Work Group:. Date of meeting:. /. /. Meeting conducted by:... Signed:. WHAT TO DO ABOUT "NEAR MISSES?" Unlike a western gunfight "shoot out" at the corral on television, serious incidents can cause real anguish and suffering so real and vivid that persons involved or nearby bystanders rarely forget the flow of blood, broken limbs, crushed bodies, or screams of pain. An incident without injury though is more like the bloodless, painless fakery of television "violence"- perhaps without real purpose in the drama, and therefore easy to forget. In real life there is a danger in brushing off incidents that do not hurt, harm, or damage. When these incidents, or perhaps we should refer to them as near misses, happen we should immediately run the red warning flag up the pole. Because a non- injury accident is like a 40 degree Celsius fever, it's a positive sign or symptom that something is wrong. Sometimes we misdiagnose or completely fail to diagnose the symptoms of near misses, because luck or blind chance saved us from injury. We may tend to shrug it off and forget the near miss with a casual kind of ignorance. Hopefully everyone agrees that it is not a good practice to rely on luck for effective incident prevention. One of the best ways to eliminate the likelihood of future close calls is through effective root cause analysis and effective corrective action taken on near misses. A list of near misses can be almost endless: lack of proper machine guarding; improper maintenance or grounding of equipment; missing handrails or guardrails; poor housekeeping; improperly stored material; stubbing a toe on a protruding floor object; bumping up against a sharp object; or tripping over clutter and almost falling down. www.neca.asn.au Safety Industry Pty Ltd under license to NECA 1
It's best to learn the real lessons from these near misses, since they are very likely to continue to happen repeatedly until an injury occurs. There was a study done many years ago that found for every serious or disabling injury reported, there were about 10 injuries of a less serious nature, 30 property damage incidents, and about 600 near miss incidents with no visible injury or property damage. This study was part of the foundation for the widely accepted incident prevention theory that "increased frequency leads to severity." How can you help? Report each and every near miss incident to your supervisor immediately in order to help prompt investigation and follow up actions that will reduce the potential for future near misses. Supervisors must partially rely upon you and your fellow workers to report these to them as they just can't see everything. If you are involved with or witness a near miss incident, remember that you or your co- worker may not get a second injury free chance to hoist that red warning flag up the pole. Do your part to help make the workplace safe for everyone involved. Report those near misses to your supervisor immediately! www.neca.asn.au Safety Industry Pty Ltd under license to NECA 2
Other safety Issues to be covered: 1. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Last week s reported incidents and near misses: 1. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Safety items raised by team members: 1. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Operational Issues to be addressed: 1. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Operational Issues raised by team members: 1. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Notes: 1. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.neca.asn.au Safety Industry Pty Ltd under license to NECA 3
Attendance (all participants to print name and sign): 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. Keep completed meeting on file 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. www.neca.asn.au Safety Industry Pty Ltd under license to NECA 4
How to conduct your Toolbox Talk Purpose Toolbox talks are designed to assist supervisors & managers at all levels to distribute safety related information and guidance to work team members in an informal but practical forum. The Deliverer Ensure these talks are carried out by competent staff members; people who can deliver them clearly and succinctly, and not be afraid to speak in front of people, and be at a level of authority Duration and frequency Talks should be conducted weekly. Keep them to short and punchy depending on the topic, around 10-15 minutes, or you will lose listeners interest. In that time allow for questions and answers. Preparation & venue With the topics already created, this saves you a lot of work. However you will still need to be prepared. a. Prior to the talk, check the safety aspects of the location b. Keep distractions to a minimum and find some place quieter than most c. Consider any effective aids you have that will enhance the talk d. A good place for delivery is in front of the safety noticeboards. This draws people s attention to the board itself and the information e. Place a photocopy on all noticeboards for the week, or until your next talk Convey the reason - Why are you giving the talk? Employees often filter out information, so in giving a talk you have to make sure that you grab their interest from the beginning; e.g. DON T SAY "Oh Well, its time for another safety talk..." Get their attention as quickly as possible. Use your own experience where necessary Include a dramatic safety story related to the topic that may have been in the news recently, e.g. how a maintenance worker was electrocuted because he didn t tagout machinery. Giving stats is also powerful perhaps something about your industry. The actual delivery Your attitude and how you present yourself (e.g. your enthusiasm for the topic) is most important. Be positive - This will come through preparation. You must communicate the message as clearly as possible. Be serious - Health and safety is a serious subject, the overall approach should be serious. Be confident: Look at people directly, not always at your clipboard, and involve them in the talk Be Firm: Get the message across but don t get side tracked Questions When asking a question from your talk, pause to give people time to think. Recording Use the attendance template to ensure all personnel attending sign the register at the end of the session to confirm their attendance. www.neca.asn.au Safety Industry Pty Ltd under license to NECA 5