SAFETY... the ONE tool you can't live without

Staying ahead of the curve

Why redesign RSO? Because lives are at stake, safety knowledge is the most vital information to retain. Given this, the RSO Board has embarked on a path to invigorate the learning experience of "safety training" in a fundamentally unique way.

Although RSO consistently offers excellent standards-based safety curriculum, the aspiration transitioned to improve the learning experience through better instructional design. This confronted the old-school method where a teacher presents information for a test, and contends that memorization does not change behavior, but experiential learning does.

The next step was to collaborate with a foremost expert in this field. Virginia Dickenson not only brings preeminent qualifications in instructional design, but 24-years experience in the refinery industry. She has accomplished over 100 hours of doctoral work specializing in Adult Learning, Organizational Development, Educational Research, and Instructional Systems Design.

RSO was restructured to integrate interactivity, collaboration, consensus, researching, brainstorming, creativity, match games, physical competitions, skits, and even incorporates virtual-world refinery experiences to simulate dangerous scenarios in a gaming environment.

This accelerated learning approach requires student involvement which cultivates communication, teamwork and critical thinking. It leverages more than just the auditory learning style of listening to a teacher, but integrates hands-on and visual learning styles which are more captivating and produce greater retention of knowledge.

The inspiration for redesigning RSO training was to develop the most engaging, memorable and vitally comprehensive learning experience possible for students. Our goal is for RSO to elevate refinery safety training to be the hallmark of educational training and reflect the genuine passion of our industry for a world-class safety culture.