Purpose: To give participants of safety training classes a greater understanding of workplace accident statistics.

 Time Required: 10 minutes.

 Size of Group: Unlimited.

 Materials Required: A large jar filled with several hundred jelly beans.

 The Exercise in Action: It’s not unusual for participants in safety training classes to arrive with some “attitude,” says Laurie Wainen, a safety process coordinator with Instrument Specialties, Delaware Water Gap, PA. “They believe they’ll be the lucky ones who never have an accident at work,” she says. “They’ve been doing something a certain way for years, and nothing’s ever happened.”

To open their often-jaded eyes to accident probabilities, she uses this exercise. First, she flashes statistics on an overhead about how many accidents happen each year on the job. Then she brings out a large jar filled with 300 jelly beans. She tells the class that she’s injected 30 of the beans with a strong laxative, and to one bean she’s added arsenic. Next, she asks participants if they’d like to “reach in and grab one.” Even the biggest thrill seekers beg off.

The apportionment of beans match the statistics: for every 300 possible hazard situations, there are 30 accidents (laxative) and one fatality (arsenic). Wainen’s point? Participants take the same chances every day by not wearing the right safety equipment or taking necessary safety precautions.