How to Plan Your Safety Meetings
While you, as a supervisor, are in the best position to know your own workers' training needs, you can't develop a safety meeting program alone. You need the support and input of others in the company: top management, safety professionals, worker safety committees, and other supervisors whose responsibilities and workers overlap with yours.
The broad objectives, mandate, and resources for safety training usually start at the top. But they're only words until you, and the others involved in implementing on-the-job safety, participate actively in turning words into actions.
Make Room for Safety
Your initial reaction to a management call for greater emphasis on safety may be to wonder how you're going to fit it in to your already overloaded list of responsibilities. But you'll discover that it doesn't take much time-even less time as you grow experienced-and that it eventually makes other parts of your job go more smoothly.
And don't forget that safety training is one of your key responsibilities, a responsibility that the abundance of government safety regulations makes more important every year. Your company is required to provide workers with a safe working environment and the training they need to protect themselves from hazards and accidents, and you are expected to be part of your company's effort to meet those requirements.
Training Isn't Enough
Safety regulations don't just mandate training; they also require that workers follow both legislated and commonsense safety practices on the job. A company that trains workers in some aspect of safety, such as using appropriate protective clothing, but then doesn't enforce the use of such clothing on the job, is violating the law and will be penalized. And, of course, when workers don't practice safety, they are more likely to be injured, dangerously exposed to hazardous substances, or otherwise endanger themselves and others. These injuries are likely to be a lot more serious and expensive than any fines imposed for not complying with government regulations.
That's why safety meetings are such a critical part of any training program. They are the best means for ensuring that each individual worker knows how to do each part of his or her job safely-and uses that knowledge every day, without exception.
Planning Safety Meetings
When you plan a program of safety meetings, you have to structure it to meet the specific needs, strengths, and weaknesses of your workers. You have an advantage over outside safety professionals in this task because you know your audience and can determine what approach will work best for them.
Know Your Audience
As you start to plan the type, length, and format of your safety meetings, think about your workers in these terms:
- Age. Younger workers may have trouble taking their jobs, including the safety aspects, seriously. Older workers, on the other hand, may feel they already know it all and tune you out. Your approach will have to include ways to make it clear to workers that this is important to all of them, perhaps with dramatic examples of safety failures.
- Educational level. If you have many workers with limited formal education, or workers who do not speak English well or at all, your program will have to make heavy use of hands-on demonstrations and practice. You'll also have to make an effort to use language they can all understand. It may be helpful to involve an additional meeting leader who speaks the workers' native language if you do not.
- Keep in mind that many people won't admit they can't read or understand English. Be alert to your workers' ability-or inability-to understand written instructions and to comprehend English. Don't embarrass them; just be sure you are presenting information in a way they can grasp.
- If your group includes workers with a wide range of educational backgrounds, your task is even more complicated. You have to come up with an approach that gets the message across to the less educated without being so simplistic that it turns off other workers.
- Experience with products, processes, and technology. Again, you have to tailor your message to your audience. If workers are relatively inexperienced, you'll have to take a slow, step-by-step approach and limit each safety meeting to a very narrow topic area. Otherwise, you'll overload participants with more than they can take in at once.
- Experienced workers will more readily understand your references to equipment and procedures, allowing you to focus more on the safety aspects and tie them together. But experienced workers are also more likely to resist changes in the way they do their jobs, so you'll have to sell them on safety both in terms of their own health and well-being and legal requirements.
- If your group is a real mix of experienced and inexperienced, you may want to consider asking some of the more senior workers to participate in parts of your presentation. That will allow you to tailor basic elements of the meeting to the less experienced group and get the more experienced workers to contribute without becoming bored. It may also help to reinforce the experienced workers' recognition of and commitment to the importance of safety.
- Tolerance for length and frequency of meetings. How long an attention span do your workers have? How long can they sit still and concentrate? How much can they absorb at once? You'll have to answer these questions to determine how often you can have safety meetings and how long they can last.
- The meeting format is also a factor in determining meeting length. People can't usually sit and concentrate as long for lectures as for videos or programs that involve them directly in practice.
- Another factor is how long you can keep how many workers off the job without seriously disrupting operations and upsetting deadlines.
- Extent of prior safety training. The more safety training workers have received, the easier each subsequent meeting becomes. Once workers understand certain safety basics and incorporate them into their jobs and workstyles, it's not as difficult to add new cautions and procedures. You can skip the preliminaries and some of the "safety sell" and get right to the specifics of your meeting.
- Attitudes toward work and management. If you have many workers who are hostile to you, the company, their jobs, and/or the meeting topic, safety meetings can be difficult. These workers will attend meetings only because they have to and will be reluctant participants in discussions and practice sessions.
If you have this problem, face it squarely at the beginning of the session. Allow workers to express their feelings and ask them to try to keep an open mind. Again, your best bet here is to emphasize that these programs benefit them by making accidents and injuries less likely. It also doesn't hurt to point out that all the regulations that require companies to provide safety training also require employees to practice the safety methods and practices they've been taught on the job.
Kinds of Safety Meetings
Safety meetings come in all types and sizes, but most can be viewed as either formal or informal (or "tailgate") meetings.
Formal Meetings
The cornerstone of the safety training program is formal meetings, planned and announced in advance to provide groups of employees with information and training on specific issues, regulations, procedures, and hazard protections.
The topics to be covered in these meetings will be dictated by your observations of training needs and of gaps in following safety procedures and regulations. If you carry out periodic needs assessments to identify hazards and dangerous work practices on the job, you'll have an ongoing list of potential safety meeting topics.
Company accident and injury records are another source of guidance for safety meetings. If there is a trend toward a particular type of accident or injury, or if even one serious accident has occurred, you have new safety meeting topic candidates.
Be flexible. Even when you work out an advance schedule of safety meetings, other situations that call for safety meetings are likely to emerge. They may include:
- recent accidents
- changes in company or group safety trends
- new equipment, techniques, procedures, products, or hazardous substances
- management directives to emphasize company, legal, or insurance requirements.
Informal or "Tailgate" Meetings
Formal meetings alone are not enough. You have to be alert to opportunities for informal training for individuals and small groups in response to habits and actions you observe on the job.
Many of these informal "tailgate" or "toolbox" meetings can still be planned. If you have noted a recurring problem among several employees, for instance, you can mentally assemble information on correct procedures, or, even better, make some notes. Then, when the employees are working on a related task, step in and provide some hands-on direction to show them how to do the job safely. Each such session should, however, focus on only one topic.
You may even have one-on-one safety meetings with workers who are failing to use, or don't seem to be aware of, safe procedures in certain aspects of their job.
Keep these meetings short-not more than 5 or 10 minutes. And have them frequently. That makes the meetings seem like part of the regular routine, rather than criticism and discipline, and it gives you continual opportunities to highlight safety.
Other Meetings Are Opportunities
Look for other opportunities for safety meetings or for highlighting the use of safe procedures on the job.
One possibility is holding annual or quarterly safety reviews to go over what has been covered in training and point out how it has translated into improved safety or productivity on the job. If such gains have not been realized, reviews are even more necessary.
Include safety in meetings called for other purposes. The more frequently a message is communicated, the more likely it is to be remembered.
Look for ways to continually tie the safety message to workers' day-to-day activities. For instance, you could review the basics covered in a recent safety meeting by pointing out how they were followed-or ignored-recently on the job. Examples might include a task performed safely and properly yesterday using toxic chemicals, an accident or near-miss in your department or another department, etc.
Look at safety as positive, not negative, and try to get workers to see it that way, too.
Seek out occasions to praise workers for incorporating safety on the job. Some companies give prizes or awards for achieving a certain number of accident-free days or months.
Reward groups as well as individuals. Have an annual or quarterly lunch or a doughnuts-and-coffee session. Hold impromptu sessions to honor workers who have done an outstanding job with safety-cleaning up a hazardous spill correctly, for instance.
These "events" don't have to be expensive or elaborate. You can present the group or individuals with certificates, plaques, T-shirts, mugs, or other items honoring their achievement, or you can just credit them publicly for their efforts. The point is to make a point of it. Safety counts, and the people who practice safety count too.
Choosing a Safety Meeting Format
Plan the format for each safety meeting to meet your overall objective and to get your particular topic message across. You'll probably use different formats for different topics. Here are the most common methods and tools used in this type of training.
Lectures
Lectures-where you or another speaker explain the information-should be only one part of your program. It's a good way to define the what and why of your meeting and to outline what you'll cover and how long it will take. But it shouldn't be the only method of explaining the material unless it's a very short meeting on a very limited and specific topic.
Lectures are best when broken up with audiovisuals, discussions, and/or hands-on participation.
Remember, too, that you're not the only possible person to address the meeting. Your company's safety personnel or other supervisors may be able to participate. You may want to invite top management to provide an introduction that underlines the importance of good safety practices to the company. Outside experts on such topics as emergency response can provide valuable information and examples. Perhaps you can get a representative from your equipment manufacturer to demonstrate how a new piece of equipment works and answer questions.
If you are going to be the main speaker, try to outline what you want to say rather than reading a whole presentation. Look directly at your audience as you talk. It will be more conversational-and more interesting.
Audiovisual Presentations
Audiovisual presentations are a good way to get people's attention and to demonstrate both the potential problems posed by your topic and the correct way to do things. PowerPoint® presentations for several topics are available on this CD. (BLR, publisher of this CD, also has other training CDs and videos.)
If you have a digital camera or a video camera, you can make any topic more relevant by illustrating it with pictures or videos of your work area. Take pictures of equipment, procedures, etc., you want to focus on. If you're planning a safety talk on housekeeping, take pictures of good and bad examples in your department. The message is sure to be more personal when people see themselves and their work area and equipment highlighted in this way.
You may also need to create some visuals as you go. A large flipchart and felt-tipped marker are useful for highlighting or outlining information during the safety meeting.
Programmed Instruction
Programmed instruction-reading material and written exercises-can be effective supports to the other parts of your safety meeting. If your audience is accustomed to reading and able to handle written question-and-answer formats, use books and workbooks to reinforce the learning and to test how well workers have absorbed the information.
Demonstrations
Demonstrations should be included whenever possible in safety meetings. Show the correct way to perform an operation. Use real labels, material safety data sheets, etc., when you explain what they cover and what the information means. Have protective clothing and equipment with you as examples. Not only is "a picture worth a thousand words," but also these real-life examples are an excellent way to tie the training to on-the-job application.
Hands-on Practice
Hands-on practice is recommended whenever possible. It gives workers a chance to try out the methods, equipment, etc., you're covering and it gives you a chance to see how they use them and make corrections on the spot in a no-risk environment.
When you're conducting a session that includes hands-on practice, take it slowly, step by step. First explain the procedure, then demonstrate it. Highlight key points, then allow each participant to try.
If there seems to be general difficulty with some specific task or concept, go back to the beginning and demonstrate again, then ask for questions. Stay with it until all workers have had a chance to try-and master-the new skill, approach, or equipment.
Give them immediate feedback on what they do right and immediate assistance when they have difficulties. Then follow up within a few days to see if they still know how to do the task correctly and to find out if they have any questions.
Discussion
Discussion is an excellent way to find out whether workers understand your message and to respond to any questions or problems. If possible, involve other safety personnel, supervisors, and/or outside experts in discussion sessions.
It's important, however, that you or the other leaders always control the discussion so that it reinforces what's being covered in the meeting.
Here are a few hints for effective discussions:
- Always answer questions. If you don't have the information, make a note of the question, find out the answer, and get back to the person who asked it.
- Prepare ahead. Open discussion doesn't always come easily. Prepare some questions to get the ball rolling. If no one volunteers an answer, call on people individually to respond.
- Don't pass judgment on answers. If someone gives an incorrect response, correct it without comment. If an answer may be a matter of judgment, give people a chance to voice different opinions.
- Compliment good responses or observations. You don't have to overdo it, but be sure people get positive feedback when it's deserved.
- Keep the discussion on the topic. It's easy to wander into side issues that make no contribution to mastering the safety topic at hand.
- Continually relate what you're discussing to the job. Ask participants for examples of related problems they've had or ways they've handled situations like the ones you're discussing.
Use discussion periods to get a feel for how well participants understand the general and specific areas covered by the meeting and to determine whether you need to go back over some things or even have another meeting.
Handouts
Handouts covering the topic are very useful on-the-job reminders. But don't hand them out until the end of the session or they will just be a distraction to participants. Examples of useful handouts could include a copy of the agenda you covered or an outline of the topics, a safety newsletter, a prepared list of safety tips on the subject, etc.
At the end of formal meetings on complex or especially important topics, such as the Hazard Communication Standard, you may want to give participants certificates stating that they completed the safety program. That makes it seem even more official and important.
See the interactive training certificate elsewhere in this product.
Developing a Safety Meeting Schedule
Setting a schedule for safety meetings allows you to plan, get approvals, and assemble information and materials. Planning also usually means a better organized, more effective meeting.
Companies vary on how much authority they grant supervisors to plan and execute programs like safety meetings. Sometimes the directive to schedule such meetings will come from management or from company safety managers. If you are asked by management to plan and conduct meetings, work with your manager and any assigned safety professionals to develop a list of topics and times.
Be sure you follow your company's policies and get approvals from all required parties. If you're not sure what policy, if any, exists, find out. Going through approved channels with a schedule of safety meetings that helps meet important company objectives can provide you with valuable recognition from management. Failing to follow policy can create unnecessary problems and slow safety training in needed areas.
Even if you're developing a schedule on your own for your own group, it's a good idea to run it past your manager and any safety officials or committees in your facility. They may suggest additional topics or may be able to provide assistance in one or more of the programs you've planned. They also may have some objection to something on your schedule-and it's better to discover that early so you can work it out.
Try to plan safety meetings six months to a year ahead. You might change the schedule as new issues emerge, but an advance schedule helps you to think about exactly what you want to cover and to look for examples, speakers, and materials that will help you get the message across.
A typical safety meeting schedule will include both topics the company identifies as important (e.g., new regulations, tasks with high accident rates, new equipment), as well as those you have spotted as weaknesses in your own area (e.g., use of respirators, lockout procedures, material handling).
Your records of accidents and illnesses are also an important source of topics.
Setting Your Objectives
There are innumerable reasons to hold safety meetings, and they can originate with supervisors, management, or with government agencies that institute new regulations.
Every safety meeting has its own specific objectives-the results you hope to achieve-but most also are designed to meet broader objectives that are part of the company's and supervisor's overall agenda. Such objectives might include:
- Developing a safety mindset among workers
- Addressing specific company safety needs.
- Improving productivity by reducing accidents.
- Reducing costs resulting from injury and illness.
- Training employees to recognize and report hazards.
- Bringing new employees into line with company safety emphasis and practices.
- Training employees to recognize and avoid unsafe practices.
- Training employees to automatically incorporate safety into routine work procedures.
- Explaining how to prevent or minimize injuries on the job.
- Training employees how to respond to emergencies.
- Providing smooth and safe introductions of new equipment, procedures, and substances.
- Reinforcing previous training.
- Achieving compliance with federal and state safety regulations.
Each actual meeting's objectives should be very specific, stating what you want workers to be able to do or to know after the training is completed. Your objective should also state how you will measure or define when the workers have actually reached that goal.
For example, a company safety objective might be:
Train employees to prevent on-the-job injuries.
The specific meeting objective might be:
Train employees how to prevent hand injuries by wearing proper protective clothing and using machine guards. The result should be that all trained employees wear gloves when required on the job and always have machine guards in place, with no reported hand injuries in the next quarter.
Safety meetings will accomplish more if these objectives are stated clearly and understood by everyone in advance. This enables you to make sure that each safety meeting meets both immediate needs and overall, long-term company and unit objectives.
Setting Your Priorities
Evaluate your safety meeting program objectives and set priorities for specific topics that will best help you meet those objectives. You can't do everything at once, so focus on what's most important to you and your company now and also what is likely to have the most immediate impact.
If, for instance, a key objective is improving productivity by reducing accidents, your priority should be safety meetings on correct procedures for the operations where accidents are most frequent.
If a key objective is recognizing and reporting hazards, your meetings might group common hazards so they can be explained, demonstrated, and emphasized.
Make safety meeting topics as specific as possible. It's more effective to have a meeting on, say, using dollies and hand carts properly than on material handling safety.
Talk to other supervisors. If they share your safety training needs, there may be opportunities to combine safety meetings. Consulting with other supervisors can also help you avoid scheduling a meeting when workers or facilities you need are tied up or at a time when such a meeting might disrupt other operations.
When you're working on management approval for your schedule, consult with your manager on how much and when to tell workers about the planned meetings.
If possible, it's a good idea to let workers know your intentions and even involve them in selecting topics. If they have areas they're not comfortable with or where they feel more training is required, try to include those subjects on the schedule, or at least note them for the next round of safety meetings.
Once the schedule is approved, post it if company policy permits. This gives workers an opportunity to think about the topics and it emphasizes the importance you place on safety.
Tips for Successful Training
Here are some other useful tips for trainers.
- Notify participants well in advance of the date, time, and location of the safety meeting. Tell them how long it will last and make sure they know attendance is a "must."
 Note: It's usually better to schedule meetings in the morning when people are most alert. Many people are sluggish after lunch. Later in the afternoon, they may pay more attention to the clock than to the meeting program. It's also a good idea to schedule meetings early in the week so that what was learned can be put right to work and you can provide immediate feedback to individuals on whether they're applying their new safety knowledge.
- Confirm attendance with each individual the day before the meeting.
- Decide where you will hold the training and make sure there are comfortable chairs for everyone and room for any materials you want to display, audiovisual equipment, etc. Select a location where you won't be disturbed or distracted. Prepare a "Do Not Disturb" sign for the door if needed. If necessary, reserve the training area for your use.
Note: Some safety meetings, such as those to introduce new equipment, have to be held on the plant floor. You'll have to do some extra planning to make sure your meeting won't interrupt work schedules and that you won't be interrupted by other workers. For instance, perhaps you can schedule such sessions during lunch hour and give the meeting participants a different lunch break.
- Assemble any equipment-audiovisuals, flip charts, samples of protective clothing or material safety data sheets, handouts, etc.-in advance.
- Make sure you know how to use any video equipment or that someone else is available to do so.
- Determine in advance how long the meeting should take and try to stick within the time frame unless participants get sufficiently involved to make it worth running longer.
- Vary your presentations. Try to make each meeting memorable by focusing one meeting around demonstration and practice, the next around audiovisuals and discussion, etc.
- Rehearse your presentation. That way, you'll be more confident and more conversational when you talk. Have an outline to refer to so you don't miss anything important.
Note: Make sure you let participants know what you'll be covering and why it's important at the beginning of the meeting.
- Be enthusiastic. If you seem to be just going through the motions, workers probably won't take the training seriously or pay close attention.
- Think about any problems you might encounter, such as unruly or hostile participants, and decide how you'll handle them.
- If you want to encourage group participation, develop questions in advance that can get discussions going. Be sure your questions can't be answered by "yes" or "no" or your discussions will fall flat. Ask employees for examples that relate to what you're discussing to get them involved.
- If you'll be sharing the meeting presentation with others, meet with them in advance to plan who's going to do what.
Note: No matter how many people are giving presentations, one person should be in charge of the meeting, including seeing that the agenda is followed.
- Get to the meeting early to make sure you have everything you need. Put up any posters or charts and set up video equipment. Arrange chairs so everyone can see videos, posters, etc. If the meeting is expected to be fairly long, have coffee or water available. Arrange for phone messages to be taken during the meeting. If you've taken the time to organize, you'll be more relaxed when the participants arrive-and ready to start on time.
- Focus the program on participants' jobs; make sure they realize the training has direct impact on them.
 |
