Take the opportunity to start the New Year with a plan to improve safety with yourself, your co-workers, and your company/organization. Collecting, sorting, recycling and disposal of material takes a lot of planning, coordination and work. Working safely is a decision and takes a deliberate plan. In order for safety to become fully integrated into your work, you and your team(s) should be doing something to improve safety every shift, every day, every week, every month, and every quarter of every year. Here are some ideas:
Every Shift – Perform Pre & Post-Trip inspections and shift hand-over meetings.
Every Day – Get enough rest, eat a healthy & balanced diet, and keep your work area clean.
Every Week – Read Be Safe Tuesday and look for ways to improve your route/work area.
Every Month – Safety Committee Meetings, complete & document required safety training. Update and communicate measurements and progress.
Every Quarter – Review performance of previous 2-3 months toward your goals, look forward to the upcoming opportunities/challenges. Update and communicate measurements and progress.
Every Year – Set achievable goals for improvement as part of your annual business planning. Focus safety improvement on 2 or 3 specific areas. Update and communicate measurements and progress.
Be deliberate – working safety doesn’t happen by accident!