Debate with my uncle about teaching apprentices safety first vs. letting them learn from mistakes. Which approach works better?

3 comments

3 Comments

Seriously, your uncle thinks letting apprentices learn from mistakes is better? That's like saying you should learn to swim by jumping in the deep end without lessons, lmao. @patel.quinn has it right with the full gear drills first. In jobs with real risks, a mistake can hurt people for good. Building safe habits from the start stops big accidents before they happen. Small mess-ups are one thing, but you can't take back a hospital trip.

patel.quinn2mo ago

Training apprentices in pest control taught me safety HAS to come first. Letting someone learn from a mistake with chemicals could mean a hospital trip. We start with full gear drills before they even touch a sprayer. That way, they build habits that prevent big errors. Sure, small mess-ups happen, but serious risks aren't worth the lesson.

dakotaellis2mo ago

Totally! Starting with full gear drills like you did made all the difference for my team.