Toolbox Talks: slips, trips, and falls

Toolbox Talks are an effective method of communication for employees at the C.A. Lawton Co.  Each week, a handout is designed and posted by our compliance coordinator, Katherine Jungwirth.  This handout is specifically created to freshen everyone’s memory and remind them of specific safety precautions.

This month’s recent Toolbox Talk consists of topics ranging from slips, trips, and falls to getting on and off work equipment correctly. In the Toolbox Talk, Lawton urges all employees to keep their work area neat and organized.  For example, do not leave air hoses laying on the floor when you are not using them. It is reminded that injuries from these can range from the annoying to the incapacitating, so shop and foundry workers are reminded to always stay aware.

The handout identified the three biggest causes of slips, trips, and falls, which all result from errors in personal judgment.  For example, people may neglect or misjudge the condition of their work area. Is the work area clean, organized, and well-lit?  Is the floor wet?  How fast is a person walking and do they move blindly around corners? People tend to perceive these causes as being a lot less risky than they actually are, which makes it challenging to find effective and permanent solutions.

Foundry jobs also require our employees to be actively moving around work areas.  Several times per day they may need to get in and out of forklift trucks, or other material handling equipment.  The ToolBox Talk warns these injuries occur because people fail to properly mount/dismount material handling equipment. The following tips are provided to assure safety when using heavy equipment.

•            Look before and where you step.

•            Use every available handhold or step provided for you. 

•            Maintain 3-point contact.  Use handholds or steps to form a triangle which provides stability.

•            Step squarely, never at an angle.

•            Never attempt to mount/dismount from moving equipment.

•            Never jump off equipment.

•            Mount/dismount facing the equipment.

•            Never climb up to or get down from cabs or seats with tools or other items in your hands.

•            Be conscious of the clothing you wear.