Always Know What You’re Getting Into – 8/1/22
Safety E-QuickTips
U.S. Compliance Systems, Inc.
Monday Aug 1, 2022
Always Know What You’re Getting Into
This week we’re going to talk about how safety meetings and refresher safety training can be used to provide employee safety training and why ongoing safety training is so important.
Just 5-10 minutes a week is all it takes to help ensure your employees are aware of the hazards they may be exposed to and how they can protect themselves from those hazards.
That’s right. A 5-10 minute safety meeting is one of the best ways to provide your employees continued awareness of hazards in the workplace.
By keeping the meeting specific to one topic, you’re able to focus your efforts and keep your employees involved in the meeting. Try not to discuss multiple topics during your meetings so as not to lose focus, making safety meetings less effective in protecting your employees.
You’ll also want to make sure the sure the safety topic is relevant to the work your employees are performing. It should provide them awareness of the hazards they may be exposed to during the workday, thus helping to prevent accidents created from those hazards.
By keeping the meeting short and to the point, your meeting will never become cost prohibitive for your company, and it will help prevent your meetings from becoming another coffee break where the focus is more on the break than the safety topic.
Now let’s talk a little about refresher safety training.
Let’s face it – when we learn something new and then don’t practice it on a regular basis, we tend to forget at least some of what we’ve learned. When it comes to safety training that is often the case.
Now I’m not saying employees don’t practice safety every day, but what I am saying is that some of the training employees receive may not be used for a while because they are not being exposed to a specific hazard.
An example of this might be where a company provides their employees permit required confined space entry training and the employees who have been trained are not involved in working in a confined space until a year or two later.
It would be a good idea to make sure those employees receive refresher training in confined space entry prior to entering the space.
Another time refresher training is helpful is when you find an employee not practicing the safety procedures that they have been previously taught. This is a perfect time to provide the employee refresher training specific to the hazard they were caught exposing themselves to.
And lastly, refresher safety training should be done when there have been changes to OSHA regulations or your company safety policies, or when you are replacing old safety equipment with new.
It is always important to make sure your employees are aware of the most current safety practices and equipment that is available to them.
Employee QuickTip
Safety meetings and refresher training are a big part of making sure you are aware and keep up to date with workplace safety. Use this time wisely – it could save your life.
Employer/Management QuickTip
If you don’t remember everything about this E-QuickTip, remember this. Always focus your training and Safety Meetings, Toolbox Talks or Tailgate Meetings on relevant topics of the work being performed.
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Thanks for Reading and Please – Stay Healthy and Work Safe.
