Skip to content
Español

SAFETY MOMENT, AUGUST 28

Keep training fresh

Safety moment, August 28

Keep training fresh

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 28

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

OSHA has no specific standard for complacency, but the general duty to train still applies. In construction, the employer must instruct each employee in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions and the regulations that apply to their work environment (29 CFR 1926.21(b)(2)). Refresher talks like this one keep the hazards in front of the crew, especially on jobs you have done for years. (29 CFR 1926.21(b)(2))

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.

  • 365 safety moments, one per day
  • Dated PDF calendar, a page a day
  • PowerPoint with one slide per moment
  • English and Spanish
  • Each moment links back to its cited toolbox talk

Instant download. 30-day refund, no questions.

Free 52-week toolbox talk calendar (PDF)