General industry safety training and talks

• Floors and walkways: kept clean, orderly and sanitary (29 CFR 1910.22(a)(1)) and free of hazards such as spills, snow and ice (29 CFR 1910.22(a)(3)).
• Falls: protection at unprotected sides and edges 4 feet or more above a lower level (29 CFR 1910.28(b)(1)(i)), and training before exposure for employees who use personal fall protection systems (29 CFR 1910.30(a)(1)).
• PPE: a hazard assessment of the workplace (29 CFR 1910.132(d)(1)) and training for each employee who must use PPE (29 CFR 1910.132(f)(1)).
• Lockout/tagout: an energy control program (29 CFR 1910.147(c)(1)) and training on it (29 CFR 1910.147(c)(7)(i)).
• Chemicals: effective information and training at initial assignment and whenever a new chemical hazard is introduced (29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(1)).
• Fire extinguishers: where they are provided for employee use, education at hire and at least annually (29 CFR 1910.157(g)(1) and (g)(2)).
• Emergencies: when a standard requires an emergency action plan, it must be written, though employers with 10 or fewer employees may communicate it orally (29 CFR 1910.38(b)). Some employees are designated and trained to help with evacuation (29 CFR 1910.38(e)).
• First aid: without an infirmary, clinic or hospital in near proximity, someone must be adequately trained to render first aid (29 CFR 1910.151(b)).

Pick a fixed time, like the start of the shift or right after a break, and keep it to 5 to 10 minutes. Stand near the equipment you are talking about. Tie the topic to something real from the last week: a near miss, a new chemical, a guard left off. Ask the people who do the task how they do it, then confirm the safe way. Rotate presenters so it is not always the supervisor talking. Record attendance with the sign-in sheet generator. A talk is a refresher; lockout, forklift and HazCom training each have their own requirements.

HazCom training has to be effective (29 CFR 1910.1200(h)(1)), and training people cannot understand does not do its job. Workplace labels must be in English, and you may add other languages as long as the English is there too (29 CFR 1910.1200(f)(10)). Safety data sheets come in English, and you can keep copies in other languages as well (29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(2)). Give the talk in the crew's strongest language, or in both, one right after the other, and ask for a show-me instead of a nod.

Start with PPE, lockout/tagout, machine guarding, hazard communication, forklift safety, slips, trips and falls, fire extinguishers, emergency action plans, noise and hearing protection and hand safety. For more ideas by workplace, see safety meeting topics, and check which trainings apply with the training requirements finder.