 How was vacation? Wonderful. Five days of perfect quiet. How are things going? Here, very good. Wellington Township, not so good. Why? What happened? Car ran a stop sign. One person killed. How did it happen? The report said the sign might have been obscured by vegetation. Could that happen here? I guess it could happen anywhere. But since we've had the training, everyone seems to be working as a team. And obscured signs are one of the things they've been trained to watch for. That training costs us time and money. But not like it's going to cost Wellington Township. Was it just good luck that may have averted a tragedy? Or did this manager do something different? Before we answer, take a moment and ask yourself, what characteristics would you want your workforce to possess? You would want them to be professional, to be viewed by the local taxpayers as an asset, not just an expense. You would want to select and retain skilled employees you could count on to get the job done right, to do the job right, to want to do the job right, to be motivated, to be at work on a regular basis, at work and on time. Your workforce would be productive. They would possess the right skills for the job and the know-how to put those skills to use. As a crew, they would be flexible, able to adjust to changing conditions and circumstances. Oh yes, they would also be a crew that worked safely. And working safely is not just good for the workers. Employees are suing employers if they are injured while doing work for which they were not prepared. New workers are by far the most likely to get injured on the job according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 40% of injured workers had been on the job less than a year. The main cause? Lack of training in safety. Our manager wanted those same things and got them. How? By taking advantage of something that is not always seen clearly for what it is. Training. The obscured advantage. When you mention the word training, many managers automatically think expensive. But without leaving your office, you can obtain professional training tailored to your needs. Training designed to gain those characteristics, professional, motivated, productive, safe you want in your workforce. Just put in a call to LTAP, the Local Technical Assistance Program, the only nationwide organization whose only mission is to provide road and bridge technology to local municipalities. A nationwide organization with 38,000 customers, just like you. Customers faced with the problem of not enough money, not enough time, not enough people. LTAP can and will provide on-site training for your workforce at no cost, unless you count the coffee. LTAP will send you newsletters, videotapes, technical publications, manuals and field guides, materials designed for local level use, again, at no cost. LTAP will show you how you can host training seminars and gain the involvement of your neighboring communities at a shared cost for the use of the facility, no cost for the LTAP representative. Your personnel can get invited to attend trade shows and learn what's new in their field, cost a day's per day. If they get good enough, they'll have a chance to compete in equipment rodeos and to be recognized by their peers for the skills they have. Training, not obscured, but clear. Clearly an advantage. This audio-visual product was produced for the Federal Highway Administration for informational purposes. The FHWA makes no warranties expressed or implied as to the accuracy of any information contained herein and hereby disclaims liability for any inaccuracies contained herein. The FHWA does not represent to the user that the audio-visual product made available to the user is adequate or sufficient for the purposes of the user. And the FHWA does not accept responsibility for any liability of any kind arising from the usage of any portion of the audio-visual product.