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SAFETY MOMENT, FEBRUARY 2

Wash your hands the right way

Safety moment, February 2

Wash your hands the right way

Colds, flu and other viruses spread fast when people work close together, share tools and trucks, and eat in the same break area. When a bug goes around, people feel miserable, work falls behind and whoever is left picks up the slack. For some people, like older workers or those with health problems, the flu can be serious. A few simple habits make a real difference.

SAFETY MOMENT

February 2

The hazard

Colds, flu and other viruses spread fast when people work close together, share tools and trucks, and eat in the same break area. When a bug goes around, people feel miserable, work falls behind and whoever is left picks up the slack. For some people, like older workers or those with health problems, the flu can be serious. A few simple habits make a real difference.

The action

Use soap and running water, scrub the backs of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails, then dry with a clean towel or air dryer. Wash before you eat, after the restroom and after you cough, sneeze or blow your nose. Construction sites and permanent general industry workplaces generally must have lavatories with running water, hand soap and individual towels or air blowers (29 CFR 1926.51(f)(3)(i) to (iv) and 29 CFR 1910.141(d)(2)(i) to (iv)). (29 CFR 1926.51(f)(3)(i))

ASK THE CREW

What does our sick policy say, and who do you call if you wake up sick?

From the talk: Infection control at work. 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.

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