Important Safety Topics for Your Next Meeting

Shield-Safety provides on-site training for businesses of any size in any industry. Safety is important for the health of your employees and for the productivity of your business. If you haven’t started safety training for your employees, reach out to us today for assistance. Here are some main safety topics to consider:

Issues that Impact Your Workforce

General issues for every business should be addressed consistently and refreshed as necessary. Consider safety discussions regarding appropriate incident/accident investigation, alcohol and drugs on the job (and off the job, if necessary), workplace violence and harassment, general first aid and CPR, fire safety and evacuation procedures, worker fatigue, and mental health needs. Every employee, not just managers, needs to be trained on these topics and understand the protocols and procedures for your business.

OSHA Compliance

OSHA is crystal clear on what they expect from businesses and what they will cite on. It’s important you know and understand what you need to be complaint with. You also need your employees to know these items. OSHA’s top 10 violations over the last four years are:

1. Fall protection – General requirements, construction
2. Respiratory protection – General industry
3. Ladders – Construction
4. Hazard communication – General industry
5. Scaffolding – Construction
6. Fall protection – Training requirements, construction
7. Control of hazardous energy (Lockout/tagout) – General industry
8. PPE – Eye and face protection – Construction
9. Powered industrial trucks – General industry
10. Machinery and machine guarding – General industry

Let’s just discuss just the top three. Fall protections are so bad they show up twice on their list: once for general requirements and again for training problems. Slips, trips, and falls could be the first safety topic to discuss. Uneven pavement, wet and slick tile, or exposed and loose chords are examples of tripping hazards for your employees. The second on the list includes contaminated air in your facility that can cause issues such as bronchitis, emphysema, cognitive problems, and cancers. Employees must understand these potential invisible dangers and be provided with the proper equipment while they’re at the work site. The third item refers to ladder safety, which is a common hazard for employees as well as homeowners. Employees must know how to safely use extension ladders, wooden ladders, and step ladders for use in a variety of settings.

Environmental Factors

This topic includes your business’s impact on the environment and the impact the environment has on your employees while working. Your training topics may include heat illness or stress in high-impact jobs, seasonal safety such as excessive heat or extreme cold, driving safety in rainy or snowy conditions, chemical spills or leaks, and hazardous waste management. The EPA has a lot of requirements for companies to comply with in regard to handling hazardous waste. Employees need to know these requirements. Chemical spills should be prevented at all costs, but employees also need to know how to quickly, yet safely, address an emergency spill.

For help with your office’s safety trainings, contact the knowledgeable experts at Shield-Safety.