1. Embrace the Role of a Guardian: Remember, when you're at work, you're part of a team. Acting as your colleague's keeper means being proactive about safety, watching for potential hazards, and ensuring everyone feels secure at work.
2. Cultivate Empathy and Awareness: Understanding and empathizing with coworkers can lead to a safer workplace. Recognize that everyone has different experiences and comfort levels, and adjust your behavior to help maintain a supportive environment.
3. Encourage Positive Interactions: A positive attitude can be contagious and lead to better safety practices. Celebrate those who make notable efforts to maintain safety standards and encourage others to follow their lead.
4. Support and Reward Safety Initiatives: Acknowledge and reward efforts contributing to a safer workplace. Whether through formal recognition programs or simple verbal appreciation, reinforcing positive behavior encourages everyone to remember safety.
5. Learn and Grow Together: Promote ongoing safety education and training. Encourage your team to share insights and learn from each other's experiences. A well-informed team is a safer team.

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Let’s discuss the most crucial aspect of communications effectiveness that is essential to all safety communications and in safety messaging.

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In my opinion, the most critical element of effective safety communication is empathy. Safety messages resonate most deeply when they connect with people on an emotional level, demonstrating a genuine understanding of their concerns, fears, and priorities.

Empathy fosters trust and receptiveness, encouraging individuals to internalize safety rules and standards, and thus, taking them more seriously.

When people feel that their well-being is genuinely valued, they are far more likely to engage with safety protocols and processes and adopt safer behaviors.

So, while subject knowledge and the use of tools or props in communications are essential, empathy forms the foundation upon which effective safety communication is built.

I recall working on a new federal regulation involving food safety and food ingredient labeling. My efforts were on a volunteer basis, and I had a unique opportunity to work with a food safety regulator in Washington, DC.

This person was part of a team responsible for drafting a new food labelingregulation. I was there at my own expense, representing a national health safety organization, and was eager to add more light to the limitations of the expected proposed rule.

When we met, I began discussing the technical issues with the anticipatedregulation and how it could be improved. The individual did not seem to be paying serious attention to me, and at the same time, did not appear to fully understand how or why the proposed standard could be improved.

I was only able to gain her attention once I explained how mislabeling of food ingredients had caused severe injuries, illnesses, unnecessary surgeries, misdiagnoses, and even death in certain cases involving individuals whom I knew personally.

Eventually, I saw tears welling up in her eyes. I knew then that she was truly listening and finally engaged in a discussion involving the realities associated with the stories.

Without empathy, what can we accomplish? To ensure the effectiveness of your safety communications, supervisory, or toolbox meetings, it's crucial to bring empathy to the table.

Look at issues from an employee or an affected listener. For example, what’s in it for them? Why are we really discussing this topic? How can it improve everyone’s health and safety, their own lives, and by extension, their connections with others?

We can become better stewards of health and safety by illustrating how we work together as each other’s keepers throughout the work environment. And that takesempathy.

By bringing honest empathy into our conversations and communications, we arefar more likely to be effective, gain the trust of employees, and deliver positive results.

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1. Implement a Strict Maintenance Schedule: Regularly maintaining powered industrial trucks is essential for safety. Establish a schedule exceeding OSHA's minimum requirements to prevent breakdowns and keep equipment running optimally.
2. Mandate Pre and Post-Shift Inspections: Inspect every industrial vehicle thoroughly before and after each shift. These inspections identify potential problems early, mitigating accidents.
3. Standardize Inspection Checklists: Create detailed checklists outlining critical vehicle components. Have operators sign off on inspections to ensure accountability and prevent steps from being missed.
4. Modernize with Technology: Consider electronic inspection systems using vehicle transmitters or inspector wearables. These technologies streamline the process and improve data accuracy.
5. Immediate Issue Resolution: When problems arise, it's of the utmost importance that the vehicle remain unused until after all issues have been addressed and fixed. A well-maintained fleet is a safe fleet.

Greetings everyone and welcome back to Mighty Line Minute. This month we've been discussing the art of creating safety communications that are effective. This has included storytelling, reflections on the recent solar eclipse, and utilizing props to enhance the effectiveness of those communications. Today, we'll delve into the most obvious and yet crucial aspect of assuring effectiveness in your safety communications. And that is knowing your subject.

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Years ago, when the new Hazard Communication Standard was promulgated, there were also several local laws as well. The surge of regulation resulted in a new rule and a standard that was critical for everyone to understand. As a novel law, a local safety director I knew arranged to have the OSHA director attend and present to plant managers the new regulation at a safety conference luncheon. The event had been heavily promoted and resulted in full attendance.

All were eagerly awaiting the words from the OSHA Area Director in terms of the update on this new standard. Throughout the luncheon I noticed that the safety director kept nervously scanning the room, looking for the arrival of his speaker. It soon became clear that he was not going to be attending. “So,” I asked, "why isn’t our speaker showing up?" He explained that he had not re-confirmed the visit; so therefore, he was on his own.

The safety director, on an impromptu basis, jumped up to the microphone, made no mention of the speaker not appearing and began to talk about the hazard communication standard, how it was promulgated, what it meant, and what people were to do. The only problem was he knew nothing about the subject.

Our table was in tears, feeling both sympathy and amusement at the absurdity of the situation. And unfortunately, this impromptu situation stretched out for well over 30 minutes. It was a lesson to be learned and I never forgot it.

The safety director missed a tremendous opportunity to educate his audience and assure that those who most needed to know the regulation understood it. Instead, the moment was transferred to a situation where his credibility was lost. It taught me never to let an opportunity to educate pass without thoroughly understanding the subject matter.

So, I've learned to always have a backup plan in place. Whether that involves providing your own summary, seamlessly transitioning to a topic you're well-versed in, or arranging for another speaker to cover the topic, it's crucial to have both knowledge and adaptability in order to achieve success. So, it's critical to never miss an opportunity to educate, even if it necessitates a change in direction to assure that the necessary expertise is conveyed.

Be sure to take the time to:

·      become thoroughly knowledgeable in your subject matter,

·      gain an expertise that you haven't had before, and

·      if you need help seek that from others. Equally important,

·      know your audience and

·      be sure that you are an effective communicator so that they can appreciate what you're saying.

More importantly, retain that knowledge and effect appropriate, safe behaviors.

Ultimately, all of us have a role in safeguarding the effectiveness of our communications, and specifically, the safety and health of our employees and the public.

Therefore, it is imperative that those of us advocating for workplace safety and health possess a thorough knowledge and understanding of the subject matter and employ effective communication methods.

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Welcome back, everyone to Mighty Line Minute, in our series this month on effective safety messaging. For those who had the opportunity to experience the total eclipse, what a great experience that was! The day will be remembered for a long time, and the stories will go on for ages to come. 

Today in our discussion of effective safety communication, we’ll talk a bit about other tools that can be used; for example, “Props.” Props are tools that we can use in our communications to increase and improve the likelihood of success so that we can get the desired behavior or affect the desired change.

Let me give you some examples: 

Signage is one example of a prop that can be used. During the eclipse, I brought along my Mighty Line® sign for severe weather, and I posted that where we were sitting.   

With signage, however, it is crucial that the most effective and useful signage is selected and used; otherwise, the message may be lost. 

Equally, it’s important to make sure that you don’t overuse signage to the point that the accurate message is not really understood and appreciated. 

I have an interesting story to tell you about a plant manager that once overused safety signage. Specifically, he was being provided with free monthly safety posters over a course of several years. During an audit of the operation, it was observed that the entire wall of the plant was loaded with safety posters, to the point that it presented a fire risk. They had to be taken down. 

Equally concerning was the fire chief I recall from my high school days, when he ordered the removal of all signs and banners lining the entire length of the gymnasium, particularly those at the top edge of the stands where people were seated. They went nearly all the way up to the ceiling. He pointed out the fire risk that was involved. 

What's important here is to ensure that you are choosing your messaging appropriately, ensuring that it clearly conveys what needs to be said, is effectively communicated, and is placed where people can see the message, react appropriately, and understand its meaning.

But does it always happen? It’s your job to make sure that it does!

On that note regarding responsibility for determining effective messaging, if you notice something that doesn't make sense, could be better communicated, or is an area lacking the communication that should be provided, speak up! Because we are all in this together, it's critical that we, as a team, decide what needs to be put into place so that we achieve the necessary behaviors and changes.

And remember also that safety is everyone’s responsibility, so be sure to speak up when the message isn’t clear, could be made clearer, or when you have a better idea about how an important message should be communicated.

And finally, regarding the effectiveness and use of props during your communications, I recall a time when I needed to convince an executive of the critical importance of implementing a higher level of fire protection and design.

In doing so, the professional had a background that was primarily financial. How was I to communicate with that individual regarding the need for fire research and improved fire protection? In one pocket I carried a standard 17/32” large orifice sprinkler. And in the second pocket, I carried an "Early Suppression Fast Response" (ESFR) sprinkler with a much larger orifice. I was able to present to him both sprinklers, demonstrate the diameter of the waterflow, discuss the gallons per minute involved, and talk about the delivered water density, in addition to the droplet size that would reach the seat of the fire. That helped establish an understanding of what would be delivered by this new sprinkler design.

When you’re dealing with management, sometimes you need to take a unique approach. Those sp

Greetings everyone, and welcome back to Mighty Line Monday Minute. I'm here to talk about effective safety messaging. Last week, we talked about the critical nature of using phrases and how often those are heard in Safety, but what really is effective? So let's get into it!

We also talked about how to improve upon phrases we've heard before, rather than say, "Be prepared for the unexpected," "Risk assess, educate, communicate, then mitigate."

Today on Monday, April 8th, 2024, a total solar eclipse will first appear to those in the U.S. at Eagle Pass, Texas. And at 3:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time the headquarters of Mighty Line Tape in Rocky River, Ohio will see its first total eclipse in more than a century! Of course I won't be at my desk at 3:15, as this important event represents a once in a lifetime opportunity to observe, share, and celebrate with family and friends.

And to think that in many ancient cultures, solar eclipses were often interpreted as signs or omens from the gods or supernatural beings. In some cultures they were even seen as a manifestation of divine anger or displeasure. Or as a punishment for sins or wrongdoing. Some cultures believe that a solar eclipse occurred when a celestial creature or monster temporarily swallowed the sun!

Today, solar eclipses are significant events that capture the attention and imagination of everyone, leading to a rich tapestry of beliefs, interpretations, rituals, and connections across many different cultures. So why am I telling stories today?

Well, with safety, and especially for the art of effective safety messaging, it is often essential to begin by telling stories. That is because you can use those moments to catch and engage the interest of others, particularly if you want listeners to be able to take action with information that you plan on delivering. That is critical if you're hoping to change behavior and impact safety culture in a positive way.

So the next time you plan on delivering a safety presentation or giving a toolbox talk, try telling a story first. Engage your listeners in that manner, as opposed to simply talking about statistics, regulations, or even delivering charts. Just try it!

So, yes folks soon I will be donning my ISO protective eyewear for the solar eclipse and assure that everyone around me does so as well. I hope that you are able to learn from this. Most importantly, I hope that you continue to improve in your safety communications and take advantage of the tips that we have provided.

Do take a moment to listen to Mighty Line and what they have to say about their products and how they can be of help to you in assuring a safe workplace.

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Greetings everyone and welcome to Mighty Line Monday Minute. I'm going to cover some interesting topics this entire month, and that will be on the area of communications and safety. I hope that you will find this effective because over my many years, one of the important things to me was hearing things that meant something.

We’ll be discussing the art of effective messaging in risk management and EHS. That is to say, reflecting upon what we hear from our senior leaders and managers that is actually true, and importantly, is effective, sticks with us, and calls us to take action. Let’s just call it “The art of pontificated messaging.”

I’ll run through three “safety earworms” that I’ve lived with throughout my safety and risk management career; ones that I have found to be clear, effective, and useful. So here they are:

1. Guarding Against Hazards:
   “If you can reach your hand over, under, around or through the guard and into the point of operation, then it’s not guarded.” That phrase was hammered into me by my first safety supervisor, who, with many years of service with the State of Ohio, had seen it all. It was especially timely as I had recently graduated from college and found myself investigating the most severe of industrial accidents throughout Northern Ohio. In addition to conducting site surveys and investigations, I was teaching mechanical and hydraulic press safeguarding classes at various employers. The measuring tool provided by Rockford Safety Systems was an essential visual and physical communication tool that demonstrated how so many guards were in fact, not “guards.” In summary, if you are able to reach into an in-running powered roll, a point of operation, or reach a pinch-point, then the machinery or equipment is not “guarded.”
2. Acknowledging Accident Severity:
   “The severity of an accident is a matter of chance.” My supervisor would often remind me of this. His point was, of course, that no matter how minor the nature of the workplace injury or illness was that resulted from an accident, and even where no-one was hurt, that it was merely a matter of chance that the accident or event didn’t result in a more serious outcome. Don’t we often think that way? For example, “Boy was he or she lucky,” or, “That could have been a real tragedy, but thankfully it wasn’t.” In other words, that could also imply “Let’s move on.” However, the phrase was fair warning to all that even the smallest of accidents and all near-misses should be paid attention to, and that we must always strive to identify those hazards and risks that could lead to an injury or illness, so let’s mitigate the risk before anything happens.
3. Preparation for the Unexpected:
   “Be prepared for the unexpected.” Fine words they are. This phrase always reminded me of my scouting days with the Scout Motto “Be Prepared.” However, the reason I pack a blanket, warm clothing, sports drinks and a Kind bar into my 4-wheeler every winter in Cleveland is actually due to my scouting years. That’s because we experienced those frigid winter weather campouts in pup tents. And it did pay off once during a blizzard when I spent 8 hours stuck on the Ohio Turnpike with a full tank of gas, warm clothing, sufficient water, and a jar of peanut butter.
   But, was the Port of Baltimore really prepared for the very recent and unexpected tragedy involving the Dali container shipped that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and should the event have been anticipated?
   The phrase, “Be prepared for the unexpected” was always of some concern to me as there was not a clear and direct call to action. For example, wouldn’t “Plan for the unexpected” be better stated, so that planning actually became an action item? An

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