Safety Meeting

Construction SafetyCh8

Eng: Eyad Haddad

Introduction:

“ If you look for hazards , you will find them; if you don’t look for hazard, they will find you ”

Construction site safety meeting have two broad purposes:» Education » Persuade

Safety meeting may be a mass gathering of all personal on a construction site. Some safety meeting are formal and others are informal.

Safety meeting are invariably an integral component of safety programs.

OSHA: Employer responsibility:The employer shall instruct each employer in the recognition

and avoidance of :

1. Unsafe conditions.

2. Use poisons, caustics, and other harmful substances.

3. Harmful plants or animals are present.

4. Use flammable liquids, gazes, or toxic materials

5. All employers required to enter in to confined or in closed spaces .

In planning safety meetings the following equations should be

carefully addressed when should the meeting be held:

• When should the meetings be held ?• Who will be required to attend the meetings ?• Who will conduct the meeting?• What topics will be discussed at the meeting?• What kind of preparation will be required for the

meetings?• What kind of records will be kept of the meetings?

 

When should the meeting be held? The largest numbers of injuries occurs on Monday, Monday morning is a common choice for the meetings it is the best time to review the activities.

Monday morning may not always be appropriate: The natural of the work may change dramatically between Wednesday and Thursday , the safety meetings must be hold on Thursday morning .  Different days each week helps to avoid making the meetings too routine and boring.

On one project:• The supervisor did not conduct weekly safety

meetings .• The project employed about 40 to 50 workers.• Superintendent called his meetings “gang meetings”.• He held gang meetings whenever the nature of the

work changed .• safety was an integral part each discussion .• In fact, such meetings might be held on four days in

one week, on two the next, and so forth .• The meeting were not timed.• National Safety Council (1985) calls a "production

huddle" . " the best kind of safely meeting."

Who Should Attend the Safety Training Sessions?

All workers on the construction site should be required

to attend a safety session each week .

Large number of workers attending a single session may

present unique challenges for those conducting the

sessions .– difficult to get every worker's attention .

– difficult for all attendees to hear the topic being discussed .

– difficult to get all attendees to feel free to contribute to the discussion .

Who Should Conduct the Safety Training Sessions?The answer depends to some degree on the type and size of the project.

• Crew level ……. foreman or one of the workers • If the project is small …project manager or the job

superintendent . Anyone selected to conduct the meetings should be: • able to speak clearly .• have a voice that projects well .• able to organize his or her thoughts.

Comments from workers in attendance should be taken seriously.

What Topics Should Be Addressed?• The topics to be discussed at safety meetings

must provide information that contributes to the training of the workers .

• It is desirable to grant some latitude to those conducting the meetings to develop their own meeting topics.

• For best results, the topics discussed at safety meetings should be well focused.

• Time should always be allotted for comments and questions that are germane to project safety.

Preparation for Safety Training Sessions

When preparing for the meeting :• Major points • Devise some key questions • A simple quiz

The preparation required will change from time to time depend on :

• subject matter • expertise of those in attendance .

Documentation of Safety Training Sessions

The record should indicate:

• The time of the meeting • The person conducting the meeting • The names of the attendees (often recorded

with their own signatures) • The topics discussed, • Any actions that are to be taken as a result of

the meeting.

A sample form Figure 8.1. 

Supervisory Safety Meetings

• The emphasis of most safety meetings is on the workers .

• Occasionally it may be appropriate for safety meetings to address the job-site supervisors .

• In most instances it is appropriate to include all foremen on the jobsite, including the foremen of subcontractors.

• The meetings are conducted by the project manager or the job-site safety director .

Supervisory Safety Meetings

• Supervisory safety meetings are held about once a month .

• Different tactics might be suggested and implemented. If they are implemented, the results of those efforts can again be discussed at the following supervisory safety meeting .

• Company Safety Meetings (Dinners)

• Some companies hold annual or semiannual safety meetings or dinners.

• Those meetings are not generally regarded as instructional sessions .

• Such meetings are generally held to recognize the appropriate personnel in the company for their contributions to construction safety .

• Recognition is only for those who have excelled in their safety efforts. Although foremen are often included in the recognition awards.

Particular emphasis is placed on the awards for those in higher supervisory positions, including:

• General foremen, • Job superintendents, • General superintendents, • Project managers, and • Safety personnel.

Safety dinners frequently involve the family members of the company employees .

Final Comments

• Safety meetings might properly be referred to as reminder sessions or awareness sessions .

• The company is sending an unfortunate message to the workers .

• Make sure the workers get the message the company wants to send.

Thank you