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SAFETY MOMENT, FEBRUARY 11

Control sparks, flames and heat

Safety moment, February 11

Control sparks, flames and heat

A small fire can get out of control fast, and smoke can make it hard to see or breathe before you ever see flames. A fire can start from something simple, like a pile of scrap, a leaking gas can, oily rags or a heater too close to something that burns. Preventing a fire is always safer than fighting one.

SAFETY MOMENT

February 11

The hazard

A small fire can get out of control fast, and smoke can make it hard to see or breathe before you ever see flames. A fire can start from something simple, like a pile of scrap, a leaking gas can, oily rags or a heater too close to something that burns. Preventing a fire is always safer than fighting one.

The action

On construction sites, smoking is prohibited at or near operations that are a fire hazard, and those areas must be posted “No Smoking or Open Flame.” Keep heaters, work lights and engine exhausts away from anything that can burn. Welding and cutting need extra precautions, so check the area before any hot work starts. (29 CFR 1926.151(a)(3))

ASK THE CREW

If a fire starts, how do we report it and where do we meet outside?

From the talk: Fire prevention. 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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