subject: Safety Meetings – The Heart of a Strong Program [print this page] Safety Meetings The Heart of a Strong Program
Safety Meetings are often regarded as a necessary evil; something that has to be done, no matter how boring and repetitious. Instead, they should be looked upon as an opportunity to connect with employees.
Mandatory safety meetings tend to cover the same topics, often on the same months, year after year. The safety manager does not look forward to them, and the employees certainly don't look forward to them. Bilingual safety trainers make the sessions more palatable than when interpreters are required, but if their attitude and enthusiasm is lacking, the end result is the same: employees who flip the "OFF" switch as soon as they enter the room. Tuned out employees don't get the lessons that can be imparted in safety meetings.
Studies prove what intuition tells us, that when people believe that their employer cares about them, and specifically cares about their well being, they perform better and have a greater loyalty to the employer. The difference in a safety meeting where the leader is enthused, informed, and talented at getting employees engaged and involved in the safety topic is huge. The safety meeting is a wonderful chance to demonstrate to the employees how much the company cares about their safety. The first step is to have the leader well versed in the topic he (she) is covering. Besides being knowledgeable, the safety trainer should be able to get attendees to participate in the meeting, either answering questions or physically involved in demonstrating a safety procedure. When safety meetings require participation, they automatically generate more attention, as the attendees know that they may be called upon in front of their friends and co-workers. Peer pressure is a great motivator.
Safety meetings also offer an opportunity to boost morale. When the leader demonstrates a sense of humor, he is actually increasing the likelihood that the trainees will absorb the information, because he is getting them to tune in to what is happening in the meeting. The real challenge of safety meetings is that the information, by its very mature, is replicated many times, so a long term employees has heard it all before. The danger is complacency, and in physically demanding jobs, complacency leads to injuries. When the leader turns the safety meeting into a meeting where information is presented concisely, where the employees are engaged, and where humor and interaction is encouraged, he has turned the safety meeting into a foundation piece of a successful safety program. Done well, safety meetings can be the very heart of a strong safety program.
