Off-The-Job Safety
Section V

Implementing Your Program

Project Teams

One effective way of developing comprehensive safety topic promotions is the use of project teams. Superficial programs have little, if any, effect. Comprehensive promotion programs require a good deal of work—too much for one or two people. The team approach is useful and gets managers and employees involved in the program. In most cases, the core of the team should consist of employees drawn from various departments. Each of these people can add specific knowledge of both problems and methods. Combined, their talents are most effective.

A team should be organized for each topic to be covered. Many of the exposures are seasonal, and the rest can be scheduled according to the degree of risk. Six topics a year is reasonable for most organizations. Team memberships should also be rotated to give all an opportunity to participate, to bring fresh ideas to the program, and to allow rest periods between projects for the team leaders. A person may be a team member on one project, however, and a team leader on another project four or six months later.

Other Topics

As noted previously, many other topics deserve presentation to employees. Information is available from newsletters and services that focus on off-the-job safety issues. Some of these publications allow you to copy the material.

These topics do not require individual project teams and campaigns. However, a separate project team should be assigned to research these topics and develop material for the employees.

Conducting a Campaign

The agenda for a typical theme campaign includes the appointment of team members; training of the team; preliminary discussion of the topic; survey of loss exposures by reviewing the inventory and talking with employees; outline of theme campaign activities; assignment of responsibilities; project research; development of alternatives; briefings to management; preparation of final materials; conduct of the campaign; and critique of program results.

Table 5 is a summary of possible approaches to off-the-job topics.

Table 5. Types of Off-the-Job Safety Programs

• Contests-essays and drawings (use outside judges)
• Defensive driving courses normally offered to employees driving company vehicles
• Displays
• Incentive awards for a group
• On-line database of topics that employees can access
• Outside speakers (for example, talks during lunch hour)
• Perfect attendance awards
• Personal protective equipment (suggest standards and where it can be obtained, or consider offering equipment at cost)
• Posters
• Publications-external
• Publications-internal (include employee stories where protective gear or following safe practices prevented or mitigated injury)
• Recreational programs (use qualified outside instructors)
• Reference booklets
• Safety calendars
• Safety fairs, family nights or picnics (use community groups and local merchants)
• Safety meetings
• Vacation/holiday programs
• Video library (for example, defensive driving tapes employees can show to the family)
• Videotape, film or slide shows

Steps in a typical promotional campaign might include:

1. Conduct a review to verify the loss exposures and potential risks in order to confirm that these are properly assessed in the original inventory.

2. Write motivational messages for the senior manager and department heads to announce the theme and stimulate employees' interest.

3. Develop or obtain educational material to improve people's knowledge regarding the theme and their personal exposures.

4. Develop guides and visual aids for supervisors to use in safety talks with their employee groups.

5. Develop lesson plans for special educational programs to teach people how to identify related hazards or to teach standard safety practices.

6. Make up displays, posters, and signs to reinforce the information presented in the planned educational activities.

7. Develop guidelines for employees to use in their personal safety programs. These can include safety features to look for when buying tools or materials, self-inspections for compliance with safety standards, and safe practices to learn or to teach to family members.

8. Make up employee and family contests that can be used to stimulate education regarding, and performance of, safety activities. For example, some organizations call employee homes after information is disseminated. If a family member can answer some relatively easy questions that indicate they read the material, they receive or are eligible for a prize.

9. Outline key points for briefings to senior management on the content and conduct of the theme campaign.

Three essentials of the successful project theme campaign are a definite beginning, adequate preparation time, and a definite end. The campaign should have a kickoff date to announce it to employees through various media, such as newsletters and posters. The scope of the campaign and the activities planned should be introduced and preliminary materials distributed. Depending on how much time team members can devote to the campaign during their work, the preparation must start two to three months ahead of the kickoff date.

Finally, the campaign needs to build to a climax and have a distinctive closing date. It should not be allowed to die of old age and lack of interest. Employees will continue the preventive efforts in their personal safety programs, and supervisors will continue to review and reinforce the key points, but the campaign as such should end and all the special notices, posters, and displays should come down. If appropriate, the theme can be repeated at a later time, with a slightly different approach and renewed emphasis.

Safety Circles

Some continuing off-the-job safety problems can be addressed by safety circles. The circle is a small group of people with a common interest or problem. This interest may be a specific sport or hobby, children's safety, a community activity, or a technique such as first aid. The circle does not follow the normal structure of the organization. People belong because of their common interest. Although there is a leader to move the discussions along, there is no authority figure—hence the term "circle." All members are equal. Circles may be organized within departments, or across departmental lines. In addition, safety circles can periodically become the nucleus of a project team when it is decided to emphasize their activity as part of the overall program.

A circle facilitator is designated to lead the program. This person is the liaison between the circles and the steering committee.

Organizing safety circles must not be a hurried process. Attempts to put a large number of circles into operation at the same time will probably guarantee failure. One or two circles should be started, and their success used as the catalyst for others. Fewer circles will let the facilitator divide his or her time in order to give each circle meaningful help. A suggested course of action should include:

1. Picking critical loss exposures. The steering committee selects a few exposures that have the highest potential for off-the-job accidents.

2. Selecting circle leaders who are best qualified or most experienced in the activity associated with the critical exposures.

3. Training circle leaders in basic problem-solving techniques, group dynamics, personal and group communications techniques, accident causes and controls, and safety circle procedure.

4. Recruiting circle members by identifying employees who are interested in the topic, are good team workers, and have a good reputation for job safety.

5. Training team members. This is a learn-by-doing approach. After an initial orientation in the circle procedure, the leader prompts the selection of a problem to work on. The first problems should be simple ones so that the circle can concentrate more on learning the method.

6. Conducting the circle activity. Ask members to volunteer for researching various topics, for bringing in resource people for questioning, and for analyzing the data gathered.

7. Keeping progress data. Periodically, report on each circle's activities to the steering committee. Present the problems identified and the extent of research conducted.

Personal Safety Programs

Each employee's personal life is different. To make an off-the-job safety program truly effective, it must be tailored to the individual. Family size, ages of family members, type of home and furnishings, domestic activities, recreational interests, and personal travel all differ.

The approach needs to be one of getting employees interested in starting personal safety programs and then providing the tools they need. These tools include education in safety and health fundamentals, information on how to organize personal safety programs, assistance with the more difficult problems, and resources for ideas and materials.

In addition to providing periodic safety information through company and outside publications, a library of information on off-the-job safety topics should be available for employees and families. One way of providing this information is through an on-line facility.

To facilitate development of personal safety programs, you may wish to provide binders with a table of contents for broad categories, and perhaps some initial articles on general safety topics. To add further emphasis, the binder could be presented in a special safety meeting to review basic safety concepts and off-the-job hazards.

Encourage employees to file additional information on the hazards faced by their families, and review it periodically. For example, a family that boats should review their boating safety file before each season.

Key Elements

The parts of a personal safety program are called "elements." The elements are:

1. Leadership: Within the family there must be a safety leader. One person must inspire and challenge the others to act safely. The leader sets a safety policy and encourages the setting of standards for safe conditions and practices. The leader prompts the others and ensures that they are adequately equipped and educated. The leader also sets the example.

2. Training and education: Lack of knowledge or skill is a basic cause of many accidents. Training activities ensure that everyone acquires the knowledge needed for safety in all activities. Sometimes this occurs by formally teaching safe practices; at other times, it happens through self-study.

3. Engineering controls: There are safety standards for homes, vehicles, and public areas. These standards were bought with someone's blood, and are the result of accident investigations. Someone must research the standards and verify they are met.

4. Purchasing controls: Many tools and materials used in homes, hobbies or other forms of recreation have hazardous properties. Become familiar with them, tell family members about the hazards that exist, and buy the items that are least hazardous.

5. Personal protective equipment: Some hazards can be controlled through proper personal protective equipment. This can range from clothing to protect against poisonous plants, to face shields or goggles to protect against chemicals or flying objects. The person involved must study the specific hazard and obtain suitable protection.

6. Emergency preparedness: Natural disasters and technological accidents can affect personal safety; the effects vary from one situation to the next. As a family, consider potential disasters, make emergency plans, and hold emergency drills.

7. Care of the injured: First aid can prevent complications of injuries. Suitable first-aid kits need to be obtained and people trained in first-aid techniques.

8. Inspections: Make periodic examinations of facilities, equipment, materials, and practices to ensure that they continue to meet safety standards.

9. Family meetings: People need to be reminded about key aspects of safety and the prevention of accidents. Hold family meetings during the year to discuss safety in various off-the-job activities. To assure their involvement, let the children assume some of the leadership.

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