Employee Health and Safety Training at Disney Parks
We have written quite a bit on health and safety in our previous blogs, but today we’re looking at the health and safety training specific to theme parks and leisure parks with reference to a pioneering report from Disney on their procedures to tackle risk. Let’s take a look.
Employee Training
Disney have theme parks all across the globe, with resorts in Florida, California, Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo and an upcoming park in Shanghai. With that amount of properties, it’s no surprise that safety is a top priority. According to their health and safety guide, the company conduct more than 30,000 “operational training sessions” a year, which includes information on the appropriate safety practices in place on rides and attractions.
Employees obtain the relevant information from “attraction-specific operating guides”, which take place both in classrooms and on site. Disney clearly take the safety training process very seriously and understand that building a ‘safety culture’ is critical when there is a large turnover of seasonal staff and many new hires every month.
Traditions
New employees at Disney are “introduced to Disney’s safety culture through a one-day course called Traditions”. During this, employees are introduced to Disney’s safety culture and given details about “safety issues and initiatives” throughout the organization. Here, employees are briefed on safety hazards and regulations designed to safeguard the employees and, by extension, the visitors to the parks.For a company as large as Disney, the guide states that safety integration is a critical tool in “sustaining a safe workplace” and details a number of ways they conduct this including:
Documentation and Training
In order to fully implement safety programs into the daily operations of Disney Parks and Resorts, the company have in place safety teams who“document changes in the operations created by new or revised programs or safety improvements”. These changes are then used to improve employee training and respond to challenges as they arise.
Safety in Motion
Safety in Motion (SIM) is a program designed towards “reducing soft-tissue injuries” by teaching employees on “how to do their jobs safely” and by using “ergonomic design” according to the guide.According to a document compiled by Saif, a leading firm in the implementation of SIM, employees learn techniques in how to “reduce physical stress and strain” “boost balance and strength” and “improve productivity”. This done by making “practical changes in the way they reach, lift, carry, push, or pull” a particular item. The approach has been lauded by Walt Disney World’s Learning and Development Manager, Vickie DeTorres, as pivotal to keeping your consciousness “tuned to safe practices.”
Internal Communication
Disney have annual safety and wellness fairs at both Disneyland and Disney World, which encourages “thousands of Cast Members in learning and sharing safe practices.” At these events, Disney have information booths providing details on staying safe outdoors, operating rides and attractions, and how to share safety tips with park guests.
Disney also have in place an internal safety awareness initiative called Safe D Begins With Me. This program creates “awareness about safety and the important role each cast member plays in maintaining it.”
Safety Culture
What’s clear from this guide, is that Disney take the health and safety of its workers and guests very seriously. The guide indicates that they have a clear safety culture in place, that ensures they run their parks efficiently without any serious incidents. The guide also features information regarding the physical safety of guests and the mechanisms resorts have in place to ensure employees are prepared for any incidents which may occur.
Back in the UK, with a growing interest in theme park safety operating companies can certainly learn from the experience of Disney’s operational systems. Approaching safety training in this holistic way can only benefit the company through reducing accidents to workers or visitors.
Finding a streamlined approach for employee orientations and safety training is a valuable addition to any company’s safety culture and if you would like to learn more about online training software do contact us here to allow us walk you through what we can do for you.
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