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SAFETY MOMENT, AUGUST 24

Watch for the warning signs

See today's safety momentHow to give a safety moment

Safety moment, August 24

Watch for the warning signs

Complacency is not laziness. It catches skilled, experienced people, because doing a job over and over without getting hurt makes the danger feel smaller than it is. The hazards have not changed, only our attention has. That gap is where shortcuts, missed steps and nasty surprises happen.

SAFETY MOMENT

August 24

The hazard

Complacency is not laziness. It catches skilled, experienced people, because doing a job over and over without getting hurt makes the danger feel smaller than it is. The hazards have not changed, only our attention has. That gap is where shortcuts, missed steps and nasty surprises happen.

The action

Rushing, daydreaming, shortcuts, ignoring small problems and feeling that the rules are only for new people are all warning signs. Fatigue, long stretches of the same work and busy days make it worse. Speak up when you see it in a coworker, expect them to do the same for you, and thank people who speak up.

ASK THE CREW

What shortcuts have you seen on routine work, and why do people take them?

From the talk: Complacency. 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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