Seven Keys to Using Games in Safety Training Ebook

SEVEN KEYS TO USING
GAMES
IN SAFETY TRAINING
By Linda Tapp, ALCM, CSP

Copyright ©2006 by SafetyFUNdamentals™
This eBook may not be reproduced in part or in whole without the express written consent of the author.
Bonus games included may be reproduced and used by registered eBook recipients.
2
Seven Keys to Using Games in Safety Training
by Linda Tapp, ALCM, CSP
Published by:
Ennismore Publishing
1999 Route 70 East, Suite 13
Cherry Hill, NJ 0003 U.S.A.
info@ennismorepublishing.com
www.ennismorepublishing.com
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic or mechanical without written permission from the author,
except for the Bonus games included which may be reproduced without permission.
Copyright © 2006 by SafetyFUNdamentals™
ISBN, PDF ed. 0-9779324-0-0
ISBN, print ed. 0-9779324-1-9
Note: Excerpts may be reprinted from this eBook only with prior written permission from
the author and only when full credit is given.
™

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1 - Select the Right Game
Have you ever had to play a game or do any type of interactive activity in a training
class? How did you like it? Chances are, if the game was merely an exercise to give the
instructor a break from talking or something that made you feel stupid, it was not an
effective use of a game in training.
Before we jump into how to use games in training, it is important to understand how
games or any class activity fits into the overall learning process. The field of accelerated
learning is concerned with creating a positive learning environment, encouraging total
learner involvement, collaboration among learners/trainees, using a variety ofteaching
methods, and providing training that applies to real world situations. Games,
appropriately used, fit right in with these principles.
It is important to be clear about accelerated learning principles. Accelerated learning,
although it often involves games, imagery and sometimes even music, is not just a bunch
of fluff passed off as training. Accelerated training is not a class or class activity that is
clever, funny or cute for the sake of being clever, funny or cute. Everything in an
accelerated learning class is focused on the results and not the materials or activities
themselves. For example, a safety trainer announces that everyone is going to get up and
play Twister® with the goal of getting everyone relaxed and “ready to learn.”While this
might seem like a fun icebreaker, the Twister® game is fun only for the sake of being
fun. Most likely, none of the information to be covered in a workplace training class is
being reinforced by this activity. In an accelerated learning class, youmight also play
games but the games have a different focus – on the results, instead of the activity. For
example, in "Better Bingo,” a clue relating to the class material is called out instead of
the typical letter/number combination. Instead of numbers being on the "Better Bingo"
card, answers directly related to the training content are listed. This game is still fun, and
gets everyone involved, but includes accelerated learning principles, especially when you
have small teams work on each "Better Bingo " card instead of individually. A sample
"Better Bingo"game used in a safety leadership training class as well as the clue sheet
that the trainer used is provided in the Bonus section of this eBook.

4
So, how do you select the "right" game?
To find out if a game will work effectively in your safety training class, ask yourself the
following questions:
What is the objective of this game? Does it relate to the class topic?
Is the game fun?
Is the game easy to play for this particular class? Different trainees have
different levels of ability.
Is there enough time to explain it properly, to play it as it is intended to be
played and to debrief the game when it is completed?
Could the game be offensive to anyone?
Do you understand it and are you excited about using it in your class?
If you reviewed the above questions and found that the game relates to the class
objective, the game is fun and easy to play, enough time is allotted, is not offensive to
anyone and you understand it completely and are excited about introducing it, then you
have found the right game.

5
2 - Prepare, Prepare,
Prepare!
Congratulations! You have selected the right game for your class. Now what? You
guessed it - Prepare, Prepare, Prepare. We have all heard that practice makes perfect.
Actually, "perfect practice makes perfect.” (If you have lots of practice but are never
successful, all the practice in the world is not going to make your activity go right when
you need it to!)
To prepare for using a game, especially the first time you try it out on your class, ask
yourself the following:
Have you read through the instructions several times and understand each
step?
Do you have all of the necessary supplies available and in order?
Have you practiced facilitating the activity in real time so that you have a
really good idea of how long the activity will take?

6
2 - Prepare, Prepare, Prepare (continued)
Have you applied Murphy's Law? What could possibly go wrong? How
can you pre-plan for any problems that could occur?
Have you planned out your debriefing questions and comments?
Have you planned out how you are going to put the class into teams? What
if only half of the expected students show up? Will your planned method
of forming groups work?
Will you give prizes? If so, what will they be and how many do you need?
When you are thoroughly prepared, you are ready to proceed.
“Expect the best. Prepare for the worst.
Capitalize on what comes.”
- Zig Ziglar

7
3 - Introduce the Game
You have found the perfect game and have thoroughly prepared. Now it is time to
introduce the activity to your class. If your trainees have had the benefit of being very
involved in training classes in the past, they will welcome another class related activity. If
they have been bored to a stupor by past safety training classes that involved nothing
more than an old video playing with the lights dimmed or someone standing up and
reading from a written procedure, then you may have to pump up your enthusiasm a bit
when introducing something new. If training games are entirely new to your trainees,
they may have an initial unease or discomfort and you may very well see it in their
mannerisms but stay on course. Once they understand the purpose and start the activity,
they will come around.
When you start a class, assuming it will be lecture mixed with activities, you can either
start right out of the gate with a game or provide about 10 minutes of material before
starting an activity. The second method is probably more common. When you welcome
your trainees, be sure to add that there will be several activities that the class will have a
chance to be involved in during the (fill in the length of your class) minutes or hours you
have together. This will get their attention. They now know that this class is probably not
going to be like all the others they have sat through and will likely pay more attention in
case they are asked to demonstrate that they have been listening.
When it is time to start the activity, state the objective of the game and how it is played.
For example, for the "Better Bingo"game included as an example in this book, you
would tell the class that the objective of the game is to review important terminology that
was covered in the class. Tell the class that each individual will be given a Bingo card
and that each block on the "Better Bingo" card contains a key word or short phrase about
the topic. In regular Bingo, the announcer (you) calls off a number and letter and each
player marks off that block on the bingo card. In Better Bingo, the announcer (you) calls
off a definition. If the word that is being defined is on their card, they can mark it off.

8
3 - Introduce the Game (continued)
Tell the class that the first player to mark off an "X" shape or a "T" shape should raise
their hand and that they will win a prize. (If you need a shorter activity, you can
announce that the first player to mark off a straight line wins). As a side note, as the
instructor you will need to have the "definitions" pre-written or typed out and on separate
slips of paper. The papers should be folded and placed into a box or bag and randomly
drawn out one at a time.
“Ability is what you're capable of doing.
Motivation determines what you do. Attitude
determines how well you do it.”
- Lou Holtz
A great deal will depend on your attitude. If you are genuinely excited and happy about
playing the game in your class, this will come across to your trainees. If you really don't
want to do it, it is better that you don't. Your trainees will see right through any attempt
you make to cover up how you really feel. Using games and interactive activities maybe
new for many safety and health trainers but be prepared and enthusiastic, and you will be
pleased with the results.

9
4 - Divide and Conquer
Before we get too far into running a game, it is important to cover team forming. Most
training games require that you divide the trainees into groups or teams. Why is this?
Besides making large classes more manageable, accelerated learning classes involve
collaboration among learners. Research has shown that we often learnmore from peers
than we do byother means. Additionally, cooperation among learners also helps trainees
learn faster.
Many people have sat in a class where they were required to count off by twos or threes
in order to form a group. This works most of the time but it can be a little boring. With a
little advance planning, your trainees can have fun while completing this usually
uneventful task.
Team Size
Different experts suggest different team sizes but in almost all cases, the groups have less
than 8 members. If the activity is very short, a smaller group, say 2 to 4 people, will work
nicely. For longer more complex activities, a group of 5-7 may be necessary. It is also
important to consider the size of the class. If there are 12 trainees, the activities would
probably work better with 3 or 4 groups of 4 or 3, respectively, than 2 groups of 6 since
there would be a definite "loser" and "winner" in games involving competition.
Team Forming Ideas
Sometimes, creative methods are needed to put your trainees, who may or may not know
each other well, into teams. If you divide the class by seating arrangement, you are likely
to group people together who already know each other since the trainees are likely to sit
with people they know when they arrive. If you split them up, you may make them
slightly uncomfortable but they may also be likely to act differently in the team than they
would if they were teamed with co-workers they know well.

10
4 - Divide and Conquer (continued)
Some ideas for creatively dividing up a class of 20 include:
Candy/Gum Sort - Place 4 packs of 5 different types of gum or candy into a bag. Pass
the bag around the room asking each person to select one piece without looking. When
they are finished, you will have 5 random teams of 4. (Note: You can often get one large
package of mixed candy or gum at a "Dollar Store").
Birthday Divide - Go around the room and ask everyone to shout out their birthday
(month and day only). Write these on the board in chronological order. If you need teams
of five, go down the list and put the first 5 into one team, the second 5 into a second team
and so on.
You can also divide the class in a way that requires them to use some of the information
they have learned in the class by using methods such as:
Matching Cards - Depending on the topic and number of trainees, write key words that
go together on the back of index cards (one key word per index card). Mix them up and
place one at each seat in a classroom environment. When it is time to form a team,
instruct the trainees to turn over their card and then find two or three other people
(depending on how you set up the game) that have words associated with their word. For
example, 4 key words that make up a team could be "confined", "PRCS", "space", and
"rescue". If this is a more formal class and trainees have name tags or place cards, you
can place the key word inside the place card or behind the name tag if it is in a plastic
sleeve. This is better used after class material has been presented or reviewed so the
trainees have familiarity withthe words they are trying to match up.
The key is to plan in advance how many groups you need, how many trainees should be
in each group and how you are going to form these groups.

11
5 - Be Great - Facilitate!
Once the game gets going, you can leave and get a cup of coffee right? Wrong. Even if
the trainees are playing a game that does not require your participation, you still need to
be present and involved in case there are any questions or if there is any confusion or if
particular participants or trainees are getting out of control or off the track in any way.
For timed games you will also need to remind the class periodically of how much time is
remaining in the activity.
For games that require more of your involvement, you will need to play more the role of
facilitator. The following points cover the basics of good facilitation and should serve as
your guide in facilitating safety training games.
• Your role as facilitator of a safety training game means that it is your job to make
the trainees feel comfortable so that they can be productive and have a good
learning experience.
• Your job is to make things run smoothly
• Your job as facilitator will require you to keep games on track and keep trainees
focused. It is easy to get carried away with some games and forget why you are
playing it in the first place.
• Part of your job as facilitator is to have all of the necessary supplies available. If
all of the group's markers run out or there are no pencils available and these are a
required part of the game, the game will come to a halt. Remember Key #2 - Be
Prepared!
• Your job as safety training game facilitator is also to act as timekeeper. If you
scheduled 10 minutes for an activity, then stick to the 10 minutes.

12
6 - Debrief and Celebrate
The game is over and it was a huge success. Your class had FUN and they learned what
they were supposed to but you are not done. The debriefing step is one of the most
important and unfortunately, often skipped.
Debriefing is the part of an exercise where you make the connection back to the real
world. Debriefing allows you and the participants to reflect on the experience. People
will learn more from an experience that is reflected upon than from one that is quickly
finished and left to go on to the next activity. You may think it is obvious what the
purpose and learning outcome of the game was but some trainees might not. You need to
lead the debrief so that everyone has a clear understanding of what was learned. Very
often, the debriefing will lead to the "Aha!" moment, especially if trainees were so
engrossed in the activity that they didn't even realize they were learning. An important
part of the debrief is listening to the answers that are given because it allows you to ask
follow up questions.
Depending on the game, the following are possible questions you can use in a debrief.
• What was the hardest thing about this game? Easiest? Worst?
• What were you thinking when…..?
• What will you start doing differently in the future as a result of this game?
• What was the most important thing you learned or remembered?
If possible, you also want the debrief to involve as many participants as possible. Can
you find a way for them all to be heard? Trainees mayresist sharing their thoughtswith
the group - do not force them. Consider asking questions that have no right or wrong
answer or consider having the trainees share their answers only with the others in their
small groups. These techniques may meet with less resistance.

13
6 - Debrief and Celebrate (continued)
As Trainer and Facilitator, you need to keep the debrief and feedback focused on the
topic. Be careful the debrief does not turn into a management (or any other group)
bashing session. You should also let the group do most of the talking. After one trainee
has spoken and another takes a turn, try to relate what the second person said back to
what the first person said. Concentrate on helping them to see that they are learning and
learning how to use and apply informationon their own.
Now that you have debriefed the game, what next? If the game resulted in a winner, it is
time to announce the winner and celebrate. Hopefully you have a budget for training
(even the tiniest of budgets will work) that will allow you to go to a "Dollar Store" and
pick up some prizes.
If there is no budget - all is not lost. Prizes can be quite small - a candy bar would be
fine. If your company is on a tight budget and you do not want to be springing for class
prizes every week, there are a few very inexpensive or even free ways you can reward the
winner. The following are only a few suggestions for you to consider. Use your
imagination and you will probably see prizes all around your workplace.
• Paper certificates you can make on your computer and color printer
• Coupons for free coffee or tea in the company cafeteria
• A close parking space for a few days or week
• A sticker for a hard hat or cubicle or lunch box
• Permission to get in the lunch buffet line first (this works well for longer
classes where the whole class will break at the same time for a company
supplied lunch)
Most of the games and activities in this book involve a good amount of competition.
Depending on your particular trainees, you might want to modify the activities slightly so
that problems do not occur when very competitive employees are involved.

14
7 - Review, Revise and
Replenish (and Recharge!)
Congratulations! You have successfully used one or more games in your safety training
class. Now you need to sit down and review how everything went. Did your game go as
planned? Did you need to make any on the spot modifications? Did the class love it? Did
they hate it? While the class and the activity are still fresh in your mind, honestly
evaluate the game youselected and the outcome. If class evaluation sheets were
distributed and collected, you can look over the pages for feedback but be careful to
separate out the feedback for the activity. Someone may have loved the game but hated
the topic. Think about how the class responded during the game. Did they have fun?
Were they confused? Did they have trouble following directions? All of these questions
will help you with the next step - Revise.
Once you feel you honestly know how the game was received and whether or not it was
effective, you can begin to make the necessary revisions. If the class was confused or the
game took longer to complete than expected, you probably need to make revisions. If the
trainees got overly competitive, you may need to revise the game so that competition is
removed (or at least most of it). If the game went great but the debriefing failed, consider
revising your debriefing questions. Also take another look at your game to determine if
the game was really just a game and not a true learning activity.
Additionally, you need to replenish your supplies. Well before the next training class is
held make sure all of your supplies are available and ready to go. You should also
constantly replenish your selection of safety training games and activities. An effective
game will soon lose it's luster if you repeat it unchanged over and over throughout the
year.
Finally, sit back and recharge- at least for a minute! The first few times you add games to
your safety training, you will likely need to recharge. Preparing for and using games and
activities in your training takes a lot more energy that just popping in a video but the
results are well worth it in the end. Remember ….. Safety is a game we have to win!

15
Master Checklist for the Seven Keys
What is the objective of this game? Does it relate to the class topic?
Is the game fun?
Is the game easy to play for this particular class?
Is there enough time to explain it properly, to play it as it is intended to be played
and to debriefthe game when it is completed?
Could the game be offensive to anyone?
Do you understand the game and are you excited about using it in your class?
Have you read through the instructions several times and understand each step?
Do you have all of the necessary supplies available and in order?
Have you practiced facilitating the activity in real time so that you have a really
good idea of how long the activity will take?
Have you applied Murphy's Law? What could possibly go wrong? How can you
pre-plan for any bumps in the road?
Have you planned out your debriefing questions and comments?
Have you planned out how you are going to divide the class up? What if only
half show up? Will your group forming method work?
Will you give prizes? If so, what will they be and how many do you need?Do
you have extras available?
Do you know how and when you will introduce the game?
Are you clear on how much involvement you will need to have during the game?
Do you have a timer? All supplies?

16
BONUS
GAMES
&
ACTIVITIES

17
BETTER BING O(For A Safety Leadership Class)
Note: Only 1 version of the BINGO scorecard is shown here

18
BETTER BING O "Calls"
Instructions: Either pick randomly from the list or pull clues from a box. You can also go
around the room and ask each person to give you a number between 1-25 and then read
that clue.
Note: Do not reveal the answers until BINGO is called. Read only the clues. (The
answers are shown in parentheses after the clue).
1. Repeating back word for word what someone has said (Parroting)
2. One way to question groupthink (Curiosity)
3. One way to reset direction is to share this (Vision)
4. The acronym used with goal setting (S.M.A.R.T.)
5. Type of motivation that comes from within the person (Intrinsic)
6. Type of motivation that comes from outside, like from a boss (Extrinsic)
7. The best kind of questions to ask (Open Ended)
8. Poor listening skills can lead to this (Wasted Time)
9. A way to show someone you listened by telling them what you heard but in your
own words (Paraphrasing)
10. A form of extrinsic motivation (Parties)
11. A way of note taking that allows you to see everything at once (Mind Map)
12. Great for problem solving (Creativity)
13. A way to question groupthink by doing things differently (Risk Taking)
14. The idea of being open to different people’s opinions (Diversity)
15. A way to remind people of your vision (Slogans)
16. A way to lead others to do what they need to do (Sales Skills)
17. A creative and memorable way to get a point across (Storytelling)
18. A leadership strategy that enables you to make changes (Reset Direction)
19. A way to show that you respect employees (Empowerment)
20. A way to guide cooperative action (think SMART) (Goal Setting)
21. A way to empower others (Ask Opinions)
22. An important part of coaching others (Verbal Feedback)
23. Feedback should have this characteristic (Specific)
24. Goals should ask you to do this – a little more than you think you can (Reaching)
25. Negative feedback should be conducted this way (Private)

19
Cryptogram
(Topic Area: Housekeeping)
Note: Cryptograms are best used as a pre-class warm up or after-class activity. You can
leave copies of the cryptograms by each seat and encourage trainees to try to work on
them when they enter the room. Instruct the trainees to work with others sitting near
them. Cryptograms are not suggested for an activity during the class since the length of
time to complete one is highly variable. As a warm-up, it gets trainees thinking about the
topic and working with others at an early stage.
ICTBDVDDJSKR SB SHJCNUFKU SK UID
JNDODKUSCK CZ BWSJB FKG ZFWWB .
Cryptogram Solution and Key
Housekeeping is important in the
prevention of slips and falls.
Plain: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Cipher:F Y X G D Z R I S Q V W H K C J P N B U T O M A L E

20
Crossword
(Topic Area: Chemical Safety at Home)
Across
3 A type of PPE that should be worn when working with many household
chemicals
5 The phone number is 1-800-222-1222 (two words)
6 This should remain on the chemical when not in use
8 Found in many garages and used in cars but it is also toxic
Down
1 Purchased to get rid of pests but can also harm humans
2 When a liquid chemical dries it may turn into this which can be inhaled
4 Original labels should be kept on these whenever possible
7 An example of a household chemical, usually used to clean, that may be irritating
if inhaled.

21
Crossword Solution
P
D G L O V E S
C U S
P O I S O N C O N T R O L
N T I
T C
A L I D B
I D L
N A N T I F R E E Z E
E S A
R C
H

22
Four Square
Instructions
Note: This is a more advanced game that can be used in various chemical safety classes.
Good reading skills are required. It works along the lines of Trivial Pursuit® in that
players must answer a question correctly in each of the four squares.
Materials Needed: Game board (next page) for each team, one dice for each team, one
marker for each player (not a real marker that you write with but something like a poker
chip that can be used to hold a place on the board), pens, and a supply of MSDSs (4
copies of each MSDS used will be needed for each team).
Instructions: Divide the class into teams of four. Give each team a game board, a dice
and a supply of MSDSs - at least enough for each player to have several. Each of the
four players should have the same supply of MSDSs. Each player should start with their
marker on a square of the board and the youngest player should go first. The first player
rolls the dice and moves their marker that many spaces around the board. Another player
must ask the first player a question taken from one of the MSDSs relating to that square
(for example, if the first player landed on "health", a health related question must be
asked). The "questioner" should tell the player which MSDS he or she is getting the
question from. The player can use his or her copy of the MSDS to answer the question. If
the question is answered right, the player should write his or her initials in that box. The
winner will be the first player to place his or her initials in all four squares.
After the first player has attempted to answer the question (whether it was answered right
or wrong), the player to the left takes a turn and the process is repeated. The games
continues until one player has answered a question correctly in each of the four
categories.
To encourage collaboration, each game can be played by a team of two playing against a
second team of two instead of four individuals playing against each other.
Note: The four areas on this board are 1)Health, 2) Fire, 3) Reactivity and 4)
Special/Miscellaneous. These categories can be changed to better fit in with your
particular class.

23
Four Square

24
A - Z RaceInstructions
This game works well as a review after the end of a longer class or before a break after a
large amount of content has been presented. An A-Z Race and can be used for any topic
Materials Needed: Flip chart paper, markers, tape, timer (optional)
Instructions: Divide the class into teams of 4 to 6 trainees. Give each group a large sheet
of paper such as flip chart paper and markers. Have them put the alphabet, in two
columns, vertically down the page. (See the following page for an example).
Tell the teams that they need to think of a word or phrase that begins with each of the
letters and that the word or phrase must relate to the material you just covered. Tell the
class that they can use their notes for this exercise. If you do not have an overly
competitive group, tell the class that this is a race and that the first team to turn in a
completed page, with a word or phrase provided for all letters, will be declared the
winner.
After a team has turned in their completed A-Z page, stop the other teams and then
proceed to tape up the first completed page on the flip chart or wall. Review the winning
team's answers with the group, stopping briefly after each answer to discuss how that
word or phrase relates to the topic.

25
A - Z Race
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

26
If you like these games and would like to see more, visit
www.SafetyFUNdamentals.com™
SafetyFUNdamentals™ - 77 Games and Activities to Make
Training Great! contains 77 different games and activities that can
be modified to be used with most health and safety topics. This
book also includes chapters on Accelerated Learning, Team Building
and the Power of Laughter. SafetyFUNdamentals™ - 77 Games
and Activities to Make Training Great is now available. Order
through the SafetyFUNdamentals™ website and receive several
free bonus gifts as well. Ordering information can be found at
www.SafetyFUNdamentals.com™
We hope you have enjoyed "Seven Keys to Using Games in
Safety Training." If you have any comments, questions, suggestions
or even a good joke to share, please send an email to
linda @safetyFUNdamentals.com.
Remember…
Safety is a game we have to win!
™

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