With the second quarter upon us, it is important to note how our company key performance indicators are aligned with our specific HSE goals. For many companies, employee training in fall protection remains an ongoing top priority. OSHA recognizes this by presenting their second annual #StandDown4Safety event.From May 4th through 15th, anyone who wants to get involved can participate in fall protection trainings and events through the United States.
What It Mean To #StandDown4Safety
This volunteer based event is designed to get employers and employees involved in safety. Employers take the time to talk about safety activities like equipment inspections, hazard prevention and the development of rescue plans. Last year OSHA had over a million workers participating in this stand down in safety and all 50 states participated in some way or another. This year, like last year, the focus of the stand down is about fall protection programs.
How to Get Involved
You can get involved in a number of ways. OSHA is hosting their own events, but if your company has their own idea, you can send them an email. OSHA has provided some excellent tips on preparing your own Stand Down event. Here are some of the pointers:
1) Get Everyone Involved: Invite your company owners, engineers, subcontractors and any others in your company who you would like to include in the event.
2) What Do You Need to Improve: Consider what makes an effective fall protection program. What areas might your company be lacking in? What are the necessary steps to improve?
Do you need to:
- Train Workers?
- Get Better Equipment?
- Establish better protocol?
Evaluating your safety programs on a regular basis helps you catch any errors and helps you better understand where your company’s strengths and weaknesses.
3) Planning your Project: Once you have found out what you need to improve, it is time to start planning your course of action. Figure out how you want to present this to your company, whether a presentation, training or some other activity as well as how long you think the activity should be. However, be sure that you present the material in a positive and interactive manner so as to encourage your workers and superiors to take action right alongside you.
4) Following Up: Your action should not stop after these two weeks are over, you should continue to have a discussion with everyone on your team regarding the safety culture of your workplace.
Regardless of what industry you are in, it is important to recognize the importance of safety; risking lives is not how anyone wants to be remembered. Use the hashtag #StandDown4Safety on twitter to interact with others working on projects. Still unsure where to begin? Download our free safety training catalog for ideas.
