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Safety is everyone’s responsibility and it starts with good safety meetings.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), one of the most effective ways to promote a safe working environment is to get involved in company safety meetings.

Since safety is a top priority, we’ve gathered some tips to help you make the most out of your company safety meetings.

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Why Safety Meetings

These informal, brief meetings allow you the opportunity to stay up to date on potential workplace hazards and safe workplace practices, such as machinery use, tool handling, equipment use and safety-minded attitudes—basically anything that may contribute to accidents or illnesses in your workplace.

Meeting Basics 

• Attending safety meetings must be mandatory. Be aware of what days all employees are working and plan accordingly.
• Always have a safety meeting log that must be signed—recordkeeping is an important part of any safety and compliance program.
• Ensure everyone is an active participant. Some of the best safety ideas come from workers because they often know best what and where the dangers are.
• During safety meetings, tell the staff that if they have something to add, they should not hesitate to speak up.
• If you notice that spills aren’t being cleaned up properly or someone didn’t follow lockout/tagout procedures, cover the topic at a future safety meeting. It’s best to make sure everyone can benefit.
• Tell everyone that if they already know about the day’s topic, not to tune out. Remind them they may have something valuable to add.
• Encourage people to provide ideas for topics of future meetings. If they think it sounds interesting, chances are others will find it of interest too.
• Stress to people that if they have a question like how to lift safely or read a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) that they don’t keep it to themselves. There are no dumb questions when it comes to safety.
• If someone doesn’t know all of your safety policies, make sure they can find more information on bulletin boards or from a human resources representative.
• Let everyone know that if they want to nominate someone for a safety award, they can contact supervisors or safety committee with the details.

Regardless of job title, working safely is everyone’s responsibility. Make sure everyone is at the next safety meeting!

For information on insurance relating to safety, contact one of the NGWA insurance partners to help you analyze your needs and decide on the right coverage for you and your business.

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