Take it Sporty: Success in Occupational Safety through Targeted Training

Let’s be honest: What do you think about risk assessments, instructions, personal protective equipment and the like? Do thoughts like: “annoying, boring, only costs time and money, doesn’t help at all” come to mind? But what do you think about sport – skiing, mountaineering, cycling or even skydiving? ­Already much more interesting? This article was first published in the BG RCI magazine, issue 3/2023 on page 23.

Many sports are not entirely without danger. That’s why athletes naturally prepare themselves well: train, discuss and define team procedures, assess and minimise risks, wear a helmet. Just like it should be at work. In sport, it’s cool, trendy and fashionable. Often not in the workplace. But it doesn’t have to be that way!

A team of experts from the German Social Accident Insurance Institution for the Raw Materials and Chemical Industry (BG RCI)has risen to this challenge and has produced a new publication to show that things can be done differently. In the leaflet “Big points in occupational health and safety – 10 points that you as a manager must pay attention to” (A 039-1), they show that success in sport and in the workplace is made up of very similar building blocks. For each of these key points in occupational health and safety, there is a related example from the world of sport in the leaflet. The ten “big points” (Figure 1) are to occupational health and safety what the match ball is to tennis or the successful shot on goal in the last minute of a handball match.

As in the leaflet “Popular misconceptions in occupational safety” (A 039), this leaflet is less about imparting knowledge based on legal requirements and more about rediscovering and re-evaluating the otherwise rather dry and cheerless world of occupational safety. “Less is more” is the motto: highlight-like presentation instead of a detailed specialised brochure. Important details can of course be found using QR codes on special topic pages in the tried-and-tested selection assistant (awa.bgrci.de).

Take up the challenge, immerse yourself in the positive world of sport and start your own personal training plan today! The “Big Points” are available in the media shop (medienshop.bgrci.de) and in the download centre (downloadcenter.bgrci.de).