When leaving for work each morning, we often
don’t think about our safety. We tend to take
for granted that we’ll have a decent day and
come home to our loved ones, ready to eat and
rest and do it all again tomorrow. But, of course, accidents
happen. The Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards
of Canada (AWCBC), in its most recent data, reports that in
2014, there were 919 workplace deaths across the country;
232 of those happened in the construction industry. That may
not seem like a significant number, but you could argue that
anything above zero is significant when it comes to workplace
fatalities.
Safety is everyone’s responsibility and shouldn’t rest solely
on the shoulders of the safety manager or site supervisor.
Safety talks are a fantastic resource to incorporate into your
organization’s safety program. Talking, however, is one thing;
walking that talk is another. How do you keep your team
engaged and focused during a safety talk? Who should conduct
them, and how often? There are many different ways to
hold effective safety talks and ensure everyone heads home
safely at the end of the day.
Safety talk essentials
When it comes to planning and giving effective safety talks,
there isn’t necessarily one particular approach to follow.
Scott Lescak is a senior safety advisor with Pacific Safety
Consulting Group in Vancouver. Lescak believes that safety is
everyone’s business and should be planned for as such.
“How often should safety meetings take place? Every day,
all the time. Who should be conducting them? Well, everyone.
There are many different ways to do safety talks and
many different people who can do them effectively,” he said.
According to Lescak, much of how you approach safety
will depend on the level of risk, and your understanding that
there is no one-size-fits-all safety program. If your work site
has changing conditions or differing environments and you
have a large crew, more frequent safety talks could make
sense. If your site and crew are small with less complications,
MICHAELJUNG/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
LET’S TALK
ABOUT SAFETY
When it comes to staying safe on
the job site, communication is key
By Jess Campbell
26 Q2 2016 www.pilingcanada.ca
/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
/www.pilingcanada.ca
