Construction Safety Week: Toolbox Talks

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SAFETY WEEK 2022: CONNECTED. SUPPORTED. SAFE.

It’s nearly impossible to leave a mental health issue or personal crisis at the door when you get to work. BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO. We all have days when we can feel overwhelmed, stressed, distracted or just not like ourselves. When we take the time to connect and understand the needs of our team and ourselves, we are better able to show up to support one another and keep everyone safe. Whether you’re suffering from grief, depression, substance abuse, or just having a bad day, we see you, we get you, and we’re here for you.

Using your other device (if available), scan the QR code for a comprehensive list of mental health tools, addiction recovery, and suicide prevention tools and resources. You may also click here to access the site.

DAILY TOOLBOX TALKS: REMAIN CONNECTED May 2, 2022

Remaining connected to your loved ones, your coworkers/crew members, and your community allows each of us to be bonded and know that we are not alone. Connection brings comfort. It brings peace of mind. It allows us to be open and honest about daily experiences - good and bad - and find common ground with others around us. In other words, we are each other’s keepers. In this lesson, we'll talk about ways to stay connected at home and at work.

Stop for a moment and think of the people that mean the most to you; it may be a family member, friend, or even a neighbor.

Building on these relationships can allow us to live happier, more fulfilling lives or have a strong support network in times of need.

TIPS FOR STAYING CONNECTED AT HOME Consider the following suggestions for staying connected at home.

Try to make one meaningful connection per day. In cases of long-distance, keep in touch with web-based video calls or messages.

Share what’s on your mind. Talk constructively and ask others about their perspective.

Learn to listen. Ask about someone’s day and show sincere interest.

The success of a team depends on good communication. Strong working relationships will help your team’s common goal.

Connected crews build trust in one another, minimize conflict, and ensure everyone understands the work plan.

The key is to be an active participant in all forms of communication on the job.

TIPS FOR STAYING CONNECTED AT WORK Consider the following suggestions for staying connected at work.

Engage in your daily job brief or weekly toolbox talk. You can do this by asking questions or sharing knowledge that may benefit your fellow crew members.

Make a new connection at work. A few simple questions can get a conversation going.

Mentor a junior employee or learn from a senior employee. Everyone has something unique to offer, and these interactions can lead to lasting connections.

Which of the following statement shows ways to stay connected at work? Select all that apply

Here are some examples of what you may say to urge others to share: What relationships have the most meaning to you? What ways can you think of to make your team more connected? Share a story of a successful team or project.

DAILY TOOLBOX TALKS: BE SUPPORTED May 3, 2022

Support is mutual. When you support a coworker or friend, they are in turn more likely to support you. This mindset will give each of us the courage to speak up for safety. Our voices are one of the greatest ways to eliminate exposure, but it is not always easy to speak up when we see a potential risk or an unsafe action. Support is also shown within selfless acts for others, which have positive physical and mental effects. Supporting each other and our crews will keep us safe and informed at home and at work. In this lesson, we'll talk about ways to support each other at home and at work.

As many of you have heard, the construction industry is the second-highest industry for death by suicide. Struggles with addiction, substance abuse, and mental well-being run high in our populations.

A selfless act can go a long way, and you may never know how significant of an impact you might have on a person by simply taking a moment to ask if they’re OK, letting them know you appreciate them or showing them a moment of compassion.

Craft Voice in Safety (CVIS), Serious Injury & Fatality Prevention (SIF) discussions, and other craft communication programs allow workers to share their stories and support one another.

VOICING OUT OUR CONCERNS Consider the following opportunities for us to identify and voice our concerns.

When we don’t have the proper PPE, tools, or equipment to complete work per the plan

When there is a change in our tasks, the foreman, or crew

When we realize a material delivery date change will impact our daily activities or the job

DID YOU KNOW?

DAILY TOOLBOX TALKS: STAY SAFE May 4, 2022

Safety is and always must remain a top value. Safety Week is the time to fill our safety “gas tanks” to last us the other 51 weeks of the year by giving us tools and new perspectives on safety while also retaining safety fundamentals. The fundamentals of safety are often a company’s cardinal rules, which are policies that would most likely result in death or serious physical harm if violated. In this lesson, we'll talk about ways to ensure safety for ourselves and our coworkers.

Don’t wait for an incident to happen before you develop a good attitude towards safety. Like many personal attributes, it is easier to judge a safety attitude in others than in oneself.

Focus on “state of mind/attitude” (rushing, frustration, fatigue, and complacency) either before or during a task. We all see errors that occur each day; we are human.

Which of the following is a technique to avoid making a mistake at work? Select all that apply

Some policies are in place due to lessons learned and may be modified from time to time.

Safety policies do not end with the job’s daily activities. Proper PPE is key to staying safe. Although it is the last line of defense, we must all remain committed to safety by supplying our crews with the equipment and gear that will keep them safe each day.

Accidents are more likely to occur if we are reluctant to ask someone to assist with certain tasks.

We all need help occasionally, so being too shy, too macho, or too experienced to ask for help isn’t worth an injury.

After all, wouldn’t you be happy to give someone else a minute or two of your time to prevent an incident from occurring?

You can do a lot to maintain your safety, but you can’t be totally safe all by yourself. Safety is a team effort.

Teamwork means taking the time to teach someone else a safer way to do the job or correct a condition you think might be a hazard. Cooperation of this sort is necessary to stay safe, both in the workplace and in our everyday lives.

DAILY TOOLBOX TALKS: CONTINUE LEARNING May 5, 2022

The construction industry is filled with people of all ages, backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. How do we unite as one connected, supported, and safe industry? Sharing lessons learned on new innovations to a common issue or streamlining a task to make it safer and more efficient will allow us to continually learn and improve our overall safety. In this lesson, we'll talk about some examples to plan on your demonstration day.

Seek out experienced crew members to help lead these discussions and demonstrations.

Invite outside speakers to share insights and presentations and encourage participation from all in attendance.

Make it interactive, educational, and fun.

DEMO DAY EXAMPLES

Safety Helmet Demonstration Lead a discussion on the history of the hard hat, current head injury statistics, and why much of the industry is moving toward better head protection. Many companies are implementing the use of helmets rather than hard hats.

Workplace Fatigue Awareness, Mental Health, and Nutrition Let’s talk about our health and wellness. Invite outside speakers, nutritionists, wellness coaches, or personal trainers. Focus on the realities of our work which can include long hours, long commutes, shift work, etc.

De-escalation Techniques and Situational Awareness Invite experts in crisis prevention, mental health, and suicide prevention to share practical methods to offer supportive and compassionate responses to someone in need.

Equipment Inspection Set up a variety of equipment on your site. Break out into groups and choose key crew members to lead a discussion on daily inspections. Protocols on issues are great discussions to hold for operators and non-operators alike, so be sure to cover some of the most critical items.

Environmental Safety and Protection Host an interactive discussion on environmental protection and mitigation measures. Cover basic elements of SWPPP, dust, noise, and wildlife requirements. Invite guest speakers.

DAILY TOOLBOX TALKS: THANK YOU May 6, 2022

Thank you all for your participation in Safety Week and your ongoing efforts to work safely. We believe that safety is a value, a belief, and an obligation that unites us across individual teams, companies, and the entire industry. It’s a connection that is seen and felt between our fellow workers on the job site, between office, management, and craft, between companies, and even competition, who stand together to keep everyone safe and improve our safety culture industry-wide. It’s a strong bond that keeps us connected to each other and something bigger than ourselves. Because of each of you, we are united in safety and making our industry better.

Working safely does not end today but continues every day in our professional and personal lives. We all must support each other and agree to speak up when something doesn’t look right, or there is a safer way to perform a task. On the next slide, we'll talk about a few things we can all do to make us safer.