| LIVE IN THE 'SHOW ME' STATE - Guest Blogger AL!VE Partner William Henry, Executive Director of Volunteers Insurance Service Association Do you have volunteers show you - not just tell you -- they are able to perform tasks safely, before you allow them to begin? It's a great way to prevent accidents. One volunteer insured in our program was attempting to pull a nail from a board for the very first time. Instead of prying the nail out with her claw hammer, she pulled straight up toward her face and the hammer slipped. LIVE IN THE ‘SHOW ME’ STATE - Guest Blogger AL!VE Partner William Henry, Executive Director of Volunteers Insurance Service Association Do you have volunteers show you – not just tell you -- they are able to perform tasks safely, before you allow them to begin? It’s a great way to prevent accidents. One volunteer insured in our program was attempting to pull a nail from a board…for the very first time. Instead of prying the nail out with her claw hammer, she pulled straight up – toward her face – and the hammer slipped. That accident was the supervisor’s fault. Taking one minute to ask the volunteer to demonstrate how to use the hammer, and providing instruction as needed, could have prevented a disruptive accident, and some expensive dental work. Don’t worry about offending the volunteer by requiring them to demonstrate safe technique, and training them even in simple tasks. There is no task too simple to mess up! Don’t let your volunteer discover how. Actually, they will appreciate the fact that you have put so much thought into their assignment, and they might learn some new skills. If you have experienced volunteers train new ones, it’s a great opportunity to reinforce the veterans’ own knowledge, while reminding them you appreciate their skill and experience. Guest Blogger AL!VE Partner William Henry, Executive Director of Volunteers Insurance Service Association To learn more about our AL!VE Partner CIMA Gateway for AL!VE members – www.cimaworld.com/alive The inexpensive solution to volunteer protection Published: 02/03/14 |