Safety Meeting Presentation
Today's meeting is really about you. I can stand
in front of you and talk about working safely and what
procedures to follow until I'm blue in the face. But until
you understand the need for working safely, until you
are willing to be responsible for your safety, it doesn't
mean a whole lot.
Some of you may be familiar with OSHA - the
Occupational Safety & Health Administration. The
sole purpose of this agency is to keep American
workers safe. Complying with OSHA regulations isn't
always easy, but if we work together, we can do it.
Yet, complying with regulations is not the real reason
for working safely. Our real motive is simple. We care
about each and every one of you and will do what is
necessary to prevent you from being injured.
However, keeping our workplace safe takes
input from everyone. Management, supervisor, and
all of you have to come together on this issue, or
we're in trouble. For example, upper management
has to approve the purchase of safe equipment.
Supervisors, including myself, have to ensure that
each of you knows how to use that equipment safely.
Then it's up to you to follow through the task and use
the equipment as you were trained. If any one part
of this chain fails, accidents are going to happen and
people are going to get hurt.
Responsibility Number One - Recognize Hazards
At the core of your safety responsibilities lies
the task of recognizing safety and health hazards.
In order to do that, you must first understand what
constitutes a hazard. Extreme hazards are often
obvious. Our hopes are that you won't find too many
of those around here.
There are, however, more subtle hazards that
won't jump up and bite you. As a result of your safety
training and meetings like these, some things may
come to mind. For example, a machine may not be
easy to lock out. Common practice may be to use a tag.
This is a potential hazard and should be discussed.
Maybe something can be changed to make it easier to
use a lock. Other subtle hazards include such things
as frayed electrical cords, a loose machine guard, a
cluttered aisle, or maybe something that just doesn't
look right.
Responsibility Number Two - Report Hazards
A big part of recognizing hazards is using your
instincts. Nobody knows your job as well as you
do, so we're counting on you to let us know about
possible problems. Beyond recognizing hazards, you
have to correct them or report them to someone who
can. This too, is a judgement call. For example, if something spills in your work area you can probably
clean it up yourself. However, if there is an unlabeled
chemical container and you have no idea what it is,
you should report it to your supervisor.
Additional Employee Responsibilities
Good housekeeping is a major part of keeping
your work area safe. For example, you should take a
few minutes each day to ensure that aisles, hallways,
and stairways in your work area are not obstructed.
If boxes, equipment, or anything else is left to pile
up, you have a tripping hazard on your hands. Those
obstructions could keep you from exiting the building
quickly and safely should you face an emergency
situation.
Also watch out for spills. These can lead to slips
and falls. Flammable materials are another thing to
be aware of. Make sure they are disposed of properly.
Keep Thinking. Even if you're doing your job
safely and you are avoiding hazards, there are often
even better ways to work safely. If you have ideas for
improving the safety of your job or that of co-workers,
share them.
Concluding Remarks
While nothing we do can completely eliminate the
threat of an incident, we can work together to improve
our odds. As I said, this must be a real team effort
and I'm counting on input from all of you. Let's keep
communicating and continue to improve safety.
Available at: <http://www.ncsu.edu/ehs/www99/right/training/meeting/emplores.html>.Retrieved on: April 1st, 2012. Adapted.