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How to Conduct Your Safety Meetings
How to Conduct Your Safety Meetings
A good trainer is not unlike a good supervisor. Training requires familiarity with the procedures and topics covered in the training sessions and an ability to communicate with others. In fact, in many ways, you are training workers all day when you provide direction on how to perform various jobs or correct employees and show them proper procedures.
But training is a more focused activity than many supervisory tasks. A couple of old slogans are useful.
- Be prepared. Know your subject. Prepare yourself by reading, talking to safety personnel and other supervisors, and observing any problems in how workers are currently dealing with the particular topic on the job. Assemble examples, materials, and anything else you can think of that will help you get the message across.
- The KISS rule. The so-called KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) rule is a good one for training. You have a particular message that you have to get across to a group, so it's important to deliver that message in a way that everyone can grasp. Don't give people more than they can absorb in one sitting.
Communication Techniques
Communication is an important part of every supervisor's job, and it's an essential skill if you want your workers to understand the importance of safety and how it fits into their jobs. It's not enough just to say the words: You have to be sure your listeners get the message.
The communication skills that go into instruction and motivation are such everyday parts of your job you may not give them much thought. But a great deal of study has been done to determine the skills and traits of the best communicators. Many are things you already do instinctively. Others are easy to add once you're aware of them. Improving your communication abilities will not only help you instill in workers a strong safety message; it will help you get your messages across to others both at work and in your personal life.
Effective communication has two parts: what you say and how you say it. To begin with, it's important to stick to the topic-the meeting objective. If you get sidetracked, your listeners could end up with pieces of a lot of different messages rather than the specific message of your meeting.
What you say also depends on your audience. Put yourself in their shoes. You know their attitudes, their attention span, their sense of humor. Try to get on their wavelength so that they'll be more open to hearing what you have to say. Think in advance about the examples you'll use to connect that topic to workers' jobs.
The effectiveness of your message-what you say-depends on how you say it. Tape record a safety meeting presentation and try to listen to yourself objectively. How would you respond if you were a worker at that meeting? Would you get the message? Would you be motivated?
Tips for Effective Presentations
If you're not fully satisfied with how you sound, here are some "tricks of the trade" that professional speakers use. These tips are not complicated, but they will help you be more comfortable and effective in front of an audience.
- Don't talk at or down to your listeners. Assume that you're all intelligent people who think safety is important.
- Use clear language. Don't try to "fancy up" your presentation. Use the same language you would in normal conversation.
- Make eye contact. If you constantly look down at a piece of paper or out at a spot on the wall, your audience will get distracted. Look people in the eye, moving your gaze around the audience.
- Use a warm, friendly tone.
- Use a moderate pace and volume of speech—not too fast or slow, not too loud or soft.
- Sound firm and convinced. When you make a statement, don't let your voice trail into a question. And don't add qualifiers ("but," "except when," etc.).
- Watch your body language. If you cross your arms in front of you while you talk, you look defensive. If you keep playing with a pencil or tapping your foot, you look nervous.
- Watch the audience's body language and pace your talk accordingly. Crossed arms or legs are defensive for them, too, which may indicate they're resisting your message. Leaning forward, on the other hand, indicates interest.
- Get feedback to make sure your message is getting through. Respond to questions. If no one asks, ask them questions. Give people time to form what they want to say. If you just say, "Any questions?" and then instantly move on, you're saying you really don't want any. Asking specific questions is the best way to check understanding of what you've said. (Note: The discussion questions in the safety meeting outlines can help you here.)
Listening
Communication is a two-way street. Your message has to reach its audience, and they have to respond in some way. So a good communicator is not just a good speaker; he or she is also a good listener. A good listener hears what the other person is saying and lets the person know that he or she has been heard. When you really listen, you not only learn a lot about your workers' knowledge and concerns. You also demonstrate that what they think and feel is important to you.
A good listener:
- Listens. Don't interrupt or ask questions until the person has had his or her say.
- Looks at the person speaking. Give the speaker the same attention you hope to receive when you speak.
- Clarifies for understanding. To be sure you understood what the other person said, rephrase it and ask if you understood correctly. (For instance, "You're saying this … Is that right?")
Feedback
Once you are certain that you can listen well, the next step, feedback, will be easy and obvious. You probably give feedback-praise and constructive criticism-routinely on the job, and it should also be incorporated into your safety meetings.
Everyone wants to be known and treated as an individual, and giving feedback enables you to let your workers know you recognize them and their work. It also lets you guide their work, including their safety efforts, in the proper directions.
Positive feedback, or praise, is often underused or used improperly. It's easy to assume that people don't need a pat on the back for doing what they're supposed to do. But, if you want them to keep on doing what's right, you have to let them know that you notice and think it's important.
So give credit when it's due-and as soon as it's due. Say exactly what action or statement was important-and why. Give credit for correct responses to questions you raise at safety meetings-especially if they make the connections between concepts and on-the-job use. Credit good questions, too; they show the worker is paying attention and really wants to gain-and use-safety knowledge.
When you see workers using proper safety procedures on the job, tell them you've noticed and are impressed by their mastery of new skills and their efforts to improve your department's safety record. It's important to do this with workers who always do things properly as well as those who show improved safety awareness. When people are praised for behavior, they'll repeat it.
Constructive Criticism
Of course, sometimes you have to criticize or correct your workers. Constructive criticism can, when done properly, improve behavior and learning without making the worker defensive.
The key to effective constructive criticism is to focus on specific, observable, performance-related behaviors and the problems they create. Don't attack the individual whose performance was faulty.
Suppose, for instance, that a worker's question during a safety meeting indicates that he or she missed or misunderstood your point. Don't attack or ridicule the questioner. Correct the misunderstanding in a matter-of-fact tone. Credit the person for demonstrating interest by asking a question. Then explain that your point was apparently misunderstood and repeat it, preferably with a clear example. Ask the person to repeat the point back to you in his or her own words to make sure you got the message across this time.
If, on the job, you see someone not following safety procedures or using safety equipment properly, immediately set the person straight in a helpful way. Don't be accusatory. Make your criticism out of earshot of other workers to avoid embarrassment.
The point of criticism is not what was done wrong but what should be done. Phrase your criticism in a way that assumes the person wants to do it right. If possible, lead with something positive about the worker's action ("I'm glad to see you protecting yourself by wearing gloves...") Then (without a "but" or "however" in the middle to put the listener's guard up) explain specifically what was done wrong and why it's important. ("The substance you're working with could have potentially toxic vapors, too. You can protect yourself and the rest of us even better if you always keep the container closed when you're not using it.")
If appropriate, end the discussion by asking the worker to agree to take the right action: close the container, put on the protective equipment, etc. And conclude by expressing your confidence that the worker has the knowledge and desire to do it right.
Discipline
You may occasionally encounter a worker or situation that calls for more drastic measures-for instance, an individual who continually disrupts safety meetings or refuses to follow safety procedures. You have to take action that makes it clear that you can't allow anyone to create a safety risk.
Discipline, like the other forms of feedback, works best if it's an immediate response to a specific observed action. And, of course, the punishment has to "fit the crime."
Suppose a worker regularly disrupts safety meetings or makes negative remarks for all to hear. Take the person aside immediately after a meeting where this has occurred. State firmly that the information covered in this meeting is essential to the health and safety of the whole department. Make it clear that you can't risk having people missing out on what they need to know because of this person's actions or attitude.
Provide the troublemaker with information on the meeting topic to read at home. Then make a date for the two of you to get together-perhaps the next day at lunch-to review what he or she has learned. Make the point that you expect everyone to be responsible for safety.
You might take a similar approach for a worker who consistently ignores safety on the job. Be sure to let the worker know that you will personally be looking out for improved performance in the future.
Safety Training For Workers With Special Needs
Safety training is supposed to help workers understand how to work safely and motivate them to use what they learn on the job. That's a pretty tall order for all supervisors and workers. But the challenge is even greater when workers have special needs. It's not unusual for supervisors to have to train workers who:
- Understand and speak very little English
- Have minimal reading ability, though they speak and understand English
- Are hearing impaired
- Have a learning disability.
These workers have several things in common. They're all likely to miss important points during safety meetings. They're also all likely to try to hide their lack of understanding-perhaps even from themselves. In fact, people with learning disabilities or hearing impairments may not even know they have a problem.
All these people will find safety meetings frustrating and embarrassing. They may make them tune out even what they can understand. The result will be troubling gaps in your unit's ability to work safely.
Fortunately, a variety of techniques can help you reach all these workers. The same techniques can help improve communication with workers without special needs, too.
Simple, Visual Communication
Follow these three rules. They can boost the odds of getting your message across to all workers.
- Speak slowly and clearly. Use the shortest and simplest words you can.
People who have trouble with English will understand more when you speak slowly and clearly. Such speech is also easier for the hearing-impaired to lip read. In addition, it gives people with some learning disabilities the time they need to process your words.
Simpler words are always better. They're especially important for people with a limited English vocabulary. More people will understand "may cause cancer" than "carcinogenic."
- Use as many posters, videos, and other visual aids as possible.
The more ways you communicate a point, the more likely people are to get it. Studies also indicate people retain what they see better than what they hear.
When you mention an item-a respirator, a machine guard, etc.-point to it. When you make a point about safety, point to the overhead that restates it.
Look for safety topic illustrations. Ask your safety department for posters, videos, and other materials.
- Demonstrate it, don't just say it.
Sometimes it's easier to do something than to explain it. It's even better to do both. Suppose, for example, your topic is how to put on PPE. In that case, demonstrate each step as you say it.
Another approach is to have workers role play, or act out, a safety procedure. You could demonstrate how to put on PPE properly, then ask someone to repeat the steps. Or ask a group to perform a lockout/tagout procedure or inspect an area for housekeeping problems.
A video camera is a great safety training tool. People with limited language skills or hearing can learn from videos. Videos also let you freeze or repeat a particular scene to make a point.
Make videos of workers on the job. Show people doing a task safely and unsafely, correctly and incorrectly. If you don't see the good examples you need, ask for volunteers. Have them perform a job correctly as "stars" in your safety movie.
All these forms of practice will help workers understand and remember what they're expected to do. They also give you a chance to identify-and then correct-general or individual knowledge gaps.
Reaching Out to Meet Special Needs
Find ways to help individuals with particular needs get more out of safety training-or any communication.
Hearing impaired people depend a lot on lip reading. Give them seats up front in a meeting. Always face your audience as you talk. If you have to turn to point at something, stop and point and say nothing. Then turn toward the group again to complete your explanation.
Written materials also help the hearing impaired. Before the meeting, provide a copy of the handout or even your own outline. Then they can follow along as you speak.
Learning disabilities are very varied. You may not know who has one or what type of disability a person has.
Don't try to define problems or single people out. Use an indirect approach when, for example, you announce a safety meeting. Emphasize that this is something everyone must know and understand. Explain that you realize everyone processes information differently. Ask workers to talk with you privately if they want written back-up materials, permission to tape safety meetings, one-on-one reviews, etc.
Non-English-speaking workers can be a challenge. Some know a little English. Some understand what you say even if they can't speak the language.
A little English and a lot of demonstration can deliver simple safety messages like housekeeping. But that's not enough for more complex topics, such as confined spaces.
If many workers speak the same language, try to have your handouts translated for them. The ideal translator is a member of your group who is fluent in English and the second language. That person might also act as interpreter during safety meetings.
Your workers may speak several languages. That's a greater problem. Multiple translations can cost a lot of time and money, if you can get them at all.
If that's your situation, consider assigning experienced "buddies" to non-English-speaking workers. They can use demonstrations and hands-on practice to teach people how to do some tasks safely.
But what about warning signs, labels, and material safety data sheets? Workers must understand them in order to work safely. If you don't have these materials in their language, encourage workers to learn English to protect themselves.
Some companies sponsor English classes on-site after work hours. Others arrange for trained volunteer tutors to help their employees. Local schools or literacy organizations may work with the company to develop learning materials that relate to students' jobs. People often learn better when the information has meaning to them.
If your facility doesn't offer such programs, find out what's available locally. Many communities offer evening Adult Education English classes. They're often free or very inexpensive. Let your workers know when and where these classes are held.
Illiterate workers are more common than you think. Millions of native-born Americans can't read or write English well, if at all.
These workers will also get more out of safety meetings that feature simple language, audiovisuals, and demonstrations. They have usually developed an impressive ability to concentrate and memorize to disguise their inability to read.
But like non-English speakers, they will work more safely, productively, and confidently if they learn to read and write.
Most communities have classes for people who need to increase these important skills. Your company may want to sponsor them on-site or refer people to local programs.
One caution, however. People who can't read or write are very sensitive and defensive. Don't single individuals out or use the word "illiterate." Instead, point out that staying safe today requires everyone to become more comfortable with written technical information. Emphasize the value that you and the company put on upgrading such skills. Explain where to go for classes and tutoring to improve the skills that are vital to your department's changing needs.
Follow-Up Counts
Follow-up is, of course, an important part of all safety training. It's especially critical for workers with special needs. You'll only know if they understood the training if you observe them on the job.
As you make your regular "rounds," keep an eye on how people perform. Ask questions and correct any problems you see. Give positive feedback to people who are doing it right. Positive feedback is especially motivating for people who have to work a little harder than most to master the information.
Encourage workers to ask you about anything they don't understand. Make yourself available for individual "review" sessions when they're needed. They will take a little extra time, but are well worth it if they achieve your safety goals.
General Meeting Format
While each meeting should and will be different, these guidelines will help you grab participants' attention and make your meeting flow more smoothly. You will also be more relaxed and confident when you get used to following a general format.
- Begin the meeting by explaining what you'll cover and why it's important. Try to use an anecdote or other "warm-up" to get people interested and relaxed.
- Position the meeting in terms of company safety objectives. Mention any relevant safety trends at the company or in the industry or any applicable regulations. Emphasize top management's commitment to safety and endorsement of this safety meeting program.
- Keep your tone informal during the meeting. It encourages participants to feel less distant and more involved in what's going on. A little humor may be appropriate, especially in a long meeting where workers may begin to feel overwhelmed by all they're learning. Let them know you appreciate that this is an effort.
- Stick to your agenda. Be flexible enough to respond to questions or concerns you haven't thought of, but don't let the meeting go off into unrelated areas. If a lot of questions and concerns are voiced on a certain topic, note it as one that might require its own safety meeting.
- Give examples of violations of safety rules and their consequences. Be as dramatic as possible while keeping your examples realistic. Hammer away at the risks to which employees expose themselves and others by not following the rules and not taking advantage of the engineering controls, protective equipment, etc., available to them.
- Summarize continually as you go along. Try to connect any "theoretical" subjects (handling spills, proper lifting techniques, etc.) with actual events or tasks in your work unit. Be sure people see the value of what you're talking about.
- Refer to specific examples whenever possible. Demonstrate with labels, protective clothing, etc. Make your meetings as "show and tell" as possible.
- Ask regularly for examples and questions. If anyone is skeptical about the importance or relevance of your topic, deal with it immediately. If possible, get other workers to explain to the skeptic and the group why they think this safety issue is important to them.
- End each safety meeting with a wrap-up that summarizes what was covered. It's also valuable to thank the participants for their interest and involvement.
- Be specific about what you expect employees to do as a result of this meeting. Remind them how what they've learned will keep them safe and healthy.
- Plan a positive ending for the meeting. Send participants off with some encouraging words as an incentive to really put what they've learned to work on the job. If you've scheduled the next safety meeting in an ongoing program, remind them of the time, place, and topic.
Conducting an Informal Meeting
An informal safety meeting is more like a casual "oh, by the way" discussion than the formal type of presentation just covered. It may last only 5 or 10 minutes and may involve fewer people. It is less likely to include outside experts, audiovisuals, and handouts.
The informal meeting is often used to introduce a relatively simple new procedure or substance or to correct problems you've spotted on the job.
But just because the meeting is brief and informal doesn't mean it doesn't need preparation. You don't need a detailed agenda, but you should make notes or prepare a checklist to make sure you cover everything important.
Once you've explained the procedure or problem, demonstrate how to do it correctly. Ask for and encourage questions and discussion, and, if appropriate, provide opportunities for hands-on practice.
Leadership and Motivation
The roles and characteristics of a leader are the same on a ball field, a battlefield, the executive suite, or the factory floor. A leader makes people feel they're all in it together, that they can really make a difference if they work together toward common goals.
You can be the top person on the totem pole without being a leader. A leader is someone others look up to and want to follow. A leader shows respect for his or her team and creates a stimulating, exciting environment in which each individual feels that his or her efforts are important to the team's performance, achievements, and level of excellence.
Don't confuse leadership with power or with giving orders. A leader is someone others want to follow. To be a leader:
- Create a team. Use words like "we" and "our" whenever possible. Look for opportunities to build a team spirit: Credit the group for a lower accident rate or get several members to work together to help you plan a safety meeting and assemble and demonstrate the "props."
- Involve employees in goal-setting. Consult with them, for instance, on topics they think should be covered in safety meetings.
- Give employees responsibility-and accountability. Show them you trust them to do the job right once they have the tools and knowledge; hold them accountable for any lapses.
- Emphasize the importance of competence and quality. Praise what's done well.
- Treat failure as a learning experience (as long as it doesn't put anyone at risk). Safety meetings are an ideal opportunity for learning and experimentation in a "safe" environment-learning to properly inspect protective clothing, practice proper lifting of awkward loads, etc.
- Give credit to others for their ideas; for example, "This safety meeting topic was Joe's suggestion"; or "We have a lot easier access to the MSDSs since Jan arranged them in a more logical order."
- Show respect for workers' intelligence and perception. Explain that their safety knowledge and safe performance do more than reduce health or fire risks or avoid OSHA fines. Making safety part of each job also improves productivity and profitability, protects the air and water in the neighborhood, etc.
- Be fair. Don't play favorites and don't take out your own moods or personal problems on workers.
- Minimize conflict. You want your department to be a team, not warring gangs. Don't try to improve performance by comparing workers or creating rivalry. Emphasize your common goals and how much more can be accomplished by working together.
- Be a buffer between other departments and management layers, not an instigator. Don't use the "big bosses" as a threat or blame them for a policy workers don't like.
- Set an example. The fact is, you are an example whether you intend to be or not. So make sure you do what you say and do what's right-consciously, positively, and consistently.
- Accept that you're not just "one of the guys." That doesn't mean you're better or more important, and it doesn't mean you're not human. But if you want workers to look up to you and respond to you as a leader, you have to make sure you don't say or do things that would lose their respect.
Motivation
One tool that leaders/supervisors use to promote safety-and any kind of desirable on-the-job behavior-is motivation. In its simplest form, motivation is the old "carrot and stick." Reward what's good and punish what's bad.
There are a variety of ways to motivate workers to take safety meetings and their safety responsibilities seriously-including the communication and leadership techniques already discussed in this chapter. When you get the safety message across-the what and the why-and you create a team that can work together to set and meet safety goals, you're most of the way home.
Most supervisors, however, find that it's hard to keep safety motivation at a high level.
Attention wanders during safety meetings. There are so many safety "dos and dont's" that people lose track. The other demands of workers' jobs may push safety concerns aside.
To keep workers' safety motivation high, you have to first keep your own safety motivation on a hot front burner. If you think, "Oh no, it's time for another safety meeting," your attitude will filter down to workers and they'll approach the meetings the same way. If your presentation style is dull and disinterested, as if you just want to get the meeting over with, workers won't learn much and they won't put much priority on safety.
Safety meetings alone, of course, aren't enough to create a safe workplace. They're most effective if they're supported by other motivational tools and techniques that help keep safety awareness front and center all day, every day.
Employee safety committees are one possibility. If your department has a lot of varied safety responsibilities, you might create a worker safety committee to oversee several of them. The committee could, for instance, conduct monthly inspections of the work area to check for frayed wires, missing machine guards, etc. (Note: Be sure, however, that other workers don't stop paying attention to these items because they believe "it's the committee's job.")
The committee could poll workers on desired safety meeting topics, help supervise protective clothing inspections, take turns working with new employees to raise their safety awareness, etc.
Your committee can be formal, with regular meetings, agendas, or minutes, or more ad hoc-convening when it's time to do what they're supposed to do.
Safety posters and booklets can reinforce your safety meetings and overall safety emphasis. There are a number of sources of colorful, clever materials bearing safety slogans and illustrations and even procedures for doing certain jobs safely.
Select a special bulletin board spot for a safety poster-a lunchroom or locker room location that everyone passes is a good choice. Keep unrelated materials off that part of the bulletin board and change posters regularly so people will really notice them.
Talk to your safety director about obtaining illustrated safety booklets. Booklets are available on virtually every safety topic and are a good way to get people to stop and think about that aspect of safety-plus being a handy reference on the job.
The factors that motivate workers to work safely are the same factors that motivate people to do anything. As indicated earlier in the discussion of praise and constructive criticism, people repeat behavior that's rewarded and avoid behavior that's punished. They also tend to forget about behavior that produces neither reaction.
So the first principle of motivation is to take nothing for granted. Don't assume, because recent safety meetings have gone well, that you can put off the next one. Don't assume, because your whole department is performing a given task safely, that workers will continue to do so-without motivation.
There's a bit of psychology involved here. People need to feel a sense of personal challenge, achievement, and control on the job. They need to know what goal they're reaching for, why it's important, that they have the tools and knowledge to do it, and that someone will notice and reward them for achieving it.
Rewarding Safety Achievements
Most people think "reward" means money, or something money can buy. But that's just one type of reward. A reward is anything the individual wants to receive. It can, for instance, be private or public praise, a positive memo in the personnel file, or some special privilege, as well as monetary rewards.
You can't just hand out cash for safety achievements, but you can come up with rewards for individuals (even better, for the group) to show that you notice their safety achievements and think they're important. Here are some proven motivational techniques and rewards.
- Praise. You can't compliment someone often enough-as long as the praise is sincere and reflects specific good performance. "You're doing a great job" doesn't mean a great deal: Much better is, "Your thoroughness and efficiency in handling lockout/tagout procedures has reduced our accident rate while keeping our maintenance right on schedule. Thanks."
- Example. Encourage someone who has mastered a particular technique to share his or her expertise. Ask that person to do demonstrations during safety meetings or to help workers who are new or struggling with the task. Ask for advice on how to improve instruction so other workers will perform as well as this person. Appoint good safety performers to a plant safety committee.
- Challenge. Some workers want constant challenges and opportunities to learn and grow. You might reward them with a chance to take courses, go to a trade show, learn a new job, etc.
- Suggestion systems. A suggestion system encourages workers to develop ideas that reduce hazards or improve safety on the job. This works best if it is a companywide program with clear directions on the type of suggestions sought, special suggestion forms, and a committee appointed by top management to review and select suggestions for implementation.
An effective suggestion program should acknowledge each suggestion and respond quickly so that workers know their ideas are really getting attention. When a suggestion is rejected, workers should be told why. When a suggestion is accepted, the worker should receive recognition. Some companies award a small percentage of the money the suggestion saves the company. For safety ideas, savings are usually calculated on the basis of elimination or reduction of accidents and injuries. Most companies with suggestion systems set a cap on the amount of money an employee can receive for a "winning" suggestion.
- Prizes. Conduct departmental safety contests, with prizes. You could, for instance, have a drawing of all those who have gone a month without an accident; give the winner a T-shirt or a free meal at a local restaurant.
You might give a similar prize to employees who haven't missed a safety meeting in a year, whose safety suggestion is making the workplace safer, or who reported a hazard that prevented an accident or spill.
Group prizes can be effective, too. Reward a team achievement with caps, T-shirts, etc., imprinted with the company logo or safety slogan-something that visibly links the achievement with the award.
- Safety contests. Your company or department may want to participate in one or more of the many safety contests sponsored by the National Safety Council, local safety councils, and industry trade associations. Most such contests are based on accident statistics over a period of six months, a year, etc. The sponsoring organizations may have posters and other materials that you can use to help spur interest.
You could also work with other supervisors in your company to create interdepartmental safety contests. This is a great way to build team spirit within departments while raising safety performance throughout your company. You could, for instance, base an interdepartmental contest on the greatest percentage decrease in accidents over a particular period. The winning department would get companywide recognition, with each member receiving a prize like a certificate or a T-shirt.
- Recognition. Spread the word on important safety achievements such as an idea that eliminated a hazard or an exceptional period without an accident. Write a memo and post it on bulletin boards. Submit the information to the company newsletter. Announce it at a departmental or plant meeting.
- Celebration. Recognize group achievements with coffee and doughnuts at a break or an after-work picnic to show workers you recognize and appreciate what they've done.
Keeping Safety Meeting Records
It's important to keep records of all safety meetings for your reference, for your company's management, and for OSHA and other regulatory agencies that may want to inspect your company's compliance with training requirements.
Keep track of the date and topic of each meeting, as well as who attended. This is particularly important when your meeting deals with an area where training is explicitly required by law, such as the Hazard Communication Standard. In fact, written Hazard Communication Standard programs-or lack thereof-has consistently generated the largest number of OSHA violations in recent years.
You don't need elaborate training records, but you do need something on paper. The easiest way to do this is to have a sign-up sheet at each safety meeting, with your name, the date, and the topic at the top. Have each employee sign that he or she has attended the session, including any employee ID numbers. See the Forms Section for an example.
You might also want to keep a separate training record on each individual you supervise. Put your name and the employee's name and job title at the top of the sheet, along with an employee ID number if it exists.
Then divide the sheet into two columns, one for the name of the training session and one for the date the employee attended the session. You may want to leave space for comments and notes at the bottom of the sheet. See the blank sample in the Forms Section.
The individual training records can also be valuable to you when you're trying to identify training needs for your group or for individual members.
When you consult with your manager and with your safety professionals on setting up your program schedule, find out if they want any reports on your safety meetings. If so, get specific information from them on exactly what they want in a report, whether they want one on each meeting or on the overall schedule, etc.
If such reports have been requested, be sure to submit them promptly while the experience is still fresh in your mind. Many companies use the results of safety meetings as a key part of their safety planning and training program.
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