SMS-Earn an 'A' in Safety this Month

Safety Meeting Starters
(SMS) for August 2012
Happy August! This month’s theme is about earning an ‘A.’ To learn more about how we can
earn an ‘A’, read more.

As always, Safety Meeting Starters contains tons of helpful and timely safety information to
help you and your work group identify and control work hazards and raise safety awareness - -
enjoy the material, and please share it with a friend, co-worker, staff member or supervisor.

To inquire about Matt’s keynote presentations and seminars log onto www.safestrat.com.

Don’t wait for effective safety information, stay up to speed on the latest safety information
through Twitter - - (https://twitter.com/Safestrat or @safestrat).

Order Now - - Available today! What Safety Leaders Do, The Insider’s
Handbook for Safety Leadership Tips, Tactics, Secrets and Ideas, was released
mid-April. One early commenter wrote; “We are all very busy, so if you want to
take the time to read one book that will have the greatest impact on improving
your safety program results, then you need to read What Safety Leaders Do.”
Steve McKay, Willis Insurance Group.

New Release discounts: use code GHDF4HQD and get $5.00 off per book, no
limits! To learn more and order: https://www.createspace.com/3761883

We love your feedback - - send comments to matt@safestrat.com.

Thanks again and pass this along! Remember, no one gets hurt today! God Bless, Matt.

Matt Forck, CSP, JLW | www.safestrat.com | 573.999.7981

SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture! 2

S.A.F.E. (See Accidents Forever Eliminated) ™ at Work
- A Motivational Safety Column!

There is no Safety Maid!

Since our children have been old enough to walk and carry a plate, we have had
one rule concerning dinner. That rule is; when finished at the dinner table the
plate must be carried to the kitchen sink. It’s a small attempt to teach some sort
of responsibility.

Last week when dinner was over Nathan, age four, was complaining about a
stomach ache. Stephanie, my wife, offered to hold him in an effort to make that
‘bad belly’ go away. She scooped him up and carried him a few steps into the
living room and the Lazy Boy recliner. There, the two rocked.

Natalie, who is five, and I were finishing our dessert. Because her brother and
mom were sitting close in the other room, she wanted to sit closer to me. So, I
pulled her chair over and side-by-side, we ate ice cream.

It was at that point that Natalie realized that Nathan and mom had left the table
without carrying their plates to the sink. She looked around and said in her
authoritative five-year-old voice, “People! People, I am not your maid!” (I guess
she has heard that a time or two?)

In safety, there is no safety maid. If we want it done, it’s up to us. From PPE to
safety rules to a job briefing, no one is going to carry our plates to the sink. Today,
make sure we don’t leave anything on the table…carry that plate, it’s our
responsibility.

©20121-SafeStrat, LLC-All Rights Reserved

Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981
Safety Strategies…for LIFE!


Safety Tidbits—the most information packed pages in safety!
Quotes of the month:

"Most people are not going after what they want. Even some of the most serious goal
seekers and goal setters - they're going after what they think they can get."

Bob Proctor

Safety Article:

Do you have Safety With-it-Ness, safety article - -
http://ohsonline.com/Blogs/The-OHS-Wire/2012/07/Do-You-Have-Safety-
Withitness.aspx

The Safety Committee Coach - - get the most out of your investment!

http://www.safestrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/The-Safety-
Committee-Coach.pdf

Being Free From Injuries; http://www.utilityproducts.com/articles/print/volume-
16/issue-06/product-focus/safe-at-work/being-free-from-injuries.html

From the Twitter Feed - - why wait for the end of the month Safety Meeting Starters when you
can get near real time safety updates from my Twitter feed! Join today;
https://twitter.com/Safestrat or @safestrat.

Safety News from Recent Tweets
Matt Forck @Safestrat

Falling beam kills Santa Fe worker: http://bit.ly/Oz8bxZ

Near Death At SeaWorld: Worldwide Exclusive Video http://huff.to/Ot4pSI via
@HuffPostGreen

OSHA investigator wraps up work at Lincoln Co. plant - WFXS, MyFoxWausau - News
and Weather for Wausau, WI: http://bit.ly/Oz7x3q

Do you have safety with-it-ness? http://ohsonline.com/Blogs/The-OHS-
Wire/2012/07/Do-You-Have-Safety-Withitness.aspx …



Penalties Filed in Port Worker's Crushing Death.
http://ohsonline.com/articles/2012/07/24/penalties-filed-in-port-workers-crushing-
death.aspx …

Kingston worksite shut after fatality http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/act-
news/kingston-worksite-shut-after-fatality-20120721-22gf6.html … via @brisbanetimes

Man sets house on fire after using blowtorch on spider webs | The Sideshow - Yahoo!
News http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/man-sets-house-fire-trying-kill-spiders-
blowtorch-233815257.html … via @YahooNews

Driving Skills...10 and 2 isn't today's wisdom; http://autos.yahoo.com/news/4-things-you-
didn-t-learn-in-driver-s-ed.html …

2 Houston soccer players killed by lightning (what direction do you give your workers
who might be outside in a storm?) http://bit.ly/OdM3Ze

Lawn Chair Balloon Duo Abort Mission, Land Early http://abcnews.go.com/US/lawn-
chair-balloon-duo-flight/story?id=16779011 …

Pineville company cited by OSHA in death of employee
http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20120711/NEWS01/207110328/Pineville-company-
cited-by-OSHA-death-employee …

OSHA: No jurisdiction in teen’s death in Princeton, IL
http://www.bcrnews.com/2012/07/09/osha-no-jurisdiction-in-teens-
death/a15z3a1/?page=1 …

OSHA not part of Keaschall investigation - - utility worker falls thru bottom of arial lift
bucket; http://www.kearneyhub.com/news/local/osha-not-part-of-keaschall-
investigation/article_4edc2a12-c6c1-11e1-9e1f-
0019bb2963f4.html#.UADHYfMF4_k.twitter … via @KearneyHub

OSHA investigating roofer's fall. The article says safety devices would probably have
saved him! http://shar.es/tGvs6 via @sharethis

We can never rely on luck! Do each job safe.
http://m.yahoo.com/w/legobpengine/news/florida-mans-silver-medallion-stops-falling-
bullet-fireworks-180629835--abc-news-
topstories.html?orig_host_hdr=news.yahoo.com&.intl=US&.lang=en-US …

Boy killed by falling tombstone was helping dad http://bigstory.ap.org/article/6-foot-tall-
tombstone-falls-kills-utah-boy-4 …



Boys lose fingers in fireworks accident
http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2012/jul/07/boys-lose-fingers-fireworks-
accident/ …

Great white shark following man in kayak - - are your people too comfortable to hazards?
http://news.yahoo.com/photos/photo-of-the-day-slideshow-slideshow/great-white-shark-
cape-cod-beach-reopens-sighting-photo-164529808--abc-news-topstories.html …

High winds may have contributed to this fatal crane accident:
http://on.msnbc.com/NPTcv5

She "pleaded for co-workers to cut her loose. It wasn’t until paramedics arrived that she
was freed." http://bit.ly/MMkesl

Trapped construction worker rescued from trench in Edina | http://kare11.com
http://kare11.tv/LtYBHz via @kare11

Plant's first lost time incident is a fatality - -
http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/06/27/4077027/worker-dies-in-accident-at-
chester.html … via @twitterapi

OSHA investigating worker's death on UA campus - KAIT-Jonesboro, AR-News,
weather, sports, classifieds: http://bit.ly/NetWly

2 children die after electric shock in Lake of Ozarks - -
http://www.komu.com/news/update-officials-release-cause-of-lake-of-the-ozarks-
electrocution/ …

Safety Meeting Starters, July 2012 http://conta.cc/QTzP8B via #constantcontact

The Safety Notebook:

Sign up for the OSHA heat app at this link...pretty cool, no pun intended!
http://www.osha.gov/as/opa/quicktakes/qt05152012.html

Safety Duct Tape - - 72 minutes of safety material to recharge your batteries for only 99
cents! http://www.amazon.com/Safety-Duct-
Tape/dp/B005Q2XQM6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1319715328&sr=1-1

Keep Going for Safety - - http://www.utilityproducts.com/articles/print/volume-
16/issue-2/safe-at-work/keep-going-for-safety.html

OSHA Quick Cards - - If you have not used OSHA quick cards before, then you will love
this website. It’s a terrific reference for quick hit job briefings, safety awareness and
safety meetings; http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/quickcards.html



A note to leadership:
Note; Steve McKay is a good friend and he shared this with me this month. Steve
works with a host of clients and sends timely advice to his senior leaders; this is
one such email. I am sharing this with Steve’s permission. Also, share your safety
messages with me, and I can share with others; www.safestrat.com

Subject: Thought

Good Afternoon,

I hope this finds you all well. As I have done from time to time I would like to share a thought
with you.

I was just reading an article in MaineBiz on Goodwill Industries and their commitment to
sustainability.

In the article their new President and CEO, Anna Roosevelt stated that she has called upon
Goodwill's board to add a sustainable approach to company management and to the strategic
plan, which means considering the impact of every decision on the environment, the
community and the bottom line.

Your organizations strive every day to provide a safe work place and to protect the number one
asset of your organization, your employees. Yet, people are injured, and there are up and
downs in effectiveness of your loss prevention program. I would suggest asking yourselves this
question; Is Safety Truly Integrated into Everything We Do as an Organization? I suspect
the majority of you would answer no.

Thus, I call on you to make the same call that Anna Roosevelt has made on her Board. Call
upon your Board, your Executive Team and all your employees to make safety a sustainable
approach to the company management, to the strategic plan and when making every decision
in your organization ask yourselves how will this decision impact the safety of our employees.
If you do this, you will take your organization from having a safety program to having safety
integrated as part of the every day business.

Thank you and I appreciate your time,
Steve McKay, Willis Insurance



Available Now! Order today…
What Safety Leaders Do – - The Insider’s Handbook for
Safety Leadership Tips, Tactics, Secrets & Ideas

Today there is a procedure for everything that is important. Yet,
more than 99% of groups fail to have a road map for safety
leadership. The reason is that leadership is different. While most
of those other procedures are ‘one size fits all,’ safety leadership
is not. Each team, work group, and company has a different
culture, history, exposures and corporate structure which means
there isn’t a cookie cutter mold to safety leadership. To be
successful, each organization must customize their program to fit
their unique organization. To effectively ‘customize’ your
company’s safety leadership program, you first need access to all
of the cutting edge leadership tactics, tips and secrets – - which is
exactly what this book provides! Then, you can pick the ideas that
are right for your group; putting proven methods to work for you
– - to get the results you have always aimed to achieve. 204
pages/$19.95

New Release discounts: use code GHDF4HQD and get $5.00 off per book, no limits!

To learn more and order: https://www.createspace.com/3761883 or www.safestrat.com

Reviews are in:
“I felt that Matt was speaking directly to me through this book. It not only identified many of the
issues facing my company's safety challenges but also many that apply to me personally. We
oftentimes over-complicate safety. Matt provides a very simple recipe for success. He not only
identifies key weaknesses that most of us face but he provides ideas and solutions that could be
implemented tomorrow." Bill Dampf, Manager, Safety and Training Utility Sector

“I edit the writings of 100s of safety authors and Matt Forck is unique in his approach to safety
leadership and saving lives. Matt makes safety reading easy with his humor, down to earth
realism, and "from the frontlines" solutions. Matt has a sharp mind, big heart, and is "mission
driven" to give safety professionals ideas and tools to build strong safety cultures, nurture strong
effective safety leadership, and keep employees actively engaged in safety processes.” Dave
Johnson, Chief Editor (since 1980), Industrial Safety & Hygiene News (ISHN)



ISMA-Involved Safety Meeting Activity
Activity: 31 -A Game of Cards

Estimated Time: 30 Minutes

Materials Needed: Several Decks of Cards

Reference materials: See ISMA below:

The ISMA:
Divide your group into groups of four, set up a card tournament playing the fast paced card
game ‘31.’ Here is how ‘31’ is played:

Deal each player three cards, place the deck in the middle and turn over the top card. Each
player plays individually. Players count the value of matching suits. For example, if I am dealt
an eight and nine of Hearts and a queen of Diamonds, I have 8 + 9 for 17 or I could count the
Diamond by itself for ten points. Cards have to be in the same suit in order to be counted. Tens
and face cards are ten points and aces are 11. Each player is given a turn and he/she must
take the top card (the one that’s turned over) or draw from the deck and then discard their card
on the ‘face up’ stack. The next player can take this discarded card or draw from the deck.
Once you think your hand is good enough to beat those at your table, you knock. The remaining
players have one more chance to draw before all players lay cards on the table. The player with
the highest value wins. The winner goes on to another table of other winners. Play until there is
one winner. It’s a fast moving game.

Those not playing in the ‘winners’ round can observe the game. Ask them to think about what
players are doing in order to win.

The Take-a-ways:
So, what do we do in order to win the card game ’31?’ Well, we knock when we think we can
beat everyone else’s hand at our table. Depending on a variety of factors, you might win a round
with a score of twenty or it might take 31 to win. Unless we are holding a perfect hand of 31
however, there is always that element of unknown, the fact is another player could draw the
right card in the last round to beat you.

In safety, it’s the same. We often do something (knock) knowing we have not eliminated all of
the hazards from our job or as we say in ‘31’ we knock holding less then a perfect hand. We do
this because we think we can win. Yet, sometimes things happen beyond our control and we
lose a hand of cards or worse, we are injured on the job. In each job, eliminate all of the
hazards. Make it a practice that you do not ‘knock,’ or begin work until all hazards are
eliminated or effectively controlled. That way you know, you can’t be beat, you’re holding a
perfect safety ’31.’



Want 101 ISMAs? Check out ISMA (Involved Safety Meeting Activities—101Ways to Get Your People
In Involved! at Matt’s website;
http://www.thesafetysoul.org/Matt%20Forck%20Safety%20Speaker%20Review%20Books.htm



SPOT-M –(Safety Picture of the Month)

Bon Appetite?

A fall from even a lettuce container could hurt! Use the
right tool for each and every job…now, let’s eat! (This photo was reportedly
taken by a customer in a fast food restaurant and routed on the internet).

Choose in favor of your safety!



Tools for Pros!
Leaders Who Score a High ‘A’ Get Results
The Art of Results through Acceptance
Matt Forck, CSP and JLW, www.safestrat.com

If you are reading this, it is highly likely that over the last twelve months you have written, or
served on a team that has written, a new policy. If you have been involved in the safety industry
for more than a decade it is highly likely that in addition to drafting a policy or two, you have
worked on a team that has written a safety strategy. If you and your strategy team were like
most organizations, the process of forming a new safety strategy, also called a safety process, is
a big deal. Teams and sub-teams are often formed. Meetings are held with ideas and concepts
white-boarded. Research is done to determine if templates are available and to find examples
of similar strategies. Consultants are often retained and best practices benchmarked. Pieces
and parts of the strategy are written, rewritten, reviewed by the team, then senior
management, then approved. At the end of a long and grueling process the strategy team
worked hundreds of dedicated and hard spent hours producing a high quality strategy.

Looking back on the strategy you worked on, how effective was it when implemented? Often,
organizations spend a great deal of time, energy, resources and money on making a high quality
strategy, yet once the strategy is implemented effectiveness and results are slow to materialize,
and overall the strategy is not very effective. The reason that these strategies are not as
effective as they should be is leaders fail to understand a simple equation. Rajeev Peshawaria
in his insightful book titled Too Many Bosses, Too Few Leaders: The Three Essential Principles
You Need to Become an Extraordinary Leader says that Q (quality) times A (acceptance) equals
E (effectiveness). In short, organizations often spend hours, months and sometimes years on
quality of strategy but invest little on the acceptance side of the equation, leading to low results
and frustration throughout the leadership team.

The Equation - - Let’s spend just a moment looking further at this equation. Let’s assume that
we are working on a scale from one to ten, with 10 equating to ‘most effective.’ If that is true,
then our maximum effectiveness score would be 100 (10x10). Given the fact that many
organizations retain safety professionals and spend considerable time on the writing of safety
strategies and policies, let’s assume a given safety strategy is drafted well, and scores a 7 for
quality. If it is rolled out with a 3 for acceptance, our overall effectiveness score is 21. With a
score of 21, results are slow to materialize and the organization will quickly become frustrated.
In these situations what do many organizations do? They rewrite their strategy! If the strategy
is rewritten and now scores a 9, overall effectiveness is still only 27! Yet, if an organization
understands this equation, they can invest in acceptance, and the acceptance score climbs to a
solid 6, effectiveness more than doubled, from 21 to 54 - - and the organization will start to net



some results. The question isn’t really about writing a solid strategy…given the time, resources
and professionalism most organizations dedicate to that task, the score will be solid. The
question for effectiveness is what is your acceptance plan? These five steps can help.

Write a formal acceptance plan - - When a company has a big announcement the public
relations department will often draft a communications plan. This plan is a written document
outlining all tactics to communicate the given announcement. First, the message will be refined
and packaged. Then, all communication channels (news media, earned media, TV and radio,
social media, employee communications, etc.) will be identified and outlined in the plan. Next,
all stakeholders will be identified and specific outreach determined for each key stakeholder.
The plan is reviewed, then approved and executed. In political campaigns, an acceptance plan is
the same as a campaign plan.

To gain acceptance of a new safety strategy, we need the same approach - - a formal written
plan that outlines messages, training sessions, posters, key stakeholders, communication
channels, time lines, training materials, etc. The acceptance plan should be an equal piece to
the strategy. Just as we have teams dedicated to writing the strategy, we need teams dedicated
to the acceptance plan. If we spend an hour on the strategy, our team should spend equal time
on building an acceptance plan. When we do this, we will be scoring well on effectiveness!

Move ahead of the change curve -- In
1973 Elisabeth Kubler Ross published a
book called On Death and Dying. The
book contains the now well-known
stages of grief. Those five stages are
denial, anger, bargaining, depression
and acceptance. The reason these are
important? Within any change
initiative, there are stages of
acceptance, not totally unlike the five
stages of grief.

Most of the time, a new strategy is
‘rolled’ out to the ‘shock’ of the larger
organization. Senior leaders and
managers are surprised by the
reaction of their employees. Yet, most
of the time if one will analyze this reaction you may find something interesting. Senior leaders
and managers are the ones who lead change. And, for them to be articulating a new strategy
means that they have been aware of and working on this strategy for some time, maybe several
months. The point is that these senior leaders have forgotten that they reacted the same way
when they first heard of the change. Yet, they have already transitioned through their stages of
organizational change. When rolling out the strategy, be aware of the cycle of change (see



chart). And, to be even more effective, bring in a team of informal leaders (rank and file
employees who are perceived by their peers as leaders) and keep them abreast of the strategy
as it is being developed. Then, when the roll out occurs, these key leaders will be in the
understanding and acceptance phases of change, and able to help you gain acceptance.

Be prepared for detractors - - All groups have C.A.V.E people - - C.A.V.E. stands for Citizens
Against Virtually Everything! These are people who look for fault like there is some kind of
reward if they find it. They won’t like the new strategy and they aren’t afraid to tell you and
the entire work group about it. The problem is that these noisy few often get us off track. The
truth is that most people in our companies understand that companies grow, new policies are
issued, and things change. Most employees are open to this fact. When we are communicating
a new strategy our beloved C.A.V.E. people will try to throw us off our game. And, if we fall for
their antics we fail to gain acceptance of the masses and we get low results. Yet, if we are
prepared and have outlined how to deal with C.A.V.E. people they can actually help us gain
acceptance instead of stealing our energy and message.

John Kotter, in his eye-opening book called Buy-In; Saving Your Good Idea from Getting Shot
Down, outlines the four types of arguments used by detractors, (C.A.V.E. people). These are,
fear mongering, death by delay, confusion and ridicule/character assignation. Kotter asserts
that the conflict and question raised by our C.A.V.E . people can actually help us gain
acceptance from the masses. He points out a simple formula for success. First, be prepared. (I
suggest preparing by reading Kotter’s book or one like it so that you and your team are on point
during these employee town hall type events). To prepare, start by outlining all of the possible
arguments (from the main categories above). Then draft responses that are quick, to the point
and that play to the masses, not the C.A.V.E person. At all times, be respectful - -losing your
temper or avoiding a question will lower the acceptance rate of the masses. When responding,
address the entire room, not the CAVE person. These techniques can actually allow your
C.A.V.E people to help you gain acceptance!

Measure effectiveness on both sides of the equation before revising either. So, your team
implements the new strategy, yet results are slow to materialize. What do you do? Most
organizations jump right back into the Q, or quality, side of the equation. This means that they
will reconvene teams to analyze and rewrite the strategy. I’m not against this approach but it is
often done without regard to the other variable, A, or acceptance. Policies do need to be re-
written from time to time, and strategies need to be sharpened, but before getting the safety
strategy team back together for a reunion, work to determine the more specific causes of
ineffectiveness. Some tools would include analyzing incident reports, employee surveys,
interviews with employees and supervisors, observing and documenting (through a formal
feedback sheet or checklist) many of the strategy elements to determine if they are being
executed as intended in the strategy, etc. The point is that often strategies are rewritten when
it is the acceptance plan that needs attention.



Using Q x A = E can help us get results. Historically safety teams and companies have been very
good at Q. Yet this equation can help us understand that a great strategy is only half of the
equation. If we want overall effectiveness, we need to have an acceptance plan that is a
comprehensive as the strategy. Make your next safety strategy add up to results. Remember,
scoring a high ‘A’ means you get results.

Matt Forck, CSP and JLW, is a leading voice in worker safety. Matt leads SafeStrat, LLC, a safety
keynote and consulting services organization dedicated to building people. Matt works with
clients in all business sectors and with trade organizations in over ten countries. Learn more
about Matt, his safety and motivational books and sign up for FREE safety resources at
www.thesafestrat.com.

Peshawaria, Rajeev; Too Many Bosses, Too Few Leaders: The Three Essential Principles You
Need to Become an Extraordinary Leader, May 2011.

Kotter, John P; Buy-In: Saving Your, 2010

The Cycle of Change:
• Shock/surprise - - we don’t need this…everything is okay
the way is…
• Question Motives - - we don’t know the truth about why
these changes are happening, since we don’t need the
changes…
• Lobby to change the policy - - we may need a small
change, but this isn’t it!
• Seek Understanding - - Okay, this is going to happen,
what does it mean?
• Acceptance - - I can live with it…


SMS-Earn an 'A' in Safety this Month

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