Video Game Developed to Reach Youth about Workplace Safety

Look what just hit the market: a video game about forklift safety! Brilliant, wish I'd thought of it! Mind you, I haven't had the pleasure of trying it out yet, but I love the idea behind Etcetera Edutainment's NSC Safetyworks™ Lift Truck, a 3D game-based training simulation designed to improve the effectiveness of forklift safety training by making it an immersive experience for young people.

Forklift operation, sadly, has a high rate of accidents, even fatalities, especially among young workers who are new to the workplace and either haven't had enough training and orientation, or didn't follow the rules of forklift operation.

The president of Etcetera Edutainment, Jessica Trybus, says the product's objective is to help companies "rely less on on-the-job-training as the sole means of applying what has been learned in traditional classroom and online settings."

My own experience talking with young workers for years has clearly shown that sitting in darkened staff lunchrooms watching decades-old safety videos and listening (or tuning out!) managers droning on about WHIMS is not working... not getting the critical message out: That Training and Orientation Save Lives.

In the video game, trainees drive in a virtual warehouse environment and receive feedback on their actions in real-time. After they finish the game, they take an exam to measure what they've learned, and if successful, receive a NSC training certificate.

How else may we reach today's young people to get them truly ENGAGED in learning about - and applying - workplace safety principles in their everyday lives??

Please add your Comments below as to any media - online, gaming, role playing, anything! - and/or go to our Facebook group and start a Discussion Topic about these ideas!