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This week, workplaces across the country have stopped work and leaders have rallied crews to discuss safety hazards. Safety leave is a practice that builders do throughout the year, especially during Construction Safety Week.
But how should builders make the most of this time? And how do they make sure they keep the team’s attention and deliver the most important information?
“I think everybody needs to go with those eyes wide open,” said Shaun Carvalho, director of safety for Boston-based Shawmut Design and Construction. “We’re going to create a lot of learning environments where we’re going to launch a lot of things.”
To maximize the impact of the attacks, experts suggested targeting topics for specific trade groups and creating an engaging presentation that requires engagement.
Specific topics with specific trades
If the information presented in a security meeting or toolbox talk isn’t relevant to those listening, people are likely to tune out.
“The best methodology is to make safety meaningful to the craft workers and the team members they talk to during the layoff,” said Ned Brown, safety manager for Gray Construction in Lexington, Kentucky. “If the content isn’t relevant to them, or isn’t presented in a way that they can relate to their work tasks, they won’t retain or buy the information.”
To this end, contractors will include business leaders in planning meetings to prepare relevant information for discharges.
For example, Hal Wheatley, director of corporate safety for Tulsa, Okla.-based Manhattan Construction, said his company will invite electricians to talk to crews about electrical hazards.
“We do it with all our trades,” Wheatley said. “We get all the ownership from all the people on the field and it’s just like, ‘Hey, you really care about me.’ You want to hear what I have to say and what I have to say is important.”
Jesse Torres, Granite Construction’s director of corporate compliance safety, said the company will invite vendors to job sites to discuss the safe use of tools and heavy equipment.
“It’s about getting them involved, getting them involved and seeing that it’s about them,” Torres said.
Attractive presentation style
When speaking in front of a group, it’s no surprise that a script read in a monotone doesn’t attract attention. However, it has often been the standard for safety education.
Contractors have increasingly employed new tools to increase energy and therefore attention.
“It’s best when we have active participation from the contractors. We don’t stand up and just read a script,” said Steve Spaulding, senior vice president and environmental health and safety manager for New York City-based Turner Construction. “It’s about knowing the material and understanding the material and having a conversation.”
One of the ways Turner gets more audience participation is by calling out specific success stories in security clearances.
Shawmut took another practical approach. When it focused on total worker safety and long-term health, the company presented the dangers of drunk driving, Carvalho said. They did a demonstration with golf carts and glasses that simulated a visual impairment.
Timing of toolbox conversations
Safety Week is a prime time to talk about all things safety. But toolbox downloads and talks are year-round events. Another way to maximize effectiveness is to focus on relevant issues as potential risks emerge.
“We took a summer break last year because we wanted to emphasize the heat,” Spaulding said. “We want to make sure we’re communicating that to everyone in the workplace so we can continue to focus and emphasize the importance of it.”
Carvalho, meanwhile, says Shawmut will have a toolbox talk soon about the addictive and distracting nature of screens, ideally something team members can relate to and learn from.
“The reason we do it is because you want people to feel really good,” Carvalho said. “And if you feel great, you’ll be happy at work, you’ll produce more and you’ll want to come back. It’ll be a more enjoyable experience.”
