How To Conduct A Safety Meeting
Safety meetings may be conducted for managers, supervisors, employees or a combination of all of these. The purpose of every safety meeting is to maintain and increase safety awareness within the workplace. Several items must be considered once the decision has been made to have regular safety meetings.
Responsibility: The responsibility of organizing and conducting safety meetings is typically that of the safety director/ coordinator. In some cases, managers and supervisors are given the responsibility of conducting the meeting while the safety director manages the process by providing topics, coordinating schedules and collecting the meeting documentation.
Frequency: Top management must decide how often to have safety meetings. The frequency of safety meetings varies widely among companies. Consideration must be given to the type of company and their operations when determining the schedule that will work best for them. The frequency can range from weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually to annual depending on what works best in a given situation
Content: The content of a safety meeting can be obtained and determined through a number of sources. This packet contains a number of written safety meetings on a wide variety of topics. The use of videos and visual aids can be effective tools. This is also a good opportunity to discuss recent accidents that may have occurred or safety rule violations that have been observed.
Duration: A regular scheduled safety meeting should not last longer than 20 minutes. This will increase your chances of keeping the attention of the audience.
Documentation: If you are having regular scheduled safety meetings, it is strongly recommended that they documented as to the date, topics discussed and those in attendance. A sample documentation form has been provided in this packet, and keep in mind that attendees should sign in for themselves. The purpose of documentation is to have proof that the employer is making a good faith effort to educate and inform the employees about safety in the workplace. This documentation will come in handy in the event of an OSHA inspection or some types of legal action.
Every company that has regular safety meetings develops their own style and flow as they determine what is best for their workforce. Utilize your first few meetings to learn what works best with your audience and be open to change. It is important that these times be enjoyable for everyone so that safety can be a positive component of your daily operation.