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SAFETY MOMENT, JANUARY 5

Use cords and power strips the right way

Safety moment, January 5

Use cords and power strips the right way

Offices feel safe, so hazards are easy to ignore. Trips over cords and boxes, falls from chairs used as ladders, tipping file cabinets and blocked exits can all hurt people who work at a desk. A few small habits go a long way.

SAFETY MOMENT

January 5

The hazard

Offices feel safe, so hazards are easy to ignore. Trips over cords and boxes, falls from chairs used as ladders, tipping file cabinets and blocked exits can all hurt people who work at a desk. A few small habits go a long way.

The action

In general industry, flexible cords, including extension cords, may not be used as a substitute for a building's fixed wiring. Do not run cords through doorways, under rugs or across walkways, and do not plug one power strip into another. Check cords before you use them, and take a damaged cord out of service (29 CFR 1910.334(a)(2)(ii)). (29 CFR 1910.305(g)(1)(iv)(A))

ASK THE CREW

Where are the nearest exits from this room, and where do we meet once we are outside?

From the talk: Office safety. Read it in full, free, with the questions and the sign-in sheet.

HOW TO USE IT

How to give a safety moment

  1. Gather the crew where they work, before the shift or the meeting starts. Read the hazard out loud.
  2. Ask the question and let two or three people answer. What they say about their own work counts for more than what you read.
  3. Name the action and point to one place on today's job where it applies, so everyone knows what to do differently.
  4. Write the date and the names on a sign-in sheet.

A safety moment is short and does not replace the full talk. When you want to go through a topic with the crew, pick a free toolbox talk.

PRINT AND EDIT

365 safety moments, $29

One moment for every day of the year in the same format as this one: the hazard, the action, the question and the source talk with its citation. Print a page a day or show a slide.

  • 365 safety moments, one per day
  • Dated PDF calendar, a page a day
  • PowerPoint with one slide per moment
  • English and Spanish
  • Each moment links back to its cited toolbox talk

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Free 52-week toolbox talk calendar (PDF)