Document 9MXv0X9dqaY4DyB6mQxKV2yL

THE CAFETERIA THAN THE OTHERS CAN YOU CONTROL THIS PROBLEM'* HOW Several accidents have occurred in YOUR DEPARTMENT RECENTLY, APPARENTLY UNRELATED IN ANY WAY ONE VICTIM DIDN'T KNOW THE SAFE PRACTICE, ANOTHER TOOK A CHANCE BECAUSE HE WAS IN A HURRY, ANOTHER WAS INJURED WHEN A PIECE OF STOCK FELL OFF A TRUCK SOME MEN ARE BEGINNING TO FEEL THAT THE SAFETY PRO GRAM DOES NOT AMOUNT TO MUCH WHAT ACTION WILL YOU TAKE? A modification of the case study technique is the incident process It has the advantage of requiring less preparation time The in cident or problem is presented, in writing, to the group The instructor supplies ad ditional facts and details Members put these together to ascertain what happened They then arrive at a decision and a plan of action Conference Method of Teaching To aid understanding and stimulate partici pation m instruction courses, industrial edu cators many years ago developed the con ference method of teaching This method is widely used in teaching management subjects to people in business and industry The conference leader should be skilled m this method of teaching He should know how to draw out information and opinions from the conferees, and sum up their con clusions As is desirable in a participation class, the number of people in a conference group should be small enough that free dis cussion can occur The leader's part is mainly that of asking questions that will provoke thinking and dis cussion Learning can take place in a con ference if the conferees have a background of experience that enables them to discuss the subject intelligently Problem-solving conferences Since a conference is a device for getting a job done, it is particularly useful m an area like safety where many people are involved A conference yields big returns m education for all who participate, even though its im mediate purpose is to solve a current prob lem, not merely a hypothetical one Frequently, the safety director has prob lems relating to the operation of the safety program which he needs to discuss with pro duction supervisors The problem may have to do with the occurrence of a number of similar accidents, with some new feature of the safety program, with a new type of work to be undertaken, with a method of operation or plan to be worked out, or with any other subject in which both the foremen and the safety department are interested To find a solution to the problem, the safety director may call a conference with a group of super visors The conference leader should be familiar with the relationships of the members of the conference and with the general area of the subject matter It is of the utmost importance that the leader and members of the conference know the scope and limitations of what they are expected to do If, for example, a conference group meets to decide how to put into practice a policy or a directive that has been issued, they should understand that it is not within their authority to have the policy or directive changed If the group meets to discuss improvement of procedures for the elimination of a hazard, they should know whether or not they may consider extensive alterations of buildings and installation of new machinery If they do not know the limitations within which thev must work, then the conference becomes a source of dissatisfaction and frustration or is regarded as simply play-acting If the job of a conference group is to recom mend action and they do recommend action, they should, of course, know what becomes of their recommendation Often, however, a conference group will discuss a matter that affects only the mem bers, in which case their conclusions are drawn for their own guidance This is prob ably the most usual and most satisfactory kind of conference Conference leading Every safetyman and supervisor should attempt to become a skilled conference leader Since such skill comes mainly from practice, he should accept opportunities for holding conferences even if he has not had a great 155