“TOOL BOX”

SAFETY MEETING

WHY DO WE HAVE TOOLBOX MEETINGS

MAIN POINTS

Why do we have toolbox meetings? Toolbox meetings are an opportunity for

management and the safety department to communicate to employees how they can
reduce their chance of having an incident either in the office or at home. As well,
toolbox meetings are designed to increase safety awareness and eliminate potential
hazards in the home and office. Topics discussed in toolbox meetings may be topics
that you are familiar with, or topics that you have limited knowledge about. If the topic is
something that you are familiar with, it may be easy to tune out and not listen to the
safety information being presented. Do yourself a big favour and listen to the
information as if you have never heard it before. Most incidents, accidents, and injuries
are not the result of lack of knowledge, but the result of ignoring it. And besides, you
may just learn something new about the latest protective equipment, or a smarter way
to do a particular job. Information passed on in a toolbox meeting has a purpose...To
stop you and your co-workers from being injured. “I knew it was wrong but…” Accident
investigators hear this statement over and over again in the aftermath of workplace
accidents.

Toolbox meetings also allow employees an opportunity to relay safety/health concerns

or improvement ideas to management or the safety department.

Accidents result from unsafe acts or conditions. For a variety of reasons, unsafe acts
typically account for 90% of all accidents according to some experts. Toolbox meetings
serve as a preventative measure against unsafe acts by educating employees on how
they can do their job safely.

The SNC-Lavalin target is Zero Recordable Incidents, to support this we need to create
an Incident and Injury Free Culture. Tool Box meetings, safety topics at team
meetings and other such gatherings are an opportunity to communicate safety as a
project value. To achieve the project target each and every member of our team must
have safety as a value. Not only should team members be attending these meetings but
they should be participating, talking about a safety related topics and demonstrating
their commitment to the project vision on safety. Remember safety is not a set of
statistics, its people getting hurt, sometimes permanently losing some ability or
functionality, its serious and we should all demonstrate our commitment to making this
the safest project ever.

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 WHY DO WE HAVE TOOLBOX MEETINGS

If you’re still not sold, let’s look at the potential cost of accidents. More specifically, how
can accidents directly affect you!

1. Death – The ultimate unwanted result. Where does this leave your loved ones?

2. Financial Cost – Lost pay or reduction in pay. Who pays the bills? Are you the sole
income producer in your household?

3. Pain & Suffering – An obvious detriment that no one desires.

4. Disability – A life changing experience. Now you’re not able to do what you used to
do. Maybe now you can’t cast that fishing rod? Ride that bike, hug your wife, lift
your child, or simply see? Or perhaps you’re confined to a wheelchair. How would
this affect your career?

5. Competitiveness On Bidding Jobs – Other than payroll and benefits, worker’

compensation insurance and accident costs may represent the bulk of a company’s
operating expense. When a companies operating expense increases, they are then
less competitive to bid jobs. If your company is not awarded jobs, where does that
leave you?

6. Your Co-Workers Safety – Perhaps you and your co-worker have been working
together for sometime now. Chances are you may spend as much time with your
co-workers than possibly your own family. Thus, you obviously do not want
something bad to happen to them. Watch out for their safety too.

Toolbox meetings are the perfect opportunity for you to communicate any safety ideas
or concerns that you may have. Participate in your toolbox meetings, volunteer to
speak on a topic of personal interest to you or simply add your two cents on a topic
being presented. We encourage you to voice any safety/health concerns or
improvement ideas that you may have. If you don’t participate then your ideas will not
be heard. Who knows, the idea that you have may very well save your co-worker’s life
or even your own.

DISCUSSION

 Any comments on what we have discussed so far?

 Does anyone have any safety/health issues or ideas they would like to discuss?

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