MoveSMART^® Frequently Asked Questions

MoveSMART^® has been used in just about every work sector and in over sixty countries. Our clients say the MoveSMART^® process has reduced injuries and spurred safety performance in manufacturing, oil, transportation, distribution, mining, and many other industries. Our focus on personal motivation and skills is especially applicable for those who perform tasks with minimal supervision or who deal with changing risk factors out of their, or their employer’s, control. Our techniques utilize small changes that make large improvements in safety performance.

The MoveSMART^® system emphasizes highly participative, upbeat, practical training tailored to your work population and to their actual tasks and work environment. We’ve found that to change long-standing work habits it’s critical to affect behavior at home and in outside activities—reinforcing at-work safety habits while preventing off-work injury. By emphasizing hands-on practical applications with simple “adjustments” that make immediate performance improvement, companies typically report employees are extremely receptive to this company-provided MoveSMART^® training. We focus on both organizational communications and a motivational approach to safety by working with management, bargaining units, and employee leaders.

The first line for follow-up and reinforcement are your trained and certified MoveSMART^® Instructor-Catalysts. We provide them with tools, strategies, and ongoing support to sustain and improve co-workers’ use of MoveSMART^® methods. We also offer video- and web-based reinforcement systems.

We only offer MoveSMART^® through our proven Instructor-Catalyst system—also known as “Train-the-Trainer.” This resource development process is a leveraged safety performance and culture system where our consultants fully prepare your selected staff to instruct, coach, and reinforce line employees in MoveSMART^® skills. First, they are prepared to teach MoveSMART^® skills for the module in which they are trained. Second, they (often informally) coach peers at work, in breakrooms, etc. Third, they reinforce using MoveSMART^® mental and physical methods, for growing use and application. Most of our work is in implementing MoveSMART^® Instructor-Catalyst systems—and clients have reported “amazing” results on many levels.

Each module of the MoveSMART^® process is customized to the needs, risk exposures, and culture of each client company—none of our programs are canned. The safety history of too many organizations is filled with negative experiences and unsuccessful attempts at using a canned program or one customized for another company. We tailor the techniques taught, applications, and training materials provided to Instructor-Catalysts to your company’s culture, at-risk exposure, and needs. For example, plant-based personnel have different exposures and concerns than those working outdoors. Even in a multi-plant organization, we’ve found meaningful plant-to-plant differences in worker culture, equipment, layout, and risk exposure.

Greatest benefits result from using a significant majority of Instructor-Catalysts from the ranks of employees with only a few safety professionals in the core group. When workers train, coach, and reinforce their peer’s actions there’s greater likelihood of receptivity and improvement. Further, workers are more likely to be available to respond to questions than safety or medical professionals (who typically have many other areas of responsibility). See our article, Step Change From The Bottom Up, for more general information on our approach. We can provide criteria guide for selecting peer Instructor-Catalyst candidates.

Many of our clients employ Six Sigma and/or behavioral observation and charting. They report the MoveSMART^® process helps reinvigorate and augment these approaches. Contact us for more information on how to incorporate this into your customization process.

When you’re trained as a MoveSMART^® Instructor-Catalyst you’re certified for three years from the date of completing training. If your certification is due to expire, contact your Safety Coordinator or supervisor to schedule a MoveSMART^® follow-up course for recertification. Find out if others need recertification, to increase support for a new MoveSMART^® module or follow-up. Your organization has several options in recertifying workers: repeating the regular Instructor-Catalyst training course, taking a follow-up course, or attending an advanced MoveSMART^® module. Have your Safety Manager give us a call to help assess the best way for you to be recertified.