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SAFETY MOMENT, DECEMBER 3

Heat work areas safely

Safety moment, December 3

Heat work areas safely

Winter changes the job overnight. Walkways ice over, days get shorter, roads get slick and heaters move into closed spaces. None of these hazards are new, but they pile up at the same time and change from one morning to the next. A few minutes of planning at the start of each shift keeps small surprises from turning into injuries.

SAFETY MOMENT

December 3

The hazard

Winter changes the job overnight. Walkways ice over, days get shorter, roads get slick and heaters move into closed spaces. None of these hazards are new, but they pile up at the same time and change from one morning to the next. A few minutes of planning at the start of each shift keeps small surprises from turning into injuries.

The action

Fuel-burning heaters and generators give off carbon monoxide, a gas you cannot see or smell. When temporary heaters are used, fresh air must be supplied in sufficient quantities to maintain workers' health and safety (29 CFR 1926.154(a)(1)). Keep heaters level and away from tarps and anything that burns, and never run a generator indoors. (29 CFR 1926.154(a)(1))

ASK THE CREW

What will we do differently on the darkest, coldest mornings?

From the talk: Winter 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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