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SAFETY MOMENT, MAY 23

Know the drinking water rules

Safety moment, May 23

Know the drinking water rules

Your body loses water all day through sweat and breathing, even when you do not notice it. When you fall behind, you get tired, dizzy and slow, and a tired, dizzy worker is more likely to slip, fall or make a mistake with a tool. In hot weather, dehydration also raises the risk of serious heat illness.

SAFETY MOMENT

May 23

The hazard

Your body loses water all day through sweat and breathing, even when you do not notice it. When you fall behind, you get tired, dizzy and slow, and a tired, dizzy worker is more likely to slip, fall or make a mistake with a tool. In hot weather, dehydration also raises the risk of serious heat illness.

The action

In construction, an adequate supply of potable water must be provided at every workplace. Potable means safe to drink. General industry employers must also provide potable water at permanent workplaces (29 CFR 1910.141(b)(1)(i)). If the cooler is empty or the water looks or smells off, tell your foreman right away. (29 CFR 1926.51(a)(1))

ASK THE CREW

How can we make water breaks part of the job instead of something people skip?

From the talk: Hydration. 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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