Safety Glasses and Pie Fights by Safety Speaker John Drebinger

Here is another great way to make a safety lesson fun. You can be recognized as a safety speaker people want to listen to when you use effective stories, demonstrations and fun to make your point.

At the end of a safety meeting, the safety person giving the talk has placed safety glasses on and was apparently wrapping up the meeting. Quietly, another member of the safety team approached holding a pie in his hand, presumably out of the view of the speaker. He then took the pie and placed it in the face of the “unsuspecting” safety speaker. Everyone laughed and after a few moments the room quieted and the safety speaker calmly reached up and carefully removed the safety glasses. His face was covered by pie except where the safety glasses had protected him. This impressive view spoke volumes.

What is great is you don’t need to say anything. The image says it all. Everyone can see that the safety glasses were vital. It is a natural connection for people who handle items that could break or spray them in the face to realize how valuable the safety glasses are.

Also, people will be telling others about what they witnessed and the message is multiplied. Because it is fun and dramatic people will remember it. When they see a sign calling for the wearing of eye protection they will remember this demonstration and it will help motivate them to do the right thing.

Another variation I thought of while writing this would be to get two teams of two to four people to participate in a pie-throwing event. Both teams could stand four feet apart and take a shot with a pie at the other team. At the end, you have them remove their safety glasses and show the results.