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How often do you require your employees to participate in brief safety meetings or “tailgate” training sessions? Several PLANET member companies that hold such meetings once a week report reduced accidents and injuries –– as well as a “heightened awareness” of safety among their workers.

At D. Foley Landscape, Inc., in South Walpole, Massachusetts, brief safety meetings are held every Thursday morning “at 7 a.m. sharp,” Account Manager Bill Saunders says. “We choose topics that are timely. We also talk about other recent experiences or ‘near misses.’ This practice was put into place by management several years ago and, because of its importance and commitment by many, it has become a great weekly habit.”

One of the measurable outcomes of these meetings is a heightened awareness of safety on a daily basis. For example, Saunders says, “putting on safety glasses, wearing ear protection, and placing safety cones (around areas with potential hazards) has become automatic.”

“We have found that asking plenty of questions during a safety meeting is a great way to get participation from nearly all members of our group,” he continues. “It is great to see even the typically quiet people speak up and share a point from time to time.”

David J. Frank Landscape Contracting, Inc., in Germantown, Wisconsin, has experienced a reduction in lost-time injuries as a result of its Winter Training Program, which includes weekly safety meetings. “This practice was implemented by management to train employees on their skills and knowledge of various procedures, and on safe work methods,” Staff Relations Assistant Michelle Stone says.

Starwood of Myrtle Beach, Inc., in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, requires each of its divisions to hold five-minute safety meetings with all employees each week. At last report, vehicle and equipment accidents had been eliminated. “By keeping safety issues in front of them every week, we believe that it results in more conscientious employees,” Starwood’s Conley Stephens says.

More Measurable Outcomes

Both Sunrise Landscape Maintenance, Inc., in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Riverside Tree & Landscape Company, Inc., in Ashland, Massachusetts, report excellent outcomes from their mandatory weekly safety meetings.

Sunrise attributes its record of 12 full years with no lost-time injuries to both its safety policy and its mandatory weekly meetings. Unfortunately, that record was shattered by “someone doing something stupid,” President Andy Mumma says. A lost-time injury occurred when “some of our employees were having a contest to see who could haul the most gravel up a steep driveway in wheelbarrows. Need I say more?” Mumma says.

“Every Wednesday we have a companywide [safety] meeting in the warehouse,” he continues. “We always cover safety topics out of books or newsletters. But we also try to cover a topic that relates to current events, such as the weather and how it relates to driving, or the weather and its relation to personal protective equipment.”

Riverside Manager Marty Yenawine says his company requires “mandatory, interdivisional participation in weekly training sessions from 7 a.m. until 7:30 a.m. each Wednesday.” The company’s training program “has been the highlight of my career in the green industry,” he says.

Among the outcomes he reports are:

- Increased employee motivation, commitment, and understanding of the training topic. “Briefings and debriefings offer a series of closed- and open-ended questions to determine employees’ understanding [of the training topic],” Yenawine says.
- Leadership building at the foremen/crew leader and supervisory levels (due to responsibility for the meetings being rotated every few weeks).
- Improved communication both during the briefings and debriefings and on two-way radios.

Riverside’s training sessions include translations from English into Brazilian Portuguese (and vice-versa), professional safety presentations, and “facilitated bilingual discussion,” Yenawine says.

3/06

By Barbara Mulhern, PLANET Safety Specialist