Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
technique.helps.communicate.time-sensitive.information.to.a.department,.crew,.or.
work.team.
In.these.short.succinct.meetings,.supervisors.convey.changes.in.work.practices;.
short.training.modules;.facts.related.to.an.accident.or.injury;.speciic.job.instructions,.
policies,.and.procedures;.rules.and.regulation.changes;.or.other.forms.of.information.
that.the.supervisor.feels.are.important.to.every.worker.under.his.or.her.supervision.
Although. safety. talks. are. short,. these. types. of. talks. should. not. become. just. a.
routine.part.of.the.workday..Thus,.to.be.effective,.they.must.cover.current.concerns.
or.information,.be.relevant.to.the.job,.and.have.value.to.the.workers..Plan.safety.talks.
carefully.in.order.to.effectively.convey.a.speciic.message.and.a.real.accident.preven-
tion.technique..Select.topics.applicable.to.the.existing.work.environment;.plan.the.
presentation.and.focus.on.one.issue.at.a.time..Use.materials.to.reinforce.the.presenta-
tion.and.clarify.the.expected.outcomes..Some.guidelines.to.follow:
.
1.. Plan.a.safety.talk.training.schedule.in.advance.and.post.a.notice.
.
2.. Prepare.supporting.materials.in.advance.
.
3.. Follow.a.procedure.in.the.presentation:.explain.goals,.try.to.answer.questions,.
restate.goals,.and.ask.for.action.
.
4.. Make.attendance.mandatory.
.
5.. Make.each.employee.sign.a.log.for.each.session.
.
6.. Ask. for. feedback. from. employees. on. the. topic. at. hand. or. other. proposed.
topics.
.
7.. Involve.employees.by.reacting.to.suggestions.or.letting.them.make.presen-
tations.when.appropriate.
.
8.. Reinforce.the.message.throughout.the.workweek.
No.matter.how.effective.communications.are.with.the.workforce,.there.is.still.a.
need.to.ensure.that.workers.have.the.competence.to.perform.the.basic.skills.of.the.
tasks.to.which.they.have.been.assigned.
sAFety tAlks And meetIngs
Safety.talks,.sometimes.called.toolbox.talks,.are.an.important.training.tool.for.the.
safety. and. health. department. and. the. supervisor.. These. safety. talks. can. be. used.
to.cover.a.wide.range.of.important.safety.topics.in.real.time.or.immediately.after.
mishaps.or.near-misses.have.occurred..Safety.talks.have.the.beneit.of.incorporating.
speciic.company.issues.and.concerns.
Safety.talks.cannot.be.done.in.a.helter-skelter.fashion..They.should.be.approached.
in. an. organized. manner. using. a. planned. approach. or. they. become. nonfunctional..
Safety.talks.must.have.“meat”.to.them..Thus,.they.should.not.become.a.gripe.session.
or.have.the.appearance.of.being.a.“seat-of-the-pants”.presentation.
Safety. talks,. as. with. other. training,. should. be. documented.. This. documenta-
tion. should. include. the. date. of. the. talk,. presenter's. name,. topic,. a. list. of. those. in.
attendance,.and.any.materials.used.that.should.be.attached.to.the.Record.of.Safety.
Meeting.Form.(see.Table 20.2).
