safety meeting

I want to start my new series on safety meeting by stressing the extreme importance to have them- very regularly. Some operations only have them monthly, if at all- Personally, I recommend weekly- let me explain- one week you have a short office meeting – maybe 15-20 minuets, the next week- a longer more in-depth, maybe 25-40 min, the next week is another short meeting and the final week of the month- a full blown safety meeting and class. This meeting will likely last more than an hour.

The short meetings: these meetings will be a review of the past week, the main purpose of this meeting is communication, not just between the management and the employees but amongst the employees. This will get the operators comfortable talking with each other and management. These short meetings are the time to discuss any problems, questions, or misunderstandings the employees may have. This would also be a good time to discuss any paperwork issues, equipment issues, or policy or management changes. This would also be a great time do discuss any positive or negative letters or feedback you have received. Discus any pricing problems. Also this is the perfect time to recognize any employees that have been doing an excellent job.

The 25-40 min meetings should be used to incorporate everything that should be in the short meeting but should also include some class time. This “class time” can include many things, here are some of my suggestions- finding some pictures of recoveries (there are plenty in may different places around the net) and discuss the do’s and don’ts and discuss how each person would tackle the recovery, but make sure you discus specifics such as, resistance, hook up points, pressure points, possible problems, tips, critique the company in the pictures, and so on and so forth. Another suggestion is to have a speaker come in for the meeting; it does not have to be a motivational speaker but maybe invite someone from your local fire, police, or public works department. Discus what they expect from you and how each of your departments can work better with each other. This would also be a great time to review any major incidents your company has been involved in- in fact, after EVERY major incident or recovery, all parties involved should sit down and discus and review the incident and what went well and what needs to be improved.

The in-depth longer safety class- this should happen at least once a month. This should involve very little of what is involved in the shorter meetings, this should be a classroom and hands on class, the class can include simple hands on demonstrations like loading a car on a flat bed but could be a rigorous as rolling over a semi. In any case, everyone should get there hands dirty. The safety aspect should be stressed. You may also want to invite a professional trainer or a knowledgeable industry operator** that is a company outsider in to teach a class. If one person learns one new technique that can save a life or prevent damage, the price and time of the class is worth it.

** This person can be from the same town or from another state, this person can be from a wrecker dealer or an operator from another company, anyone who might have something new to offer your employees. By hiring someone from the outside, it will make for a more interesting class and will expose your drivers to new and different aspects of this industry.

Tips:
1) These meeting should be scheduled at the same time every other week so everyone will be used to it.
2) All employees, including dispatchers, shop workers, mechanics, secretaries and management should be included in all meetings. This is important because of several reasons- open communication among all employees. Everyone should be Comfortable working with everyone else. The most important reason of all is so that everyone has a general understanding of everyone’s job and responsibilities.
3) Assign someone to take notes. These should be typed and stored for future reference. The notes can also be distributed to any employees that were not able to come to the meeting. This can also be important so you are able to show the authorities and insurance companies if necessary.
4) have everyone sign in on a record sheet- keep track of attendance.
5) Try a schedule the meetings near the end of the week. Try and schedule the shorter meetings before the start of the regular work day or between shifts. The longer meetings usually fit well on Saturday mornings. Remember, each operation is different and there for each meeting must be adapted to work with in your company.
6) I strongly recommend you make these as fun and interesting as possible- you all remember when you in school- who did you learn from more- the teacher who was boring or the charismatic hands on- field trip guy
7) field trip- if your in Chattanooga go to the museum, try a wrecker dealer or manufacturer or maybe see if you can get a tour of another towing company and invite them to your facility. Go to a conference room at a hotel, go to some ones house, have a picnic, go to a restaurant just Get out of the office is the bottom line- it will keep the meeting more interesting
8) Look in to joint safety meeting with other companies
9) I also recommend food- for the short meetings- coffee and donuts. For the 25-40 min meetings, take the employees out to dinner. The long meetings- get it catered or take them out to dinner afterwards!
10) most insurance companies will give discounts to companies that have regular safety meetings.

In my future safety meeting articles, I will be much more specific on topics.

Also if any of you are in the Chicago area and would like me to come in and advise you or run a safety meeting, you can e-mail me at towrecovery@aol.com. – I AM NOT A PROFFESIONAL TRAINER, but I have many years of experience and hold many certifications. I would be more than happy to help anyone. E-mail me with any questions

Till next time- “be safe out there, C’ya in the ditch”