team safer and more efficient.

“Our team is always training, whether at our Safe Performance Center in Birmingham, a field-level annual, or recurrent training class at their location,” Herod said. “We are always learning. By preparing our instructors, we can help ensure the training we’re providing is of the highest quality, that we’re continuously improving and consistent across our network.”