Workplace Safety ESL Lesson Plan

OBJECTIVE & OVERVIEW

This workplace safety ESL lesson plan contains PDF worksheets, activities, and digital materials for upper intermediate B2 students. This is a great lesson choice for students who are employed in almost any sector. In the lesson, students will learn about the importance of workplace safety, the ABR-model for safety, and how to prevent work-related incidents. They will also be able to describe the events of workplace safety incidents and use the third conditional to explain how to prevent these incidents.

PREVIEW & DISCUSSION

The first part of this ESL lesson on workplace safety features a few images of workplace safety hazards — including a woman walking down the stairs looking at her mobile phone and a man cutting wood without protective gear. Students then think of some other workplace safety hazards and describe any experience they have with them.

After that, there is an activity for students to match some important nouns related to workplace safety with their synonyms. They try to think of a few workplace safety tips using these nouns.

In the final part of the preview section, students look at a circle diagram of the ABR-model (Action-Behavior-Results model) and predict how it may relate to workplace safety.

VIDEO & LISTENING COMPREHENSION

Students proceed to watch a video about the importance of attitude in workplace safety. It’s an animated video which shows an example workplace incident between a man name Mark, and his co-worker, Sean. In the scenario, Mark and Sean are assigned a routine task. Despite safety guidelines requiring gloves, Sean removes them for convenience, leading to an unexpected incident. Mark prioritizes safety and remains unharmed. However, Sean gets injured, but downplays it and later faces severe consequences.

In the listening comprehension sections, students sequence the events in order described above with Mark and Sean. They also discuss or write about the difference between Mark and Sean’s attitudes, behaviors, and the results in the workplace scenario in context of the ABR model.

DISCUSSION & GRAMMAR

After watching the video, students discuss a question about the ABR workplace safety model and how effective they think it is.

The second part of the viewing follow-up section features a sentence in the third conditional about how that situation between Mark and Sean could have been prevented.

Students answer some guided questions about the third conditional, and then proceed to complete some sentences using the third conditional, all in the context of workplace safety.

WORKPLACE SAFETY SCENARIOS » EXPLORE & PREVENT

In this activity, participants choose a workplace, list 1-3 objects found there, and create a scenario where a workplace incident occurs. They share their incidents, discussing the negative attitudes and behaviors contributing to the incidents. The activity emphasizes the importance of positive attitudes and behaviors in preventing workplace incidents, with a bonus focus on using the third conditional for language practice. It promotes creativity, critical thinking, and collaborative exploration of workplace safety.

Benefits of using this workplace safety ESL lesson plan:

Relevance to Various Sectors: Tailored for upper intermediate B2 students, the lesson plan is versatile and applicable to individuals employed in diverse sectors.

Grammar Practice – Third Conditional: The integration of the third conditional in discussing the prevention of workplace incidents adds a language learning component, reinforcing grammar skills in a meaningful context.

Creative Exploration in Scenarios Activity: The workplace safety scenarios activity promotes creativity, critical thinking, and collaborative problem-solving, allowing students to apply learned concepts in a practical context.