Safety Meetings.

The first line of a Simon & Garfunkel song is: “When I think back on all the [stuff] I've learned in high school, It's a wonder I can think at all.” A university study showed that college grads, when given the exact same final exams they passed in school, could not score a passing grade five years later. People retain knowledge only as long as they need it and use it frequently.

The same theory applies to safety.  Workers need to be reminded frequently of hazards and protection from hazards. A worker may remember his hard hat, but forget his gloves when handling a sharp piece of steel.  Worse, they forget how to operate a fire extinguisher months (or years) after a class.  Even worse, hey figure something that has not been mentioned for a while is no longer important!  Workers need to be reminded frequently.

One way to keep safety at the front of their minds and awareness is to conduct safety meetings.  Weekly is good, daily (in smaller groups) is better, monthly is the very longest interval.  Get all of your workers together on Monday morning for just five minutes for what is called a “Toolbox Talk” or a “Tailgate Talk.”  Go over a single subject important in your work. 

If someone has been injured since the last meeting, talk about the cause and prevention, but mostly the effect on the employee, their family and on the company.  If the injured employee is in attendance, have them do the talking.  Discuss near misses with equal importance to injuries.

Have your Safety Committee (see: Safety Committees below) involved with the meeting.  Their daily presence is important as a reminder to work safely.

See our Web site: SafetyRich