Tag: Weekly Safety Message 47

Questions to Ask Before a Work Task Safety Talk

There are many questions that we need to ask or answer throughout a workday to get a job accomplished. The same can be said for working safely. There are many different questions we can ask ourselves and the other individuals involved in a work task to ensure we are working safely.

Examples of Questions to Ask

Prior to starting a work task, we should be running through checklists- whether it is an actual physical checklist or a mental checklist. No matter if the checklist is a physical one or a mental one, there is often a set of questions that need to be answered to double-check that everything is in line prior to work beginning.

Some examples of questions that can be asked:

• Do I understand the work task?
• Do I understand the hazards associated with the work?
• What can injure me?
• Do I have the necessary training needed for the task?
• Is all associated paperwork completed?
• Do I have all the tools needed to do the job?
• Are the right personnel involved in the task?

Human Performance Questions

There are also other questions to ask yourself regarding you and your state of mind prior to a task beginning. It is important to do a self-check to ensure you are able to complete your work to the best of your ability as well as safely as possible. Some questions to ask yourself:

• Am I stressed?
• Is my focus on the work task?
• Is fatigue, medication, or illness affecting my work?

What to do with the Answers

Asking these questions serves no purpose if you do not follow through with the information that comes from them. For example, if you find a deficiency in the paperwork needed to complete the work task, then you need to stop work and get the necessary paperwork completed before proceeding. When completing a self-check, if you find that your focus is not on the task, how can you fix it?

Is it a simple phone call home before starting the task to get peace of mind? Is it changing the work area so that you are more easily able to focus on the work task? Regardless of the issue, find a solution prior to beginning work.

Discussion point:

-What other questions are important to help us work safely?

Questions to Ask Before a Work Task – Safety Talk Ideas

External and Internal Pressures to Complete Work Safety Talk

As employees, we all have tasks that need to be completed each day in order to contribute to continuing business operations. With the necessity of having to complete tasks, there can be pressure put on workers from different sources. These sources are usually external sources of pressure to get a job done, but there is also an internal, or self-imposed, pressure to get work tasks done quicker.

External Pressures to Get Work Completed

The external pressures to get work done are the ones we are more familiar with. External pressures can include:

• Bosses or supervisors pushing employees to get something done quicker.
• Clients wanting faster progress.
• Other coworkers rushing those around them.
• Time pressures such as deadlines.
• Weather (construction)

External pressures are created by a source outside of our full control. While these mentioned pressures may be out of our control, oftentimes, the self-imposed or internal pressure we put on ourselves can be greater than the external sources we face.

Internal Pressure to Perform

Unlike external pressure, internal pressure is created and put on yourself by you. It is a need or a want to work faster without any direct pressure from an outside source dictating that it needs to be done. While efficiency and production are necessary at work, it is only necessary to the point where safety starts to become compromised.

We often feel that we need to perform or work faster in order to reach some kind of beneficial end when in all reality, this is not the case.

Best Practices to Avoid External and Internal Pressure to Work Faster

There are many different things we can all do on the job in order to avoid unnecessary risk of injury due to rushing around. Some quick best practices:

• Proper planning of work activities. Plan out your work prior to starting it. Do you have all the tools, equipment, training, personnel, knowledge, time, etc., to get the task done safely?
• Proper communication and respect between employees. Yelling, belittling, or being disrespectful is not an efficient way to get things done. This often results in unnecessary stress, as well as individuals feeling like they need to rush around.
• Take time to evaluate what you are doing. Take time to realize when you are rushing yourself. The pressure we feel to get a job done faster may just be created internally for no real benefit.

Summary

There are many reasons why an individual may feel like they need to perform work faster. It may come from an external source, such as a screaming boss, or it may be created internally by the individual. No matter the source, too much pressure to get a job done faster will result in more exposure to hazards. Eventually, the push to get work done faster will result in someone being injured.

Pressure to Get Work Done – Safety Talk Ideas

It Won’t Happen to Me Safety Talk

There are many excuses someone will give for not working safely. Some common excuses include: I didn’t know, I didn’t have time, I lost my PPE, nothing will happen, etc. One of the worst excuses to have for not working safely is an “it won’t happen to me” mindset. This excuse communicates a mindset that is set on not completing a task safely or shows a person is relying on luck to keep safe while on the job.

Experience and Attitude Towards Workplace Safety

There is no substitute for experience. Experience, for the most part, allows us to work more efficiently and safely; however, this is not always the case. Experience can also lead to complacency or a higher level of tolerance for risk. When an employee has done the same task or has been in the same occupation for many years, they can have the “it won’t happen to me mindset.”

This doesn’t mean that newer employees cannot have the same mindset, but it is often very experienced employees who fall into this mindset trap. We have all heard stories of experienced workers or supervisors getting seriously injured from becoming complacent about known hazards. It is necessary to be mindful of your attitude toward safety on the job.

Why it is Necessary to Avoid This Mindset

Complacency can be hard to avoid; however, having the mindset that an incident or injury will not happen can put you at great risk of sustaining an injury. Believing you are not susceptible to the hazards of the job is a quick way to be injured. No one is able to avoid injury from the majority of hazards from just having experience alone. It takes action on top of that experience to ensure safeguards are in place and safe work practices are being followed to avoid injury. No matter how much experience you have, the necessary steps still need to be taken to prevent an incident from occurring.

Summary

Do not let experience on the job affect your attitude towards taking the correct steps to work safe. Hazards need to be controlled. They are only controlled when we as workers, take the time to implement the proper safeguards and follow safe work practices. Evaluate your attitude toward safety as well as what hazards or work tasks you may have become complacent towards.

It Won’t Happen to Me – Safety Talk Ideas