If you didn't document it, you didn't do it. All the safety management, inspections, leadership, administration, purchases, inventory, training, certifications, etc. will not be worth a hill of beans unless you have documentation that it was done. Checklists are my favorite. I read somewhere that even brain surgeons use checklists. I can just picture them going down the list, getting to the check box next to "count sponges" and discovering that they are one short. Nurse! Open up the skull again. I regularly watched my colleagues conduct behavior observations for front line workers at a recycling plant. One by one on one, every month, they reviewed, in detail, the worker's ppe, posture, hydration, and general safety concerns for the day. It was cordial and brief and powerful and it ended with both their signatures on the form. The message to the employee was clear. His supervisor was watching and responsible for his safety equipment and performance. The supervis...
Powered Industrial Truck Operator Training is in demand! Did you know that OSHA requires forklift operators to be trained and certified every three years? Ever wonder why? You may have been driving a car for 30 years, yet you only had to be trained, and demonstrated your skills, one time. Why do we have any workplace safety regulations? Just look at the statistics. Forklifts, formally referred to as Powered Industrial Trucks, are involved in a staggering number of accidents. Part of the problem is the fact that they are so accessible. You don't even have to open a door to get in. And they look pretty familiar...gas pedal, brakes, steering wheel...looks like something I drove to work this morning. Same thing as a car right? Wrong! Completely different. Rear steer, counter weight, triangle of stability, high lift, no shocks, slick tires, where does one start? Untrained operators are one of the chief problems with forklifts. Think about the setting where most f...