Topics for Workplace Safety Meetings

Workplace safety should be a top priority for all employers. While rates of work-related injuries have declined over the past few years -- due largely in part to the formation of OSHA -- tens of thousands of workers sustain serious injuries each year. This is why it's a good idea for employers to hold regular meetings regarding workplace safety and potential hazards. If you're thinking about a safety meeting in your workplace, keep reading for some topic ideas to consider.

Proper Lifting

Sometimes it's the small hazards that pose the greatest risk to workers. One such hazard that's often overlooked is improper lifting. We've all been guilty of bending our backs to pick something up. Although it may seem harmless enough, doing so stresses the back and promotes injury. Consider having a safety meeting discussing the right way to lift objects. Workers should be trained to lift by bending their knees, not their backs.

Heat Exhaustion

With summer now here, there's no better time than now to discuss the dangers of heat exhaustion with workers. Normally, our bodies are capable of cooling off by sweating. Sweating releases heat while cooling the skin with moisture. But exposure to excessively hot environments can overwhelm the body's natural cooling mechanism -- to the point where it's unable to regulate its internal temperature. Heat exhaustion can lead to illness or even death in some cases.

You can learn more about heat exhaustion by visiting OSHA's website at https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/heatillness/index.html?utm_source=Twitter.

Eye Protection

Another topic idea for a workplace safety meeting is eye protection. Worker who use power tools or heavy machinery should wear the appropriate eye protection at all times. Failure to do so could result in eye injury and/or vision loss. It's important to remember that the employer is responsible for providing all necessary forms of personal protection equipment (PPE) to workers, and this includes eye protection.

Slip and Falls

Slip and falls consistently rank as one of the most common types of work-related injury. Regardless of your industry, there's always a risk for such incidents. Workers should be trained to identify potential hazards on the floor, cleaning up spilled liquids in a timely manner and using other absorbent products when necessary. Taking a couple of minutes to clean up spilled liquids could mean the difference between an injury.