How to Give a Safety Meeting

OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, requires that employees receive safety training before beginning employment. Updates and renewals are also necessary. Although OSHA doesn't mandate safety meetings, employers often hold them regularly to keep workers aware of safety issues. Safety meetings benefit management, employees in individual departments and members of safety committees. Each of these groups might receive different information, yet some issues would be presented and discussed in each type of safety-related meeting.

Things You'll Need

• Safety meeting outline
• Safety training materials
• Injury records, optional
• Company written safety plan, optional
• Safety training records, optional
• Incentives, optional

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Instructions

• 1

  Decide when and where to hold the meeting. Designate a place that all potential attendees will be able to access. Plan a time that the group you want to be at the meeting will be able to attend. Consider holding different meetings throughout a day or week so that each shift can easily attend.

• 2

  Announce the meeting through posted notices, mail, email or all of these. Make sure the announcement states the correct date and time. Give workers or management an intended time frame for the meeting, such as 30 to 45 minutes. Keep in mind that much information can be covered in less than an hour, and more people are likely to attend shorter meetings. State the purpose of the meeting, if it is not a regularly scheduled one.

• 3

  Prepare ahead of time. Gather incident and accident reports. Make an outline of topics you wish to cover. Keep the intended audience in mind as you make the outline. List questions you would like to ask management or issues you wish to address with safety committees comprised of workers. Make copies of your outline to give to attendees if you wish. Have written safety training sheets ready, if you intend to give a short safety talk to keep workers up to date on safety training.

• 4

  Arrive early. If you're late you will give other attendees the feeling that you are not serious about the meeting. Start on time to show others you respect the importance of their time. Have any handouts ready for attendees to pick up as they come in; don't waste time handing out papers. Provide a container of pens and some blank paper for those who wish to take notes.

• 5

  Speak clearly and with confidence. Keep the meeting professional if the meeting is for your superiors. Lead the meeting with a lighter tone if addressing co-workers or departments for which you lead the safety activities. Cover all the issues on the outline in a short time. Allow time for questions and discussion.