We have safety meetings to promote ways to safely operate and protect our equipment. This includes driving on public roads and job sites, operating the equipment, procedures for equipment inspections and other driver responsibilities. The goal for safety meetings should be to lead drivers towards safety in their everyday activities. You want your drivers to be "team players". Their actions will have an impact on the company's bottom line. Positive meetings promote positive "team players.

How do we do this?

1. Develop and maintain our own good driving habits.

   Use your turn signals. Obey speed limits. Use good braking habits such as braking easy. Develop smooth takes offs from a stop and smooth shifting of gears. Slow down on rough roads. Watch out for children at play. Keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you. Read people's body language. Keep eyes looking down the road and watch for brake lights, turn signals use, swerving vehicles indicating an obstacle may be in the roadway. Watch out for all other vehicles when you are making any turns.

2. Keep the equipment properly maintained.

   Drivers are the front line defense in maintaining equipment. Drivers do the post and or pre-trip inspections and report any problems to the appropriate person such a supervisor, safety manager, dispatcher, shop supervisor, owner, etc. If the driver is assigned the same truck, the driver will quickly learn that truck's sound and feel. With the drivers doing their inspections and the shop doing preventive maintenance & repairs, the trucks will be in better condition. The goal is to reduce repairs and down time. The trucks will be safer on the road. If the proper inspections are not made, then breakdowns and down time will be more common. A poorly maintained truck can become a liability going down the road.

3. Operating the equipment.

   This includes the truck, tractor/trailer and the equipment mounted on the truck, tractor/trailer, etc. This would include dumps, mixers, concrete pumps, etc.

1. All safety meetings should be actively supported by the CEO and all managers. The CEO should lead all meetings and managers should be present. The safety manager presents the safety part of the meeting. By being present the CEO and managers are showing leadership, support, unity and that the safety meetings are important to the company. With first hand knowledge of the meetings they can support the safety program throughout the daily operations. Failure to be there, the CEO and managers are indirectly saying that safety meetings are not important. They are not taking safety seriously. This could have a negative impact on your safety program. Your drivers will probably not take safety as serious as you want them to.

2. The CEO and managers must be committed to the company and the safety program. The CEO and managers must have the highest respect for each other and show it. The safety manager should welcome any suggestions from the CEO and other managers. I mention this because I have seen managers not have respect each other. They more concern about their part of the business only. It's very undermining when there is no unity. Every employee including the CEO, managers, drivers, office personnel, dispatchers, sales, safety manager, mechanics and laborers all play an important part of the everyday operations of the company. If any part is missing, a void is created and the company will not operate efficiently. If someone is sick or on vacation, there needs to be a backup that can cover that position for a short period of time. A good example of a position that is always covered is dispatch. What if your safety manager needs a few days off, goes on vacation or the position becomes open? You need to have a plan to actively cover any position when there is an absence, whether it's for a couple of days or a longer period of time. Someone needs to be familiar with the safety program, guide lines, etc. and be able to step in.

3. I have seen safety meetings dominated by company news, sales dept. updates, record keeping and dispatch issues. These subjects can easily turn a safety meeting into a question and answer session that can take up a lot of time as one question can lead to another. Questions and answers are a very important way to communicate. They are necessary, just not during the main part of the safety meeting. Bulletin boards should always be promoted for current news and safety issues. Questions and answers sessions should be reserved for the last part of the meeting so as not to take up valuable time during the main meeting. Announcements can easily be distributed through notices in paychecks and through postings on bulletin boards. Bulletin boards are an excellent way to communicate with your employees and lease trucks. Use them. Use several! CEO and managers should remain after the meeting to answer any additional questions. A note should be made of any other questions and posted for all to read. Communication is very important to the company.

4. Have a comment, question and suggestion box available for all employees. The drivers and mechanics all have a different view of what's going on. Their input can be very valuable. By having the box, questions, suggestion, etc., can be submitted at the drivers and mechanic's convenience. Ask anybody with a suggestion to sign their name in case you need more clarity. Any questions or actions suggested and the answer can be posted on the bulletin board. The CEO should have the key to the box and should be the one to review any comments, suggestions and questions submitted. The CEO may choose to refer some of the items to other managers. Managers should report back to the CEO and all questions and answers should be posted. If there are questions, comments and suggestions made by one person, it could be safe to assume someone else may have the same thoughts. If you want your employees to be team players in the business, to be an important part of the business, don't blow them off with "don't worry about it" or "it's not your concern". Once again, they see your business from a different point of view. Their comments and observations can prove to be very valuable. Let them have a way to have input. When ever one comes up with a really good idea, recognize that person. If it's a really good idea reward them. Whatever the question, comment, etc., post it with the response for all to benefit.

5. With drivers and mechanics, you are trusting them with your equipment, you trust them to do a good job, you trust them to be safe, you trust them to project a good company image and if they see something that is or could be problem you want them bring it up. If you don't care or if you discourage their input, they won't care either. Would you? They'll just do their job the easiest way they can and just let you figure out the problems. You need them to care about the company.

1. A reasonable time for a safety meeting is about 1 hour. 45 minutes for brief introductions and safety issues. 15 minutes for a question and answer secession. Always start the meeting on time and end on time. Period. Place a large clock on the back wall so that the speaker can monitor the time without looking at their watch. Anytime a speaker looks at his or her watch, everyone else will too. It's a distraction. Always give advance notice of when the meeting is going to be. Avoid rescheduling meetings and cancellations. If you must reschedule or cancel a meeting, give as much notice as possible and be sure to get the word to everyone, without exception. It is very frustrating for someone to arrive for a meeting and find out it was canceled and no one called to let that person know. It is very irresponsible for management to allow this to happen.

2. The CEO starts the meeting. For the new drivers, the CEO should introduce all of the management members and give a brief description of what their position is in the company. It's very important to show that the company is serious about safety. Not just say it. During the meeting the CEO and managers should give 100% of their attention to the speaker. No talking as this is a distraction to the speaker and others. CEO and managers should sit with the drivers and not with each other. By having the CEO and the managers present at the meetings, you are showing safety is important.

   Note: The CEO and managers need to be at the meeting before and after to mingle and get to know the drivers. Don't just hang out with each other. The CEO and managers should take the initiative to mingle with the drivers. After a few meetings you should see working friendships and respect develop. Always go to the new driver and welcome them. The managers need to be prepared to take notes on questions, comments and suggestions and report them to the CEO. The CEO needs to know what's on the employees' minds. This is a mini Q & A opportunity. Take advantage of it.

3. The safety manager presents the safety program. All material should be presented in a pleasant positive way. Never yell, be angry or use any confrontational voice. To do otherwise, you will create resentment. I have been in a "safety meeting" where the general manager had a problem with 5 or 6 drivers, out of about 50 drivers. He stands up and starts fussing at everyone in the room. He gets pretty rough and firm. He just goes on and on. Finally, he says the problem is only with "5 or 6 drivers". But, everyone else is doing a good job. What kind of manager will stand up and fuss at 44 drivers who were doing a good job? That manager wanted to make a point about a problem but, what a poor way to do it. I don't think anyone likes to get fussed at for something they didn't do. I know I didn't appreciate it and I don't want to hear it. He created a lot of disrespect from most if not all of the drivers. As far as professionalism and leadership, he just failed big time. He did it to himself and he did it publicly.

4. What ever issues you cover, fully explain them. One example is drive defensively. This is a very general, broad and commonly used phrase. For this statement to be effective, you've have to explain it. What is meant by "drive defensively"? Well, you have to talk about situations. Such as when driving down the road, watch for body language or vehicle language that may give you an idea of what the other vehicle is going to do. Don't zig zag in and out of traffic. In that situation, you have to be watching all around yourself to do this. Don't follow other vehicles too close, especially big trucks. You can't see around them like you can with cars, pickups and suvs. You operate your vehicle in a way that you are protecting it from an accident. You can go on and on with many, many different situations. You've got to be specific. You've got to explain what you mean. Don't let the driver try to figure out what you're talking about. The phrase "drive defensively" is so broad, your drivers may not bother to give it any thought at all.

5. Subjects to cover at each meeting should include driving techniques, dumping techniques, job site issues, inspecting equipment and equipment use. Cover something in each of these areas. So that you can fill the 45 minutes, be prepared to cover more items if there is time. This way you will not run short of safety issues. At the end of the 45 minutes, cut it off. You are on a time schedule. Your drivers should pretty much know most of these issues, but you need to continuously cover these issues. This is continuing education. This is one excellent way to keep safety issues techniques and responsibilities fresh on the drivers and management's mind. You want to explain in detail, but if you are allowing 45 minutes for a meeting, you must move quickly to cover the fore mentioned subjects. Some subjects will provoke some strong feelings and opinions from the drivers. If anybody has question or opinions, ask them to save it for the last 15 minutes so that you can cover the list of items for this meeting. Don't let comments and questions bog your meeting down. It is important to start the safety meeting on time. It's important to end the meeting on time. If people have questions after the meeting, stay after and answer all questions. For the benefit of those that need to leave at the close of the meeting, post questions and answers of the bulletin board.

6. As previously said, it's easy to get bogged down during a meeting. When it does get off track, this is a good time for the CEO to jump in and regain control. This is not a put down or a threat to the safety manager. This gives your safety manager a moment to take a breath and get his/her thoughts back on track. This is just keeping control of the meeting, to keep the meeting going, to cover the issues that are on the table for that meeting. You may have to cut the prepared information short due to time constraints. If so, whatever you had to cut short, you could post it on the bulletin board. It's important to get the information out there. Also, you could start your next meeting with the subject that you stopped at.

7. Use tools and props in your safety meetings. A good source is video tapes that might be provided by insurance companies and maybe state trucking associations. When using videos, be sure that the videos provide good interesting information. Some videos are very general and are just not that interesting. Don't bore your drivers. Use a white board for drawing out an example or an overhead projector. When you are explaining something that involves driving a truck, pretend you're driving a truck (holding the steering wheel and make your point). Be visual. Try not to get stuck just standing there talking. Keep things moving and keep everyone's attention, keep them awake and alert. You have got to be heard above the normal room noises without straining ones voice. Use a p.a. system. With a slight bit of volume, it's easier to hold everyone's attention. Once again, keep your meeting visual and be heard.

8. Use any of your accidents, incidents, situations to your advantage. Present the information in a positive way. You want your drivers to learn how to avoid accidents. If you work with other safety managers from other companies, use their accidents to your advantage, if you can. That's the best way because the accident didn't cost your company anything. Let the other company safety managers use your accidents for their meetings Show any pictures (slides pictures would be best because they can be projected big for all to see). Report what happened. Point out what was done wrong and explain what should have happened. Talk about injuries. How many days lost for repairs? Total revenue lost. Lost time and income for the driver (This could be a half a day or more). Make the situation real for your drivers. Show them the amount of the lost income. Show them the cost of the repairs. Instead of looking at the accident as an accident, it will be an expensive accident. It will mean more to them. Another way to take advantage of an accident is to take pictures and if you have the negatives, you could have enlargements made. Put together the pictures of an accident and notes of what happened with the pictures. Create a poster, frame it and hang it in the driver's room. Share information with other safety managers. You could, with very little effort have a collection large enough that you could rotate the posters. They will be timeless. If these posters are interesting, they will be a constant reminder of safety.

9. Occasionally, use guest speakers. Most of your law enforcement agencies have officers who will go out and promote safety. They will probably have a few specific issues to bring up. They could even talk about what they expect when they stop a truck. A hazard material specialist (fire dept.) will have tips for fuel and oil spills. You can always use those issues again in a future meeting. When you do have a guest speaker, explain the time frame and format of the safety meeting. They might want to prioritize their issues. Another safety manager could be a guest speaker. Does the guest speaker want questions and comments during their presentation? The safety manager should be ready to step in and take control of the meeting if it starts to get out of control. Protect your guest speaker!

10. Talk about and fully explain company policies on topics such as post/pre-trip inspections, fuel spills, break downs on the road, accidents and what procedures you should follow if you are involved in one. Have a written list posted so that anyone can review it. These should be covered when a driver is first hired. To review is important. You might, once a year, have a CPR and choking class. You can probably find an organization that will do this for free. Everyone should know this because you never know when you will need the information. The class needs to be repeated at least once a year for new employees and for review by existing employees.

11. Sometimes, while you are discussing issues, someone will cut in, make a comment or have a question. Acknowledge that person, their statement or question. Tell them you would like to continue the point that you are leading up. If you don't cover their comment or question in the following statements, please bring it up in the question & answer part of the meeting. Don't forget them. Don't blow them off. The meeting might actually even be over, get back with that person and go over what it was they wanted to talk about. Show respect for them. If you have drivers who talk to each other while you are talking, they are being disruptive in the meeting and they are not listening to you. Probably, the best way to handle is to call their names to get their attention and say "Bill & John I know I must have said something that caused you to talk between yourselves, but, I can see that other people around you are straining trying to hear what I'm saying. Would you please hold your thoughts until the end of the meeting"? No matter how you feel, voice this in a positive manner. Don't be ugly or rude. Be sincere and pleasant. By using this technique, you should regain control of the meeting.

12. At the end of the 45 minute safety part of your meeting, remind everyone that the suggestion box is available. Please use it to submit any safety issues, situations or suggestions that need to be reviewed, looked at or considered.

13. Now it's time for the 15 minute question and comments part of the meeting. Any driver that has a question or comment now is the time. This should be lead by the CEO in order to give the safety manager a rest. Designate someone to take notes for the questions and comments. Sometimes a quick answer can be made. Other times, someone may have to do a little research. The CEO can immediately direct a subject to one of the managers to prepare a response. Who ever is taking notes needs to note the question and who is going to respond. Those notes should be turned into the CEO so that the suggestions can be addressed. Drivers' comments and asking questions can bring up ideas that can evolve into something that you can use so that the company can be safer, more profitable, and more efficient, etc.

14. As said, a reasonable length of time for a safety meeting is 1 hour. 45 minutes for safely issues and 15 minutes for question and answers. Stay on time. Keep control of the meeting. CEO and managers should be very willing to stay after the meeting to answer any questions. Be sure to post any "after meeting" questions and answers for all to read.

    Note: If you have lease trucks, they are not always going to make the safety meetings. They may have a maintenance problem that they need to take care of in order to run the next day. The safety manager should make it a point to get with them and go over items covered in the meeting. Maybe a written summary will do it. Whatever it takes. The goal is to get the information to them. This shows them that you are serious about safety and that good useful information is being presented to them and that they should be there. Some may not be interested at all. You will have to work with them to get them in the meeting. Call them the day before the meeting to remind them. Be pleasant and professional when you do this. If you have good constructive, positive meetings, they should eventually get in there. If your information is poor, dull, perceived as a waste of time, they will feel they are wasting their time and will not attend.

15. Safety meetings will always be more pleasant if you include refreshments. This can be anything from cookies and soft drinks to a buffet meal. You just can't go wrong with food.

1. Safety is not only the safety manager's job. Safety is a part of everyone's job. The CEO needs to make that clear to all managers.

2. The sales dept. is in direct contact with the customer. They should inquire about any safety issues that your company needs to know. Be sure that the safety issues are sent to the safety manager and to dispatch. Any orders for any particular day should include safety items that are important on the job for that day. When an order is taken or placed, the sales person or dispatcher should ask if there are any particular safety issues that the drivers need to be aware of. If there is anything specific, the safety manager and the drivers should be notified. Special instructions could be which entrance to use or that there is going to be other trucks making a delivery.

3. Dispatch should have a way to have any safety notices stand out on the dispatch system so that the notices can be passed along to the drivers at the time the drivers are dispatched. The dispatch office is the last contact before a driver goes out to a job. It's very important for dispatch to know any safety issues so that the information can be passed along to the driver. It is the dispatcher's responsibility to pass along this safety information to the drivers. If you use a dispatch sheet system and daily copies are made for the sales and safety manager, the safety notes should be included. If not, a system should be created to fit your business.

4. Your safety manager should know who the safety managers are for all customers and general contractors. Your safety manager should contact them so that they will know who to contact in case of a problem. This is excellent for public relations. This contact can be made be a simple phone call. Customer name, their safety manager' name and phone number records should be kept and maintained.

5. Safety manager should have a copy of the current dispatch with safety notices.

6. The best safety program should start with the CEO and go down through the managers and drivers. If not, the safety manager must go on and project safety up and down through the company. Any conversations between the CEO, managers, sales, dispatch, safety manager, drivers and shop personnel should always include safety issues. When drivers are talking about a job, safety issues should be included. If there are no safety issues that need to be talked about, that should be noted. By that I mean "Carry on drivers; I do not know of any particular safety issues on this job. If something comes up, call dispatch and please spread the word among yourselves." You must always talk about safety. Any safety items worn by the job site workers should be worn be your drivers if they get out of their truck, even if it is just a moment. You never know when a job supervisor or safety representative is watching. You want to make and show a good safety appearance at the job site. Your drivers need to understand this. Drivers need to take the initiative to do this own their own and remind other drivers who forget.

   Note: A lot of your drivers are going try every way they can to get out of wearing safety gear. You will get all kinds of questions asking, "What if this...... or what if that........?" They will try to wiggle out anyway they can. Their correct attitude should be "I want to do whatever it takes to work safely and follow the company's safety guidelines and the customer's safety guidelines." If this idea is new, a lot of drivers are going to have to get into the habit. Until they do some will forget. They need to be reminded. Encourage drivers, in a pleasant way to help and remind each other to use their safety equipment, to talk safety, follow the rules. You will probably have some drivers that will just not get involved with the safety program. "They forget". Well, they sure do seem very forgetful because they forget all the time. You are going to have to get them on track. You're going to have to lead them, not bully them. Assuming there is a company employment policy that includes, "all employees will follow safety guidelines..." They are going to need to be reminded of it. The company has safety rules that everyone must follow. Every employee has the responsibility to actively comply with all safety rules. "I forgot" is not a valid excuse. Any employee that fails to follow the safety rules cannot work for the company. The decision is all up to the driver. Don't bully, lead.

7. When a tractor/trailer comes into the shop for repairs or maintenance, the mechanic or the shop mgr. should look over the unit and note any items that have not been noted. The safety manager and operations manager can discuss this with the driver and get that person up to speed on inspections.

8. A safety manager needs to have a good and pleasant personality, good communication skills, easy going (if they get mad, they must be able curb any anger), self starter, honest (this is a must, you can't have things hidden from you), willing to learn, patience, leadership, you know- a super person! I know it sounds like a lot to ask but, it really isn't. Just don't settle for less. Your excellent and professional safety program depends on it.

9. This is for the CEO; your safety manager needs a clear, definite and reasonable job description in writing. If you do not have one, have your safety manager write one. You can then review, clarify and make any changes. You want to be sure that you are getting full value from that position and person. Review procedures and all paper forms. Don't tie up that person to do something that takes them away from your safety program.

10. Anyone you hire should be on 60 to 90 day probation. The safety person needs to report to his or her supervisor on a daily basis so that the safety program remains on the right track. The safety manager needs to know that they are on the right track. After that time period, the safety manager should have a very good understanding of what is expected of them.

11. A safety manager can't be everywhere. It takes everyone in the company to participate in safe operations. The drivers have an important role in helping each other to stay with in the appropriate guidelines of safety. Probably at different times each of us may get off track. This can be due to thinking about something else, did not recognize a situation, a situation has changed, etc. If you see that one of the other drivers needs a reminder or needs to be notified about something, tell them. The important thing to remember is to be truly helpful when you tell another driver that they are not doing something correct or that they need to do it differently. Be sincere and helpful. Don't talk down to them. Talk to them the way you would want to be talked to. Drivers love to catch the safety manager off track. Take the advice or information and correct yourself. Sincerely thank them. This is how you would want them to respond to your advice. Sometimes there can be wrong advice. It's up to you to determine that. Put the right information out. Just be sincere. Let's be safe. Let's do the right thing. Be a leader and not a bully.