Safety Meeting Starters (SMSs) July 2013

Safety Meeting Starters (SMS)
July 2013
Happy July! - -Safety Meeting Starters (SMS) is your FREE resource aimed to help you have
more effective tailgates, job briefings, and safety meetings. SMS features all types of safety
information for all types of industries including an Involved Safety Meeting Activity (ISMS), idea
for Safety Awareness Items, links to dozens of safety related articles, tools for safety pros, and
more. Feel free to route and share within your organization and network. Also, encourage your
fellow supervisors, managers and safety leaders to sign up to receive SMS. One may sign up at;
http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=001DHL4fuLXGflzE7hcsNgrelxok3N
SWtKGC7SeHf8lIG9y5veytZfQ7ncQGIYShXsVPLiVpsEPMJN6MGSB1McQDdFGyF_EZkbJczlBx_b64
IU%3D
Wishing you and your family a blessed and safe Independence Day! Thanks again and
Remember, no one gets hurt today! God Bless, Matt.
Why Wait for Safety Meeting Starters, instead get real time safety information through Matt’s
Twitter feed. Follow Matt in June and receive a code for 50% off any one book in Matt’s
collection (find Matt’s books here http://www.safestrat.com/review-and-order-safety-books/)
and follow Matt on Twitter from this link: https://twitter.com/Safestrat or @safestrat.
About Matt… Matt Forck is a board-certified Safety Professional (CSP) and former Journey
Lineworker in the hazardous field of electrical line work (JLW). Matt’s recent innovations
include the development of the Safety Committee MAP process, a systematic process for safety
committee success, and the Informal Leader Program aimed at engaging the true safety leaders
within any organization. Matt has published nearly 100 safety articles and written seven books
including his latest release, What Safety Leaders Do. He is a
frequent speaker at national and regional safety conferences and
leads corporate sponsored safety, motivational and culture
building keynote presentations. You may contact Matt through
his website, www.safestrat.com. SMS is a FREE monthly
newsletter to the safety community.
Matt Forck, CSP, JLW | www.safestrat.com | 573.999.7981

SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture!
Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981
Safety Strategies…for LIFE!
2
S.A.F.E. (See Accidents Forever Eliminated) at Work
- A Motivational Safety Column!
Make it Last
The Romans of the ancient past loved to design and create. Many of their projects have stood
the test of time and are still with us today. Examples of such great works would be the Coliseum
(built by Titus in 80 A.D.), the Hippodrome (built for horse and chariot racing, able to hold up to
a quarter of a million people), the Pantheon and Forum. There are two trademarks of these
buildings and of Roman architecture in general, they are columns and arches.
The arches were both beautiful and an engineering marvel. The Romans were able to divert the
enormous weight of the arch down to the arch’s foundation. During construction wooden
braces and scaffolding would hold the weight. After the keystone was finally placed in the arch,
the support bracing could be removed. A tradition in Rome was to have the engineer in charge
of the project stand under the arch as the bracing was removed. If the design was poor or if he
failed in construction…he’d be the first to know.
In life, we can learn a great lesson from the senior arch builders of Rome. These are the guys
that stood under many an arch as the bracing was removed. They did so with a smile because
they knew that they had done it right, and it would hold. They took the time to design, foster
and support what they were building.
Today, do you stand on your worksite or in your workspace knowing it’s free from hazards? Do
you stand there with a smile knowing ‘nothing there can hurt you’ because you have taken the
time to free the space of hazards? In making your space hazard-free, you are building a lasting
habit for generations to admire.
©2013-SafeStrat, LLC-All Rights Reserved

3
Safety Tidbits—the most information packed pages in safety!
Quote of the month:
Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try
to be better than yourself.
- William Faulkner
The past is a guidepost, not a hitching post.
- L. Thomas Holdcroft
We all need a daily check up from the neck up to avoid stinkin’ thinkin’
which ultimately leads to hardening of the attitudes.
-Zig Ziglar
Safety, Leadership and Management Resources from July:
Safety and Management News from Safestrat’s 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.
Worker's death at Dick Dykstra Dairy in Ontario prompts state inquiry
http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_23480051/workers-death-at-dick-dykstra-dairy-
ontario-prompts#ixzz2XHqWDjmc …
Teen killed at mill near Vernon identified http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-
columbia/story/2013/06/17/bc-teen-killed-tolko.html …
Jose Gonzales, 49, dies in industrial accident at Cupertino-area quarry
http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_23459620/worker-at-cupertino-area-
cement-plant-dies-industrial …
Officials investigate rig fatality in southern Wyoming: http://bit.ly/15y4ei3
OSHA investigates Elk Grove factory worker's death
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130613/news/706139860/ …

4
Here's what we know right now about the building collapse at the Texas A&M
equestrian center: http://bit.ly/10aRTBB
Worker resume's at new 49ers stadium after worker's death;
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Stadium-Workers-Return-to-New-49ers-
Stadium-211378871.html …
Publix and OSHA investigating employee's death...
http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/state/publix-and-osha-are-investigating-after-an-
employee-dies-in-what-police-are-calling-an-accident …
For your late week safety meeting or tailgate; Victim Identified in Deadly Pet Food Plant
Accident http://permianbasin360.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=271202 …
Heat Exhaustion Death? LPD, OSHA investigating Sewon employee’s death
http://www.lagrangenews.com/view/full_story/22898679/article-LPD--OSHA-
investigating-Sewon-employee-s-death …
Thank you, we hit our first Twitter milestone. Get 50% of any book. See all books;
http://www.safestrat.com/review-and-order-safety-books/ …. Discount code; 89Z7DV99
Small jet runs into hangar at Chino Airport, comes out of chocks during test;
http://www.times-standard.com/statenews/ci_23458004/small-jet-runs-into-hangar-at-
chino-airport …
Be Prepared, Be Safe: June 16-22 is Emergency Preparedness Week
http://bit.ly/17TlODa
Ursine safety pro tip, folks: Don't toss handfuls of barbecued meat at bears.
http://www.newsminer.com/news/alaska_news/bear-mauls-alaska-man-who-gave-it-
barbecue-meat/article_96a64d48-d762-11e2-ac79-001a4bcf6878.html …
2nd man dies after Louisiana chemical plant explosion
http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/14/us/louisiana-chemical-plant-
explosion/index.html?sr=sharebar_twitter …
Crane safety is focus of OSHA emphasis program in the Northwest
http://buff.ly/16kzGTJ
Williams confirms operator at olefins plant, age 29, died in Geismar explosion/fire, and
eight others hospitalized w/ injuries...
Interesting perspective on feedback...http://fb.me/2NK3GmQEf

5
Funny reminder on communication! Man sells his wife's $23K wedding ring for five
bucks at rummage sale. http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/06/14/man-sells-wifes-23000-
wedding-ring-for-10-oops/ …
People on scaffold without safety equipment. pic.twitter.com/WId8hlT9Cp via
@obedi69 #hazardspotting
Late week safety awareness is important...use this tragic incident to build awareness.
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2013/06/oregon_osha_investigating_te
en.html …
Interesting OSHA citation. Share with all healthcare related folks.
http://www.theledger.com/article/20130610/NEWS/130619986?Title=OSHA-Cites-
Company-for-Lakeland-Woman-s-Death …
Late week Tailgate or safety meeting material, construction worker killed by electrical
contact. http://m.4029tv.com/news/osha-begins-investigation-after-construction-
fatality/-/17419908/20504956/-/fvv3or/-/index.html …
Big scare! We can't depend on luck or rescue.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/13/nyregion/2-workers-stranded-500-feet-above-
street-in-midtown.html?_r=0 …
OSHA begins investigation into Newburgh-Beacon Bridge incident
http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2013/June/04/NBBr_acc_OSHA-
04Jun13.html?goback=.gde_129347_member_246694189 …
Race official killed at event. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-
marbles/track-marshal-dies-sustaining-injuries-canadian-grand-prix-010852942.html …
Good safety reminder for those kids old enough to stay at home by themselves.
http://fb.me/EVNgYR2x
A drunk driver plows his car through a woman's home in the middle of the night in
Denver sending both to the hospital #9newsmornings
Police officer injured when hit by car. http://ow.ly/lPMGO
Picture of the week? http://bit.ly/12wIacA
7 Statistics on Crane Incidents #cranesafety #workplacesafety #worksafe #cranes
#7stats http://bit.ly/12wHPqe

6
24/7 safety awareness is a great way to ensure employee safety. Here are four skills to
help develop it: http://ar.gy/4RaY
OSHA plans 'safety stand down' in Southern states to raise awareness to rising temps.
http://www.abc3340.com/story/22482753/osha-plans-safety-stand-down-in-southern-
states#.Ua-37odmEoo.twitter …
Excavation safety reminder for next safety meeting--Investigation into worker's death
http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/article_52be80f5-0394-5acc-8edc-
f25721778ca2.html#.Ua-2sk3mqN8.twitter … via @theeagle
Pushing info to Twitter for end of the week tailgates. Learner driver linked to fatality
http://www.kiamaindependent.com.au/story/1541098/learner-driver-linked-to-
fatality/?cs=1208 …
Huge Swarm of Killer Bees Attack Texas Man With 3,000 Stings
http://abcn.ws/15HUbcH (via @ABC)
Do what leaders do…
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/Price $19.95
Use code GHDF4HQD and get $5.00 off per book, no
limits! To learn more and order: https://www.createspace.com/3761883

7
SAI - - Safety Awareness Items
(ideas to get raise your team’s awareness!
Cooling Bandana Safety is Cool.
Cork Screw The Right Tool for the Job or Don’t screw up your
safety
Corks, Fishing
Tackle
Don't Let a Short Cut Pull You Under.
Corn, Can Of Safety is a “Can of Corn.”
Coupons Give coupons for coffee or food in the
Cafeteria.
The Untapped Secret To Selling Safety -And 401½ Tangible Items Guaranteed To
Help Make That Sale! - - How well do you sell safety? The truth is that we are at
the mercy of our ability to sell, no matter how “tight” the presentation.
Regardless of our education or the facts surrounding an issue, we are still in a
position where we have to make the sale in order for a positive change to take
place. And, the better we are at selling, the greater our results. The fact of the
matter is that there are secrets to selling…even selling safety. One such previously
untapped secret is revealed here and your safety results will never be the same!
“Matt’s passion for safety continues to shine through as he drives to inspire us to
be the best we can be” wrote Bill Dampf, safety professional with three decades
of experience. “Through this latest effort, he provides us with hundreds of ways
to promote safety awareness to our employees. Although keeping our workers
safe is always a challenge, this simple approach to helping us sell safety can be a
tool that all of us can use.” Price: $11.99 - - AND use this discount code to save
$2..00 per book, B9F5UNDN. Order from this link;
https://www.createspace.com/3421798.

8
ISMA-Involved Safety Meeting Activity
Activity: The Discomfort of Change
Estimated Time: 5 Minutes
Materials Needed: None.
Reference materials: See ISMA below:
The ISMA:
Ask your group to cross their arms. Take notice whether the right arm is over the left or
if the left is over the right. Then, cross them the opposite way, meaning, if right was
over left, readjust them so left is over right. Ask, “What does it feel like?”
The Take-a-ways:
It feels funny, unnatural, odd, and uncomfortable. Why? That’s not the way you
generally do it. A similar feeling is experienced when a new safety rule or safety
procedure is put in place. The first time or two you act in this new way, following the
rule, it feels really odd. But, remember, it is just as good as the ‘other way’ and with time
the discomfort will dissolve.
Want 101 ISMAs?
Check out ISMA (Involved Safety Meeting Activities—101Ways to Get
Your People In Involved! at Matt’s website;
http://www.safestrat.com/review-and-order-safety-books/

9
SPOT-M –(Safety Picture of the Month)
“Watch your step!”
Maybe the cones fell in the hole with the worker? This
was on an incredibly busy sidewalk. Follow all rules ALL
of the time and train all workers to follow too.
Choose in favor of your safety!
Send me your pics and if we use them in SMS you receive a free book! Send to matt@safestrat.com.

10
Tools for Pros!
The Secrets to a $1,000 an Hour Work
What Leaders Know about Spending Time and the Value it Brings…
Matt Forck, CSP and JLW
Have you noticed the huge disparity in some hourly rates or wages? Minimum wage is $7.25
per hour. A skilled craft worker (pipefitter, electrician) might earn four times that amount,
around $30 per hour. But an attorney, senior manager or consultant might charge $500 per
hour - - nearly 70 times the minimum wage! I recently heard of a life coach who was charging
business executives a cool $1,000 per hour and was booked solid!
So, why do some people earn ten bucks an hour while others charge hundreds of dollars per
hour? It is simply about the value he or she brings to an organization and skill set that the
professional has developed over time. But here is the key for all of us; we can learn at least
some of the secrets of $1,000 per hour work and apply them to what we do day in and day out.
And, in so doing, change the true value we bring to our teams and the companies in which we
work.
About Safety - - I’d say the concept of ‘ten dollar an hour work versus five hundred dollar an
hour work’ is very applicable to safety professionals and to those who manage safety sensitive
work (first line supervisors, managers and directors). In safety, the ‘hard’ stuff is easy. The hard
stuff are things we can feel, touch and put our hands on like the safety rules, procedure book or
OSHA regulations. But, the ‘soft’ stuff is hard. The ‘soft’ stuff is coaching and feedback, work
observations, effective communication. Working on the soft stuff is five hundred dollar an hour
work. Safety sensitive environments are rich with these opportunities. Here, five hundred dollar
an hour work can drastically change the results.
Why transition to five hundred dollar per hour work? Decades ago in Paris, legend holds that a
lady was walking through the streets shopping when she noticed a painter who was set up and
painting on a street corner. The lady walked over and interrupted the man’s work to ask if he
would paint her. Without much discussion he stopped his work, pulled out a new canvass and
went immediately to work. Within a few minutes he handed her the painting. It was beautiful,
exquisite. Pleased with the work, she asked what she needed to pay for the painting. He replied
five hundred dollars. Shocked, the lady said, “Well, sir, it only took you a few minutes.” To
which the painter replied, “No, that has taken an entire lifetime.” The painter was Pablo
Picasso.
Think in terms of Blue Chips! Often, if I am conducting a full day or multi day seminar, I will end
the session with the blue chip activity. Two participants will stand with their backs to a table as
the rest of the participants gather around to cheer on these two volunteers. When I say the

11
word, they will turn and begin to pick up discs. After about ten seconds I will yell stop. What
generally happens is that the participants will turn around and immediate start picking up chips,
the ones that are closest to them. What they fail to realize is that there are three different color
chips, white, red and blue. When they turn around, the white chips are right in front of them
and there are lots of white chips, so they focus their entire time picking out these chips. What
they don’t realize is that white chips have a value of one, red chips have a value of ten while
blue chips have a value of 500! In a recent session, I asked a participant why he didn’t pick up
blue chips, he said, “I didn’t even see blue chips!” He was totally focused just on those chips
immediately in front of him.
Each day supervisors and middle managers are pulled in a dozen different directions. An entire
day can be largely spent putting out ‘the fire of the hour’ only to move to the next fire, then the
next (picking up the chips that is closest to them). Or, if one is not putting out fires you are
likely trying to get caught up on the scores of paper work, phone calls or emails. In both cases,
this is the work that is closest to them, white and red chips. All of your work is important, or
you wouldn’t do it, but some work brings more results than other tasks. The first objective is to
understand what is ten dollar an hour and what is five hundred dollar an hour, or a blue chip.
Once we have that understanding and can see blue chips in our work day, we simply do more of
the five hundred dollar per hour work. Doing this over the next few years will bring you added
skills…and value to your organization.
Beyond Coaching Rules - - A recent study entitled The Peer Principle by Bloomberg
Businessweek published in May 2010 stated, “In the area of safety, our study found that 93% of
employees say they see urgent risks to life and limb, and yet less than one-fourth of those who
see concerns speak up about them. Rather, they wait for bosses or others to take action.”
Researchers compared organizations with average safety performance to organizations with
exceptional safety performance. At first, they could not find a difference. But after thousands of
interviews with managers and first line supervisors, they found some eye opening information.
In the end, researchers found that accountability was the key element to outstanding safety
performance. But, it wasn’t supervisors holding workers accountable that propelled
organizations to the next level. Instead, it was workers holding each other accountable.
“Remarkably, cultures of accountability had little to do with bosses. Rather, it was all about
peers.” Organizations with cultures of peers coaching peers found remarkable success - - and
not just in safety. “Those supervisors and managers with the strongest safety records were five
times more likely to be ranked in the top 20% of their peers in every other area of performance.
They were 500% more likely to be stars in productivity and efficiency and employee satisfaction
and quality, etc.”
Today, most organizations have observation programs where supervisors watch employee work
and offer coaching. Yet, these are too often limited to easy stuff…the rules. While the safety
rules need to be observed and discussed, so do more important elements like peer to peer
accountability, job planning, job leadership, job communication. These are harder to grade but

12
if you want to move your organization to the next level, and work toward five hundred dollar an
hour work, take this step.
Train, do not Educate - - To educate simply means that you give a person information. Training
means that you give information with the expectation that a new behavior results. Five
hundred dollar an hour work means that one sets up training programs (change behavior)
instead of education programs.
Years ago, when I was a safety professional supporting nearly 400 linemen, substation
technicians and natural gas pipefitters/equipment operators in out-state Missouri, we
determined that one of the contributing factors to a number of injuries was poor job planning.
In the electric utility industry, OSHA demands a plan before any work begins and mandates a
five step process to job planning. In coordination with others, we put together a top notch
interactive program, and then delivered it. About three months later I was back in front of a
group I had trained just 90 days earlier but they didn’t know the information. They were not
using it day in and day out for job planning. I had educated…not trained.
Virginia Tech Professor and noted safety professional Dr. E. Scott Geller says it this way,
“Training requires coaching which means C for Care, O for Observe, A for Analyze, C for
Communicate, and H for Help. This requires observation of behavior and appropriate delivery
of corrective and supportive feedback.” Five hundred dollar an hour work means that processes
are set up to ensure a change in behavior after training…or as Dr. Geller says, COACH.
Elevate Organizational Energy - - The sad truth is that I have been to some funerals that had
more positive energy than safety meetings. Safety meetings are just one example of a task that
all too often is simply a ‘check the box’ activity. Energy is a key to results, positive or negative.
Think about your own life. When your energy is low, the quality of your decisions is lower than
if you are feeling good and energy is high. When energy is low, you are less tolerant, coach less
and offer less feedback compared to when your energy is high. Five hundred dollar an hour
work includes evaluating your team’s or the organization’s energy and finding ways to move
that energy to higher levels.
Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz in their groundbreaking book entitled The Power of Full
Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, is the Key to High Performance and Personal
Renewal said the following. Keep these quotes in mind as you energize your team! “Energy, not
time, is the fundamental currency of high performance. Performance, health and happiness are
grounded in the skillful management of energy.” And, “Leaders are the stewards of
organizational energy!”

13
Communication/Aligning arrows - - I think
communication can best be discussed through
a picture. Think of your organization (or team)
as a big arrow. Your job is to move that big
arrow (team) toward a goal. Whether it is a
seemingly simple goal like, complete this one
task without injury or incident, or a larger goal
like eliminating soft tissue injuries, your job is
to move them there. But, a team is not
comprised of a big arrow, it is made up of
people. In our illustration, people are
represented by smaller arrows. You will notice
not all people are aligned around the goal.
People do not align for a host of reasons
including competing goals, lack of
communication and lack of understanding
about the goal. In short, this is ineffective
communication and you likely will not reach
the goal. Five hundred dollar an hour work
is aligning goals through effective
communication so that you will reach your
goal.
One secret to improved communication is
this formula; Q (quality of proposal) x A
(acceptance of the proposal) = R (results). In
most cases, safety has been about the ‘Q’,
the quality of the proposal (procedure or
safety rule) equals R, the associated result.
Each day we have a choice. Are we going to
pick up white chips and red chips, or are we going to make sure that we spend more and more
time each day with blue chips. If you do, someday your name may be added to the five hundred
dollar an hour list. But more importantly, you will be setting safety within your team and
organization on a new path for success. The money is nice…but safety is a reward that saves
lives!
Matt Forck, CSP and JLW, is a keynote speaker supporting clients in over ten countries; assisting
in key areas of worker safety, leadership, accountability and cultural improvement. You can
learn more about Matt and sign up for his free safety materials through his website,
www.safestrat.com. You can follow Matt on Twitter @safestrat.
References; The Peer Principle, Bloomberg Businessweek - -The Influential Leader May 2010

Safety Meeting Starters (SMSs) July 2013

Recommandé

Recommandé

Contenu connexe

En vedette

En vedette (17)

Plus de safestrat

Plus de safestrat (9)

Dernier

Dernier (20)

Safety Meeting Starters (SMSs) July 2013