Diverse learners call for simplified workplace safety training

SAN ANTONIO — Safety trainers should rethink their approach to teaching life-or-death protocols and procedures, as 54% of Americans read at a fifth-grade reading level or below, according to safety consultants.

U.S. employers face widespread “nonapparent” learning challenges, said Gwen Navarrete Klapperich, chief learning consultant with Kapolei, Hawaii-based Klapperich International Training Associates LLC, during a session Tuesday on inclusive safety training and diverse learners at Safety 2023, the American Society of Safety Professionals’ annual conference.

In addition to those with low literacy, a roomful of employees could include people with dyslexia, people who are color blind and can’t reach charts, people with vision or hearing challenges, and non-native English speakers, she said.

And only about half of them would disclose any difficulty to their employer, according to co-presenter Ron Klapperich, a senior consultant with Klapperich International Training Associates.

“If you think about your safety training classes, there’s a chance that you have somebody who has a disability who is not telling you or not telling their employer out of fear,” Ms. Navarrete Klapperich said.

The safety industry should adopt the concept of universal design when creating training programs, she said. Universal design is when an environment is designed so that it helps the least capable but benefits all, Mr. Klapperich said.

The couple told attendees to think of examples in everyday life: automatic doors at stores to help those in wheelchairs but also anybody pushing a cart, and speakerphones for those who struggle to hold a receiver but beneficial for multitaskers or meetings.

When applied to safety training this means the materials are presented in the simplest format, Mr. Klapperich said. “Unfortunately, most safety training is designed for people down the middle of the aisle” when it comes to learning ability, he said.

“You want to use those simplified instructions. … You want to use words that are understandable, pure language. Try to avoid jargon or overly technical language that people will not understand. If a simpler word is better, use it,” Ms. Navarrete Klapperich said.