Suggestions to Prepare for a Successful Stand-Down

Workplace fatalities and injuries can put a serious dent in a company’s profitability, professional reputation, and worse; it can lead to severe injuries or even death. Globally, more than 2 million employees die every year from work-related illnesses and occupational accidents. The worst part is, many workplace fatalities could have been easily prevented with OSHA fall protection training.

Safety stand-downs provide the perfect opportunity to win the battle against workplace fatalities and accidents. Designed to reduce accidents, educate employees on the best safety practices, and review hazards at an existing job site, the training encourages workers to take time off and discuss common safety issues. When combined with the company’s fall protection training efforts, safety stand-downs can make a huge difference in reducing fatal accidents and boost the company’s profitability.

To help, Impact Safety has provided some proven tips on hosting a safety stand-down:

Review your current safety procedure: Review your existing procedure and what has been working for your organization. Is the existing policy you have working? If not, what can you do to improve it? What new procedures can you add?

Foster involvement: For a successful stand-down, it’s important that everyone remains involved. Keep the audience engaged by designing creative activities, asking the right questions, and creating a hands-on exercise that involves equipment checks, a worksite walkaround, etc. to help increase retention.

Here are some more tips to foster involvement:

• • Ask the attendees questions about potential fall hazards on the current work site

• • Ask attendees to share experiences they have had, or have witnessed that illustrate how quickly falls occur

• Consider using the OSHA fall protection videos to augment training

Remain active: Your stand-down safety program must remind everyone in the company about the importance of workplace safety. Making your employees aware of the safety concerns should be an ongoing effort and should continue to build awareness throughout the year. It is crucial to hold periodic safety meetings where you highlight particular fall hazards related to each job site and conduct regular training. OSHA fall protection recommends keeping training sessions short and easy to follow to encourage participation with interesting discussions and safety-related questions.

Backed by safety organizations and industry associations alike, safety stand-downs can make a difference when implemented correctly, which is swiftly gaining popularity in recent years. Equipped with the right knowledge, continual awareness and training, any business can be a much safer place to work.