Editor's Note: A good laugh

In his article this month, Associate Editor Barry Bottino digs into the role of humor in safety.

For a number of years after I became editor of Safety+Health, one reader would email me to tell me that the magazine should feature cartoons, and we had some good-natured debate over it. But what I felt – then and now – is what safety consultant Tim Page-Bottorff articulates perfectly in Barry’s article: “Humor can be a lot of things to different people.”

It also spans different forms, from a self-deprecating anecdote to a cringeworthy YouTube video of workers engaging in horseplay on forklifts and, inevitably, ending up hurt.

As Barry writes, “The question of what’s funny and what’s inappropriate is a difficult one and depends on a number of factors.” It’s something even experienced presenters grapple with, including motivational speaker Regina McMichael, who generously shares a painful lesson learned.

In addition to speaking with Regina and Tim, Barry reached out to S+H’s good friend and contributor Richard Hawk, as well as well-known trainer and speaker Leonard Jones. All agree that laughter can be a great tool for making safety messages stick, and all shared advice and experiences about what’s effective – and what to avoid.

Do you have your own stories or presentation tips for your fellow safety professionals? We’d love to hear about them. You can submit comments on the online article, or on S+H’s LinkedIn company page and join a larger conversation. In the meantime, I hope you find the article useful and that, sometime today, something or someone gives you a good laugh.

The opinions expressed in “Editor’s Note” do not necessarily reflect those of the National Safety Council or affiliated local Chapters.