Pop quiz: How did your last safety meeting go?
- Wonderful! Every single employee was engaged and learned something new about staying safe on the job.
- We hold meetings for compliance, but employees view them as boring and a waste of time.
- I honestly can’t remember my last safety meeting.
If you answered A – congratulations! You’ve got a great thing going. These safety meeting tips might be review for you!
If you answered B, C, or somewhere in between, you’re in good company. Employee engagement is the number one challenge faced by workplace safety professionals today.
4 tips for safety meeting success
Conducting regular safety meetings is a crucial part of building a strong safety culture. It keeps safety top of mind for your employees and reinforces your commitment to safety. It demonstrates continued care for your employees and helps prevent workplace injuries.
The good news? Your meetings don’t have to be complex. Done well, even the simplest safety meeting can accomplish these goals and impact your business.
1. Schedule your safety meeting
It’s important to be consistent. You can be flexible on the time and place, but scheduling your meetings regularly ensures they will happen. Try never to cancel a safety meeting because of scheduling conflicts. Employee safety is a top priority for any business in any industry!
2. Cover relevant information
Deciding what to cover can be a challenge. Start with topics that involve common incidents in your industry, or a safety rule that employees often forget. You don’t have to come up with your meeting content from scratch. Googling “safety meeting topics” for your industry is a great way to get started. You can also visit our Resource Library for free Tool Box Talks written by our safety experts.
3. Keep the meeting short
Some business owners or managers think they don’t have time for safety meetings. But your meetings don’t have to be long. A five-minute discussion on basic but vital safety topics (ex. wearing a seat belt) can prevent injuries. More complex topics like your company’s lockout/tagout procedures will take a little longer. To keep meetings succinct, don’t rely on a pre-made presentation. Cover the information your employees need and be sure to build in time for questions and feedback.
4. Create a space for employee engagement
To keep employees engaged, your safety meetings should foster two-way communication. Encourage employees to ask questions, voice concerns, and provide feedback. Ahead of the meeting, ask trusted employees to share their own experiences and recognize them for doing the right things.
Master your next safety meeting
An impactful safety meeting doesn’t have to be hours long or professionally facilitated. To prevent injuries on the job, lead short and frequent safety meetings that cover relevant information and engage your employees.
For a detailed discussion on how to lead successful safety meetings, listen to Safety Meetings 101 on the WorkSAFE Podcast.