Safety Moments - Importance & Examples

A Safety Moment is a brief safety talk about a specific subject at the beginning of a meeting or shift. Also known as safety minutes or safety chats, these talks can be done in a variety of ways but are typically a brief (2-5 minute) discussion on a safety related topic. They can cover a variety of safety topics and remind employees of the importance of being safe, at work, at home and in all aspects of our lives.

Including a ‘Safety Moment’ at the beginning of meeting can help bring safety issues or topics up in a timely, clear, brief, and non-threatening way. Safety Moments are designed to reinforce safety knowledge and everyone’s commitment towards a positive safety culture.

In the following lines, a few examples of safety moments are provided:

1. Distracted Walking: Highlighting the dangers of texting or talking on the phone while walking. The safety experts are increasingly concerned about the risk associated with use of mobile phones while walking. The people are so captivated by responding to or sending text messages, talking, or using some type of mobile device with headphones to listen to music and keep on walking at the same time. Preoccupied and distracted pedestrians have become common on busy city streets. This loss of situational awareness for pedestrian is similar to that of a distracted driver. The result can be injury or even death. Following precautions should be adopted by pedestrians to avoid any harmful and (even fatal) impact of mobile phone while walking.

• Don’t talk and text on the mobile while walking.
• If you have to talk or text, move to the side of the walkway out of the way of others.
• Never cross or walk in the street while using an electronic device.
• Do not walk with headphones in your ears.
• Keep track of your surroundings.

2. Excessive Sitting: Studies have linked excessive sitting with being overweight and obese, type 2 diabetes, some types of cancers and even early death. Sitting for long periods slows down the metabolism, which affect the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure and break down body fat. Many adults in the UK spend more than 7 hours a day sitting, and this typically increases with age. This includes watching TV, using a computer, reading, taking breakfast/meals, travelling by car/bus/train etc. A panel of leading experts, chaired by Professor Stuart Biddle, who reviewed the evidence on sitting and prepared a report recommends taking ‘an active break from sitting every 30 minutes. Following is recommended to avoid harmful effect of excessive sitting:

• Stand on the train or bus
• Take the stairs and walk-up escalators
• Place a lot of top on a box or similar to work standing
• Stand or walk around while on the phone
• Take a walk break every time you take a coffee or tea break
• Walk to co-worker’s desk instead of emailing or calling
• Swap some TV time for more active tasks or hobbies
• Avoid long period of sitting in front of TV or computer. Try following:

1. Stand up and move during TV advert breaks
2. Take up active hobbies such as gardening and DIY
3. Do most types of house works?

3. Reporting of Near Misses: ‘Near Miss’ is an unplanned, undesirable event, which under different circumstances could have resulted in harm to a person or damage to property. This is the type of event that occurs in a workplace that people say how lucky it was that no one was hurt. Often that is the extent of thought given to this situation, but there is an opportunity to put right what went wrong. The Bird’s Triangle which was devised in 1969 after an extensive research into accidents and accidents ratios. It was determined that for every one serious injury, there have been 10 minor injuries, 30 property damage events and 600 near misses. There are several advantages of reporting ‘Near Misses’.

• It does not only help to assess the strength of safety management system of an organisation, but also provides an opportunity to fix problems before injuries occur
• It provides focus for discussion by the safety committee
• It provides immense opportunity for ‘employees’ participation’, a basic requirement for a successful workplace health and safety programme. This embodies principles of behaviour shift, responsibility sharing, awareness and incentives
• If the near misses are reported, investigated and dealt with few accidents will occur

4. Burns and their Treatment: Causes of burns and scalds that happens every day are:

• Hot drinks are the most common cause of scald injury in children
• Electric cookers
• Hair straighteners
• Irons
• Hot water from the taps
• Central heating radiators
• Sunburn
• Hot fat
• Barbecues
• Garden fires and bonfires

There is a small window in the first few hours of an injury to make a real difference to the burn’s depth and severity and it is really important know what to do, if an injury occurs to stop it becoming worse as this can impact on treatment. In the event of a burn, people should apply the three C’s of first aid.

• Cool the burn with running tap water for 20 minutes and remove all clothing and jewellery (if necessary)
• Call the help – 999 or the GP for advice
• Cover with cling film and make sure the patient is kept warm.

5. Heat Stress: Exposure to excessive heat particularly in hot climatic conditions may cause heat exhaustion and other more serious health problems. If you are impacted by exposure to excessive heat, you may feel dizzy, sweat heavily, experience muscle cramps or become very pale. To prevent heat exhaustion:

• Cover your head
• Find shade or breeze drink plenty of liquids (non-alcoholic) even if you are not thirsty.
• Wear loose, lightweight clothes and if you have one, take your phone with you in case you are going to be out longer than expected.
• Use sunscreen with a high SPF to protect against sunburn.
• If possible, organize your activities to avoid being out in the sun during the hottest part of the day.
• If you begin to experience any symptoms of heat exhaustion, take action to cool yourself down by:

1. Resting.
2. Find shade or breeze.
3. Hydrating.
4. Advise your co-workers or supervisor you are feeling unwell.

6. Items to be Checked Before Driving on a Long Journey.

• Tire pressure
• Working headlights and signals
• Sufficient levels of gas and windshield washer fluid
• Availability of first aid kits and fire extinguishers
• Ensure that the vehicle is not overloaded and that you have good visual clearance in all directions
• Do not exceed the safe seating capacity of the vehicle as stated by the manufacturer.
• Ensure that each passenger has at least 41 cm (16 in.) of seating space

Precautions while driving:

• Follow posted speed limits
• Wear your seat belt
• Do not use your phone or other mobile device

7. Storage of Dirty Gloves in Hard Hats: It was report to HSE sometime back by a major contractor that an employee developed a sever skin infection (Cellulitis) on his head. The most likely cause was the storing of dirty/soiled gloves in the individual’s hard hat.

Gloves can become soiled and contaminated during work. Bacteria can then build up and when placed in a hat, the dirty gloves have direct contact with the skin and if there is a break in the skin, this will cause infection.

Following have been proposed as precautionary measures:

• Don’t store dirty or soiled gloves inside your hard hat
• Check your skin regularly for cuts and abrasions
• Cover any cuts or abrasions with a suitable dressing
• Check your PPE regularly. Look at the condition of your hard hat. Get a new one if necessary
• Check the condition of your gloves. If they are heavily soiled or contaminated, clean or replace them
• Helmet mounted Ear Muffs when pushed up on the helmet can be contaminated by anything that dips or lands on the outside of your helmet. The contaminated parts may then contact the skin around your ears.
• Goggles if carried on your helmet, can be contaminated by anything that drips or lands on the outside of the helmet. The contaminated face seal may then be in contact with the skin around eyes
• Make sure you keep your immunisations up to date. If you are unsure of your immunisation status, contact your GP
• The dirtier the task – the more frequent and thorough checks need to be. Remember, poorly stored/maintained PPE can cause a health issue.

8. Lifting or moving the Objects: Many injuries occur when objects or people are being lifted or moved, in particular when these objects are unpredictable in their movement. Check your own body position before you handle objects or move people.

The following rules will help keep you safe:

• Get close to what you are moving and get it in front of you.
• Trunk upright on pelvis (keeping your back as straight as possible).
• Pelvis stabilized (tummy and buttocks tight).
• Balanced stance (feet wide apart).
• Elbows hugging sides.
• Shoulders in neutral position (not hiked up).
• Arms/shoulders stabilized (they should not move).
• No reaching forward or sideways with arms (elbows near sides).
• Wrists straight.
• No twisting or bending the back (move your feet/hips & knees instead).
• Movement occurs by shifting weight smoothly from one leg to the other.

9. Keep your Desk Neat and Tidy: The untidy desks full of pieces of scraps become breeding ground for harmful bacteria and hence cause health problems. Moreover, they reflect a bad image on your part.

?There are several advantages of keeping the desk neat and tidy.

• Ensure Hygienic Conditions: The uncleaned desks cause infections and allergies. The problem gets worst, if the desks are used as dining tables as well. If the desks are regularly cleaned, it provides healthy environments.
• Less Distraction: A cluttered office desk is filled with potential distractions. Sticky-notes, business cards, file folders, and uncompleted projects all clamour for our attention every moment of the day. Removing them allows our mind to better focus on the most important project of the moment: the one you are working on.
• More Freedom: A clear desk grants freedom to pursue the project of your choosing. Your to-do list is not held captive by the folders on your desk. It is determined by you – even if you are getting direction from someone else.
• Increased Reputation: A clean desk indicates a clean and focused mind. It makes you look efficient, accomplished, thorough, and organized. And while nothing can replace a job well done, a clear desk can only help improve your reputation among your co-workers.
• A clear office desk will grant you more healthy conditions, focus, peace of mind, and productivity. And that’s good for both you and your company.

Here are six steps for keeping desk neat and tidy:

1. Reduce your Office?Items.?The first step in keeping your desk clear is keeping less things on it and around it. Seems simple enough… almost?so simple that it often gets overlooked. Take a look around your desk surface. What doesn’t absolutely need to be there? Photos, calendars, books,?supplies, and food?should all be considered. If?it’s not essential,?remove it permanently.
2. Use Drawers.?Using drawers isn’t cheating, it’s smart. It keeps your projects, tools, and supplies?at your fingertips while still removing them from your line of sight. In my drawers, I store?all of my supplies (pens, stapler, etc.) and my?current projects. My current projects are stored in labeled folders in my top?drawer for easy access.?And only?the current project that I’m working on gets to be on?my actual?desk surface.
3. Finish Your Projects.?One of the biggest?enemies of desk clutter?is unfinished projects.?Sometimes, they lay on our desks for weeks distracting us and taunting us. The mind clutter of an unfinished project can be crippling at times. If the project can be completed in less than 20 minutes, see it through to completion right away. If the project will take longer, find a drawer to store it in until you are ready to pull it out and work on it again.
4. Store Things Digitally.?A simple Contacts program and Tasks program can probably remove 95-100% of the notes cluttering your workspace. Find one and learn to?use it. Those sticky-notes will no longer clutter your screen or?distract your mind. And you’ll never lose one again either. I have found this method to be both liberating and essential.
5. Limit Computer Distractions.?While your computer can be essential in helping to?eliminate the clutter from your desk, it can provide distraction of its own. Help your cause by decluttering your computer desktop along with your physical desk. For starters, find a non-distracting wallpaper image and remove all unnecessary icons.
6. Set aside?5 minutes.?Take the last 5 minutes of every day to?clear the surface of your desk. Rest assured that once you get started with the habit, it’ll take far less than 5 minutes. But set that much aside at the beginning. Trust me, your morning you will thank you.

10. Parking lot safety

Depending on its location, design, and the time of day, parking lots can be risky places.

Here are some basic safety principles that you can use to be safe when traveling to and from your car.

• Park near the building in a highly visible and well-lit area.
• Use the main building entrance — avoid rear or secluded exits.
• Keep valuables, including purses and recent purchases, out of sight. Always lock them in the trunk if you have to leave them in the car.
• Lock the doors and roll up windows once you are in the vehicle.
• Plan ahead; know where to go if you feel threatened and how to call for help.
• Try to walk with a friend, co-worker, or a security officer. Give your escort a ride back to the main entrance so they do not have to walk back alone.
• Stay on well-lit streets, and in the centre of the sidewalk. Stay away from hiding spots such as bushes, doorways, alleys and parked cars. Cross the road if necessary.
• Be alert to your surroundings. Walk with confidence. Keep your head up and look around. Trust your instincts when you feel something is not right.
• Have the keys ready to unlock the door as you get near your vehicle. As you approach your car, look around, inside, and glance underneath for people who may be present. If you are suspicious, walk away. Go to a safe place and call for help.
• Avoid distractions like wearing headphones, texting or digging in purse. Be attentive.
• Know details regarding your location in case you need to call for help.

In addition, following are potential topics for discussion in the context of 'safety moments'.

11. Slip, Trip, and Fall Prevention: Discussing the importance of clearing walkways, using anti-slip mats, and wearing appropriate footwear.

12. Emergency Exit Routes: Reminding everyone to familiarize themselves with the nearest exits in case of an emergency.

13. Fire Safety: The importance of regularly checking smoke alarms and having a fire evacuation plan.

14. Ladder Safety: Proper techniques for positioning and climbing ladders to prevent falls.

Safety moments are most effective when they’re relevant to the specific audience and environments. Regularly rotating topics and using real-world examples or recent incidents can help keep the information fresh and engaging.