Quite the Quiz: Harnessing the Power of Questions for Better Job Site Safety

Although quizzing crews on safety-related topics is a relatively new tool for learning, it’s clear it is a potent one (read this post for more). But what makes for a well-designed, demonstrably effective quiz?

Good results hinge on a few basic principles:

Know your audience – and what they should know

Be sure your quizzes are consistent with training materials – the same terminology and definitions that are in the manuals will appear on the quizzes. Review quizzes to be sure they are up-to-date with current OSHA standards for job site safety requirements, and proofread them for errors that might lead to confusion among your crew. And remember, language barriers shouldn’t come between your people and a safe job site. Create quizzes in multiple languages using Zurel’s Toolbox Talks (link), where you can create custom topics repositories, including your own content.

Ask the right types of questions

Quiz questions can range from multiple-choice to true/false or fill-in-the-blank, and each type of question has its own uses. Multiple-choice questions, for example, are great for testing a general understanding of a topic, while fill-in-the-blank might be best for gauging understanding of specific processes or rules. True or false questions are helpful for measuring basic understanding of a subject.

Mix it up

Use a combination of plain text, PDFs, images, and videos to make your quizzes more effective. Zurel’s Toolbox Talks allows you to upload videos, link to existing videos or even create videos from scratch. Keeping your audience engaged with content they find engaging to learn from increases the chances they will retain the information when it counts the most.

Make it relevant

Try to make sure your quizzes don’t contain irrelevant information – say, topics that might pertain to job site employees rather than guests. Customizing quiz topics for unique use cases is easy with Zurel’s Toolbox Talks, where you can configure topics based on audience or leave them in the default setting, require signatures on quizzes if necessary, or require a job ID or meeting title.

Make it seamless

You want your team’s focus to be on crucial safety information and not a cumbersome process for completing the safety training itself. Make use of the many online (and often free) resources to help you gauge (google forms, survey monkey, etc) to keep the focus on learning – and retaining – the subject matter at hand.

Make it frequent

Testing early and testing often is a best practice for learning, as learners are more apt to retain the information they have come across multiple times (known as the “retrieval effect”). Administering multiple quizzes also provides more data for analysis, which is essential for ensuring that quizzes remain an accurate barometer for knowledge.

The effectiveness of your training programs directly impacts the safety of your workforce. To ensure your jobsite safety programs are successful, focus on consistency, relevance, and engagement. Know your audience and tailor quizzes to match their needs. Use a variety of question types and multimedia elements to keep the learning process dynamic and engaging. Keep the quizzes up-to-date with current safety standards and eliminate any irrelevant information. Make the quiz administration seamless and frequent to enhance knowledge retention and accurately assess your team's understanding. By following these principles, you can create well-designed and demonstrably effective safety quizzes to enhance workplace safety.