Safety Meeting Starters (SMS) March 2013

Safety Meeting Starters (SMS)
March 2013
Happy March! - - This month find some helpful and timely safety information that can go
straight from these pages to your printer to your safety meetings or tailgate sessions. Enjoy!

Remember, Safety Meeting Starters (SMS) offers timely safety information to help you and your
team identify and control hazards and raise safety awareness. Please share this material with
your supervisors, safety professionals, managers, line workers and others.

Why Wait for Safety Meeting Starters, instead get real time safety information through Matt’s
Twitter feed. Follow Matt in March and receive a code for 50% of any one book in Matt’s
collection (find Matt’s books here http://www.safestrat.com/review-and-order-safety-books/)
and follow Matt on Twitter from this link: https://twitter.com/Safestrat or @safestrat.

Thanks again and pass this along. Remember, no one gets hurt today! God Bless, Matt.

About Matt… Matt Forck is a board-certified Safety Professional (CSP) and former Journey
Lineworker in the hazardous field of electrical line work (JLW). Matt’s recent innovations
include the development of the Safety Committee MAP process, a systematic process for safety
committee success, and the informal leader program aimed at engaging the true safety leaders
within any organization. Matt has published nearly 100 safety articles and written seven books
including his latest release, What Safety Leaders Do. He is a frequent speaker at national and
regional safety conferences and leads corporate sponsored safety, motivational and culture
building keynote presentations. You may contact Matt through his website,
www.safestrat.com. SMS are a FREE monthly newsletter to the safety community.

Matt Forck, CSP, JLW | www.safestrat.com | 573.999.7981

SMS-Powerful Information for a RESULTS driven safety culture! 2

S.A.F.E. (See Accidents Forever Eliminated) at Work
- A Motivational Safety Column!

Rinsing Cottage Cheese

Dave Scott won six consecutive world Iron Man championships. The grueling
competition consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and a 26 mile
marathon. To prepare each day Dave would swim, on average 20,000 meters,
bike 75 miles and run 17 miles. He did more to win than simply train; he also had
a belief that a low fat high fiber diet would give him an added edge in
competitions. So, when he ate cottage cheese, for example, he would first put it
in a strainer and rinse off all of the fat. Dave, with his training schedule obviously
didn’t have a weight problem; he was literally burning thousands of calories each
day. He remained true however to his dietary belief. But more importantly, he
held true to the knowledge that a small little step like rinsing the fat off of cottage
cheese can push you through the finish line at the end of a long day in Hawaii
competing in the World Iron man competition.

Today, what extra steps will you take for safety? Often, it’s not the big things that
push one over the finish line or keep them safe—after all, everyone does the ‘big
stuff.’ Instead, it’s the little extra steps one takes to win, or work safe, that makes
all the difference.

So, the next time you eat cottage cheese will you rinse it? I don’t think I will either
but what little ‘extra’ can I do for my personal safety?
©2013-SafeStrat, LLC-All Rights Reserved

Matt Forck | www.safestrat.com | (573) 999-7981
Safety Strategies…for LIFE!


How Leaders Lead…

What Safety Leaders Do – - The Insider’s
Handbook for Safety Leadership Tips,
Tactics, Secrets & Ideas
Today there is a procedure for everything that is important.
Yet, more than 99% of groups fail to have a road map for safety
leadership. The reason is that leadership is different. While
most of those other procedures are ‘one size fits all,’ safety
leadership is not. Each team, work group, and company has a
different culture, history, exposures and corporate structure
which means there isn’t a cookie cutter mold to safety
leadership. To be successful, each organization must customize
their program to fit their unique organization. To effectively
‘customize’ your company’s safety leadership program, you first
need access to all of the cutting edge leadership tactics, tips and
secrets – - which is exactly what this book provides! Then, you
can pick the ideas that are right for your group; putting proven
methods to work for you – - to get the results you have always aimed to achieve. 204 pages.

Price $19.95

Use code GHDF4HQD and get $5.00 off per book, no limits!

To learn more and order: https://www.createspace.com/3761883

To Read on Kindle – - http://www.amazon.com/What-Safety-Leaders-Leadership-
ebook/dp/B009DUPELI/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1349029014&sr=1-
2&keywords=what+safety+leaders+do



Safety Tidbits—the most information packed pages in safety!
Quote of the month:

"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves,
some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."

- - Sam Ewing, Former Major League Baseball Player

Funny Quote of the month:

"A man who was attempting to walk around the world...drowned today."

- - George Carlin

Feel Good Story of the Month (From a 4th Grade Girls Catholic Youth Basketball league
newsletter):

This letter was published on the CYC website for Random Acts of Sportsmanship. We
would like to recognize Steve Rarick for this act.

The next RAS honoree is Our Lady of Festus (MO) 4th grade girls coach Steve Rarick. In
last weekend’s tightly contested game against SMMA, the score was tied at 11-11 with
only 3 minutes left in the game. A SMMA player was driving to the basket and took an
accidental elbow to the face. The ref blew the whistle and called a foul, but the SMMA
girl was hurt and, naturally, was in tears. SMMA only had 5 players at the game, and
had used all their timeouts. OLF only had one left themselves.

At that point, in a completely unselfish, caring and very sportsmanlike act, Coach Rarick
(the coach of the opposing team) called his final timeout so that the injured SMMA
player could take a minute and gather her composure. To highlight his sportsmanship
even further, it should be noted that the injured player had scored 10 of SMMA's 11
points in the game.

When play resumed, the girls all played hard and finished the game. The game ended in
an 11-11 tie. Coach Rarick had a number of fans from both schools come up afterwards
and shake his hand. Obviously, winning the game was not the priority for this coach, the
safety of the girl and sportsmanship were. He exemplified what kind of coach we’d all
like to see coach our children. This recognition was sent to us by a SMMA parent. Thank
you for sharing a coach's Random Act of Sportsmanship.

Today…let’s have a random act of Safety!



Safety News from March:
From the Twitter Feed - - why wait for the end of the month Safety Meeting Starters when you
can get near real time safety updates from my Twitter feed! Join today;
https://twitter.com/Safestrat or @safestrat.

Company to admit failings over desal death http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-
/latest/16197888/company-to-admit-failings-over-desal-death/ …

Tragic consequences | The Journal Gazette | Fort Wayne, IN http://j.mp/13iU9sV

OSHA Investigation Into the Deaths of Gettysburg Men Complete
http://www.drgnews.com/2013/02/26/osha-investigation-into-the-deaths-of-gettysburg-
men-complete/ …

Welcome to Impress Somebody http://wp.me/P31msi-d

Great Leadership: It’s Time to View Leadership as a Profession http://ow.ly/i3EkU

Tramlink criticised over Croydon accident that left woman seriously hurt: Tramlink
criticised over Croydon a... http://bit.ly/XUHzex

Company fined $60,000 over lifter incident http://dlvr.it/30c69W

Fatal building collapse in Pampa prompts OSHA investigation - KFDA - NewsChannel
10 / Amarillo News, Weather, Sports
http://www.newschannel10.com/story/21192944/fatal-building-collapse-in-pampa-
prompts-osha-investigation#.USpsKokribk.twitter …

OSHA investigating Saratoga Springs crane collapse; company says crane malfunctioned
http://saratogian.com/articles/2013/02/15/news/doc511d0a2faa361875910759.txt?viewm
ode=fullstory#.USpr46eOgck.twitter …

Manchester metal firm sentenced over worker’s death
http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2013/rnn-nw-appliedfusion.htm?eban=rss …-

Firms sentenced after factory worker finds brother dead
http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2013/rnn-nw-unisign-wfel.htm?eban=rss …-

Are You Creating a Safe to Say Environment? - Random Acts of Leadership
http://ow.ly/hOtnQ

Worker’s roller coaster fall at Legoland leads to court
http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2013/rnn-se-3213.htm?eban=rss …-



RT @H_S_E: Guarding failures left pensioner with life-threatening injuries at wood yard
http://flip.it/9lGWA

Want to know how much accidents cost your business? Use #OSHA Safety Pays tool:
http://tinyurl.com/2du8rrj

"A worker's first day at work shouldn't be his last day on earth"
http://www.workerscompinsider.com/2013/02/a-workers-first.html …

Aiming In the Wrong Direction: The Fallacy of Safety Goals http://lnkd.in/WxmF_E

In the wake of #Nemo, remember safety comes first for crews and customers. Check out
http://eei.org for tips for you and your family

“Of course it will hold; it's a sailor's knot."—Check out PS's safety photo of the month.
http://ar.gy/3OJN

Post Edited: How to Innovate Safety - http://www.safestrat.com/2013/how-to-innovate-
safety-what-safety-leaders-understand-about-innovation/ …

New post: How to Innovate Safety - - W http://www.safestrat.com/2013/how-to-
innovate-safety-what-safety-leaders-understand-about-innovation/ …

Man dies after drilling rig accident http://shar.es/Yv1Qk

Work stops at Burnside site after fatality http://cbc.sh/eJjkRse

From Edicts to Discretionary Effort: Maturing Your Safety Culture -- Occupational
Health & Safety http://ohsonline.com/Articles/2013/02/01/From-Edicts-to-Discretionary-
Effort.aspx …

Darlington firm fined after contractor suffered severe burns following underground cable
strike http://bit.ly/UDntI1

RT @ASSE_Safety: Five Flu-Prevention tips to protect yourself from the seasonal flu.
http://flip.it/CP1Vm

OSHA investigation into 2 men who died when building collapsed: Whatever happened
to ...? | http://cleveland.com
http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/01/osha_whatever_happened_to.html …

Tech Killed on the Job in New Brunswick http://www.todaystrucking.com/tech-killed-
on-the-job-in-new-brunswick …

Evonik Stockhausen Cited By NC Dept of Labor In Employee's Death From July 2012 |
http://digtriad.com http://on.wfmy.com/11aKhvR



SAI - - Safety Awareness Items
(ideas to get raise your team’s awareness!

Cards Laminated pocket sized cards that contain a work rule,
safe procedure, etc., are a great safety hand out.

Playing Cards Every Job is a New Deal, Identify Hazards.

Carpet Stain Injuries Can't Be Removed.
Remover

Carrots Do the Healthy Thing for Your Eyes, Wear PPE.

Catfish Bait Bad Habits Stink!
(Stink Bait)

Caught Safe Stamp Safety Leaves a Mark…A Positive Example.

The Untapped Secret To Selling Safety -And 401½ Tangible Items Guaranteed
To Help Make That Sale! - - How well do you sell safety? The truth is that we
are at the mercy of our ability to sell, no matter how “tight” the presentation.
Regardless of our education or the facts surrounding an issue, we are still in a
position where we have to make the sale in order for a positive change to take
place. And, the better we are at selling, the greater our results. The fact of the
matter is that there are secrets to selling…even selling safety. One such
previously untapped secret is revealed here and your safety results will never
be the same! “Matt’s passion for safety continues to shine through as he
drives to inspire us to be the best we can be” wrote Bill Dampf, safety
professional with three decades of experience. “Through this latest effort, he
provides us with hundreds of ways to promote safety awareness to our
employees. Although keeping our workers safe is always a challenge, this
simple approach to helping us sell safety can be a tool that all of us can use.”
Price: $8.99 - - AND use this discount code to save $2..00 per book,
B9F5UNDN. Order from this link; https://www.createspace.com/3421798.



ISMA-Involved Safety Meeting Activity
Activity: Fitzroyisms
Estimated Time: 20 Minutes and/or a second safety meeting
Materials Needed: Open.
Reference materials: See ISMA below:

The ISMA:
Back in the day when Copernicus, the father of modern astrology, was making
headlines, he had many people opposed to his thoughts and theories. One such
person opposed to Copernicus was a man named Fitzroy. Overtime he gave every
excuse in the book why Copernicus’s ideas should not be adopted. Copernicus was
indeed correct and Fitzroy has gone down in history as the great excuse maker. There
is a modern day list of Fitzroy excuses called Fitzroyisms, they are:

1. We have always done it this way
2. That’s not how we do things around here
3. It’s not in the budget
4. You have to prove it will work before we try anything
5. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it
6. Yes but
7. We’re not ready for that kind of change
8. Don’t rock the boat
9. The lawyers won’t like it.
10. If that was such a good idea, someone would have already done it.

Divide the group into smaller groups of two to eight, challenge them to come up with at
least one safety idea that has yet to be tried (safety meeting, slogan, banner,
awareness idea etc.). Make sure the idea is practical and something that the small
group could complete if given the time. Then, in the next safety meeting, give the small
group the time to bring their idea to reality and schedule their idea within your group’s
safety agenda.

The Take-a-ways:
Too often, we make a Fitzroyism for not advancing an idea…this gives everyone in the
group an opportunity to make and advance their ideas.

Want 101 ISMAs? Check out ISMA (Involved Safety Meeting
Activities—101Ways to Get Your People In Involved! at Matt’s website;
http://www.safestrat.com/review-and-order-safety-books/



SPOT-M –(Safety Picture of the Month)

“I think we can make it…”

In safety…don’t take chances,
be sure before you act!

Choose in favor of your safety!
Send me your safety picture…if we use them you get a FREE book! Send to Matt@SafeStrat.com.



Tools for Pros!
What Day Will You Get Hurt?
--It’s about an attitude, not a day...
Can we statistically determine what day our workers will get hurt? And, can the day of the
week that an injury occurs mean that severity will be less, or greater? Over the last few years,
there have been some industry experts who have predicted that injury severity increases on the
day before a weekend or the day before an extended break. Can a quick internet search
support this theory? Let’s take a look. On Saturday, May 8 th, a gas explosion in China’s Hubei
Province mine killed 10 and injured six. A weekend. A week later, China experienced another
explosion and coal mine disaster, this time it happened late week, on a Thursday. In this case,
21 miners were killed. Do we have a late week trend? On further searching, we find that the BP
gulf coast incident happened on a Tuesday. That seems to blow the late week theory. Or, the
space shuttle Challenger exploded on a Tuesday as well...this myth might be busted.

In looking at a number of other incidents, injuries, and fatalities, we probably can’t determine a
statistical probability of an injury happening on a specific day of the week but if we look closer,
we can find some themes. And, discovering these themes will allow us to be aware and
prepared, ahead of a potential disaster.

End of a job - - The single deadliest event on Mount Everest was on May 10, 1996 when
seasoned and experienced guide Scott Fischer and seven other climbers were killed…they were
on the decent. At the beginning of a hazardous job, we tend to be on our toes. We plan. We are
vigilant. Our awareness is heightened. Yet, once we reach that peak, we tend to think the
major hurdles are behind and we can let that guard down a little. Forbes associate editor
Christopher Helman wrote the following in a recent article about the BP disaster, “We know
with some certainty that workers were in the final stages of setting the final sections of pipe
(production liner) in the hole and cementing it in place. The plan was to set cement plugs in the
well, temporarily abandon it, and move the Deepwater Horizon off to a new drilling site within
a couple days.” Did the fact that they were ‘coming down the mountain contribute to the
incident? I’m not sure, but the end of a job or task can mean that we let our guard down
allowing injury or disaster to creep in. Take extra precautions; both climbing and descending
dangerous tasks.

Change of or absence in supervision - - “Although it wasn’t, May 2, 1972 almost felt like a
Friday for the 173 miners reporting to their normal 7 am to 3 pm day shift,” Matt Forck writes
in his new release, Check Up From the Neck Up - -101 Ways to Get Your Head in the Game of
Life. “The atmosphere at Sunshine Mine in Kellogg, Idaho, probably felt different because the
top brass was several counties away attending the annual stockholder’s meeting. With the ‘big
bosses’ gone for the day, it seemed that everyone was taking it a step slower.” It was early in



the shift that the fire alarms rang. A fire in a mine can lead to disaster but this was a silver mine
and didn’t offer much fuel for a fire. Tom and Ron, partners for the last several years, left their
post and headed to the man lift to go topside. On the walk there they joked that this might
even mean an early beer at the local pub. Once at the man lift, waiting with dozens of other
men, Ron collapsed; overcome by fumes. Tom grabbed him and pulled him back near their
work location, to fresh air. Once Ron was feeling better, they again headed to the man lift.
What they found there horrified them. All of the other men waiting for the lift, just minutes
earlier were joking and laughing, were now dead.

Things change when the boss is out of town. When management shifts, a new boss is hired, one
retires or someone is temporarily upgraded to fill a role. Attitudes change when management is
off-site at an event, all day meeting or stockholders meeting. These situations can’t be avoided
but when they occur, be aware of job assignments, crew assignments and production rates.
Instruct those leading the work to take extra time planning. It’s even a good idea for the
management left behind to be active in the field or on the floor, just to make sure work is
progressing safely.

By the way, eight days and over 200 hours later, rescue crews reached Ron and Tom. Once
safely above ground they learned they were the sole survivors of one of the worse mining
incidents in the United States; an incident that took 91 lives.

A simple and/or routine job in combination with weekend or break - - It seemed to be an
easygoing Thursday morning. It was in a safety committee meeting when my phone rang. I first
ignored it, intending to dedicate my energies to the meeting. Yet, the phone rang again, and
then again. I stepped out to take the call. It was the regional dispatcher. He told me that we had
an electrical contact. He informed me that emergency services, including the life flight
helicopter, were on site. I left the meeting and made the 80-minute drive to the location. I
found that the crew was on their last day before a three-day break. I also found that the utility
crew was working a very simple pole change-out job; one that each of the six men had done,
dozens, if not hundreds of times. In the incident, two of the men had been electrocuted; one
didn’t make it.

While I may not be able to prove it statistically, I believe that there is something to the notion
that opportunity for incident severity increases before a holiday or extended break, in this case
a three-day break. But, I think that a combination of a break with a simple and routine task is
the combination to watch out for. When this combination occurs, take some extra time in the
job planning. Make sure the entire crew discusses all hazards and takes the appropriate actions
to eliminate each hazard, according to the rules and policies. Finally, stop the work periodically
to make sure everyone is still on the same page and rules are being follow.

End of the day, end of job work Pressure - - I was on cloud nine! I had just finished my first
presentation at a national safety conference. Since I wasn’t flying out until the next morning, I
walked the Baltimore Harbor waterfront, located a terrific seafood restaurant and was seated
at a window, so I could watch the boats bouncing in the harbor. I was somewhere in the middle



of my salad when the cell phone rang. It was a good friend, a safety professional with a utility,
and he needed someone to talk to. He told me about a utility incident that happened just
hours earlier. A service worker, at the end of his shift, was asked to install some labeling in a
piece of energized electrical equipment. Although the job was very simple, the service worker
apparently hurried to complete it. In the process, he contacted energized high voltage
equipment. He was in a burn unit, clinging to life.

We feel pressure to hurry, to get it done. And this pressure is never greater than at the end of a
shift. When we are racing to complete a job near shifts’ end, take a few seconds to stop and
perform a safety stop. A safety stop is when the entire crew stops, reviews the work and the
safety work rules associated with the task, and then continues. This 90-second safety stop can
literally save lives at the end of the day.

Remember, maybe the most famous end of shift work pressure incident was the Space Shuttle
Challenger disaster. As you remember, the Challenger splintered into millions of pieces when it
blew up 73 seconds after lift off. To meet a pressure packed deadline, the decision was made
to launch after some engineers questioned how an O-ring seal in its right solid rocket booster
would respond in the cold weather. If there wasn’t pressure of the ‘deadline’ would that
decision have been different?

I’m not sure we can statistically prove that injuries or incidents will happen on specific days or
at specific times, yet there are some warning signs to look out for. I think that there is a
tendency to let one’s guard down after the ‘heavy lifting’ on a job is finished and we are coming
down the mountain. I think that when supervision shifts, we have simple tasks before a long
break or we are hurrying to finish a job before the shift ends, all present certain dynamics that
can lead to an incident. As safety leaders we need to be ready and aware that certain
conditions make it easier for an injury or incident to occur. Where are those conditions in your
work environment? And, what are we prepared to do to prevent ‘bad’ stuff from happening?

Matt Forck is a board-certified Safety Professional (CSP) and former Journey Lineworker in the
hazardous field of electrical line work (JLW). Matt’s recent innovations include the development
of the Safety Committee MAP process, a systematic process for safety committee success, and
the informal leader program aimed at engaging the true safety leaders within any organization.
Matt has published nearly 100 safety articles and written seven books including his latest
release, What Safety Leaders Do. He is a frequent speaker at national and regional safety
conferences and leads corporate sponsored safety, motivational and culture building keynote
presentations. You may contact Matt through his website, www.safestrat.com


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Safety Meeting Starters (SMS) March 2013