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SAFETY MOMENT, MAY 1

Protect the people below

See today's safety momentHow to give a safety moment

Safety moment, May 1

Protect the people below

A scaffold changes every day as it is built, moved, loaded and taken down. One missing plank, a soft base or a rail left off can turn a normal shift into a fall. People working below are at risk too, from tools and material that drop off the platform. A minute of looking before you climb is how we catch these problems.

SAFETY MOMENT

May 1

The hazard

A scaffold changes every day as it is built, moved, loaded and taken down. One missing plank, a soft base or a rail left off can turn a normal shift into a fall. People working below are at risk too, from tools and material that drop off the platform. A minute of looking before you climb is how we catch these problems.

The action

Workers on a scaffold wear hard hats and must also be protected from falling tools and debris with toeboards, screens, guardrail systems, debris nets, catch platforms or canopies. Barricade the area below when something could fall on people. Use tool lanyards where you can, and never toss material off the platform. (29 CFR 1926.451(h)(1))

ASK THE CREW

What would make you stay off a scaffold today?

From the talk: Scaffold 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.

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Free 52-week toolbox talk calendar (PDF)