14/07/25
Safety training goes viral on TikTok
Safety training, a viral TikTok video and a sound-alike MC Hammer song.
This sounds like the beginning of a seemingly impossible task on TaskMaster. It’s not.
If you search e-learning on TikTok you’re met with a plethora of videos from users throwing shade on their companies e-learning - it’s skippable, long, boring, unengaging and a chore to complete.
Mandatory safety training and a viral TikTok video are two things that don’t necessarily marry themselves together. It’s unexpected. As is safety training in the form of a sound-alike MC Hammer song…
So when users were met with this radically different approach to safety training, it caught their attention.
♬ original sound - yazdoeslife
The health and safety training video was shared by a TikTok user, who was enthusiastic about their partner’s boring training topic being made more fun in a completely unexpected way.
The animation is a part of a project we did for the Co-op five years ago, (about what to do if you find asbestos in your building), and has gone viral, generating attention from users and brands including Morrisons and Walkers. The consensus from viewers is that more companies should create training like this to get people actually wanting to complete mandatory compliance training!
"I would actually sit and learn something if this was how my work e-learning was"
“That’s some e-learning I can get behind”
"If all e-learning was like this, noone would skip it."
Why it works - a short version of the science behind it:
The juxtaposition of a catchy song paired with an ultimately “dull but essential” compliance topic makes it memorable because…
1. It’s unexpected
People don’t expect to see a song about asbestos. But surprise is a great tactic for grabbing attention, especially on topics that are difficult to engage with. The human brain holds information better when it’s unexpected. And people want to share things they find funny or surprising.
2. Music
Music helps people remember information; it strengthens the associations our brains make between pieces of information, which encourages long-term memory encoding. This is an effective way to help people focus on the specific actions they need to take. In the case of asbestos – and in the words of our MC Hammer sound-alike – ‘Don’t Touch It’ (report it).
Acteon consultant Rebecca Trigg briefly explains the concept here.
About the project
Co-op needed to explain the dangers of asbestos, which is still found in many of its sites, without alarming colleagues but ensuring they would know what to do if they found it. Co-op asked Acteon to design a message that would make the key actions for colleagues clear and memorable. The two-minute animation communicates the key messages in a fun and visual way and interactive Storyline content, with two different modules for different audiences - ‘Colleagues’ and ‘Managers’, ensures everyone has the relevant information for their roles.
The project resulted in safer, more informed colleagues, and a strong signal about Co-op’s culture.
The response was immediate on launch: the ‘Asbestos awareness’ module became the fastest-completed module in Co-op history.
A primary objective, and key measure of success, was a reduction in calls to Co-op’s OSS Helpdesk (Operational Support Services), which handles all asbestos-related queries manually. They saw an impressive 90% reduction in asbestos-related calls to the helpdesk.
