Part 1: Sample Aid to Train Supervisor on Need for Talk

Tool Box Talk #044-Management
Housekeeping is Safe-Keeping

Purpose:

To remind managers and supervisors that proper housekeeping can reduce the risk of injury to fellow employees.

Begin:

"You never get a second chance to make a good first impression." Never has this phrase been so true as when it comes to housekeeping at work. The negative impressions and implications of poor housekeeping can affect you and co-workers for a long time to come. Morale is lowered for most people who must function every day in a messy, disorderly work environment, although they may not be aware of the cause. Safety is an even more critical issue. If your housekeeping habits are poor, the result may be employee injuries, citations by OSHA (or another regulatory agency), and even difficulty in securing future work. How can such a "minor" issue have such serious consequences?

Getting Started:

The first step in proper housekeeping is to identify the hazards and the associated levels of risk. You may want to ask your staff to walk through the work areas and identify housekeeping issues that could cause injury.

It is usually not possible to address everything at once, so draw up a plan to rectify items listed in order of priority. In prioritizing items for attention consider not only the likelihood of injury, but also the severity of the injury.

DOs and DON'Ts

You should consider doing the following:

1. Conduct and document a housekeeping assessment of your facility.
2. Document and display housekeeping rules specific to your facility.
3. Implement basic housekeeping checklists to be completed on a pre-determined basis.
4. Train employees on identifying housekeeping hazards and procedures for responding to housekeeping problems such as immediately reporting unsafe conditions to supervision.
5. Remember that most housekeeping issues are unsafe conditions caused by unsafe employee behavior.
6. Address unsafe employee behavior.
7. Take pride in your facility. Keep it clean and organized.
8. Reward employees who demonstrate good housekeeping skills.

And don't do the following:

1. Allow employees to work in a sloppy environment.
2. Allow employees to think that sloppy housekeeping is acceptable.
3. Allow your facility to become an eyesore!

Incident Reporting

• All incidents and near misses involving poor housekeeping need to be immediately reported to the appropriate manager or supervisor.
• Reporting helps ensure that a record is kept of the factors that contributed to the accident by identifying primary and root causes and justifying the implementation of corrective action plans in order to prevent similar accidents from happening again.
• Development of a culture that encourages incident reporting is important, especially as it relates to 'near-misses' that might otherwise go unreported.

The cause of an incident or an accident involves many factors. This makes it important to avoid pointing the finger at individuals. Instead, approach accident investigations as a learning process that can help prevent future accidents that could result in serious injury.

Housekeeping is a clean way to spell SAFETY!

Inspect the work area for housekeeping issues and discuss any concerns.

ASK YOUR STAFF THESE QUESTIONS:

After each question, give the crew time to suggest possible answers.

1. Are you aware of any housekeeping issues in our department/ facility?

2. What do you do if you observe an employee creating an un-safe condition?

3. What can we do improve the appearance of our department/ facility?

SIGN-OFF FORM

Toolbox Talk #044 (Management)
Housekeeping is Safe-Keeping at Work

Date Presented: _______________________________

By: __________________________________________

NAMES OF THOSE WHO ATTENDED THIS SAFETY MEETING

Part 2: Sample Tool Box Talk for Supervisor to Use

Toolbox Talk #001
Housekeeping Practices

Purpose:

To remind employees of the importance of keeping work areas clean and orderly and to focus attention on the types of accidents that can be caused by poor housekeeping practices. If the sight of paper or debris on floors, clutter and spills are accepted as normal, then other more serious health and safety hazards may also be taken for granted.

Begin:

Today's discussion will be about housekeeping. Some people think it's a waste of time. But if you spend five minutes picking up junk and litter, you might prevent a slip, trip or fall. You could prevent an injury that keeps someone off work for weeks or even months. Five minutes to save months off work—it's a good investment. And next time, it could be you who gets hurt.

Housekeeping is everyone's job—every trade, each and every worker, each and every supervisor. It's a job you should do every day—not just once a week or when a project is over. The first rule is to work neatly in the first place, and clean up your own mess. Practicing good housekeeping does more than prevent injuries—it can save you time, and it can keep tools from being lost, damaged, or destroyed.

You or one of the crew may want to add a personal story about poor housekeeping hazards.

Next, discuss with the crew any housekeeping problems you have found at this particular work area:

(List them here) ________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

After each question, give the crew time to suggest possible answers. Use the information following each question to add points that no one mentions.

ASK THE CREW THESE QUESTIONS:

1. What could be done by each of you, to prevent slip, trip, and/or fall injuries?

• If and when you see a mess, take care of it. Don't wait for someone else to clean it up. Pick up anything you see lying around, especially if it could trip a person or fall on them.
• If and when you find someone's tools or equipment around, move them out of the way. Put them away, somewhere safe, but visible.
• Clear scrap and debris from walkways, passageways, stairs, and around floor openings immediately. Aisles must be kept clear at all times.
• Keep storage areas and walkways free of holes, ruts, and obstructions.
• Clean up spills of grease, oil, or other liquids at once. If a quick wipe up is not possible, cover them with absorbent material until they can be cleaned up.
• Make sure extension cords, lines, welding leads, hoses, etc. are coiled up when not in use. All cords running into or through walk areas must be taped down or inserted through rubber protectors to prevent them from becoming tripping hazards.
• Make sure there's adequate lighting. If a light is out, report it or immediately replace it if you can.

2. What other kinds of injuries could be prevented by practicing good housekeeping?

Nail and fastener injuries:

• If you see nails protruding from surfaces, remove them or at least bend them down.
• Remove nails or fasteners when opening crates.
• Remove or bend down nails before discarding scrap material.

Fires/Burns:

• Keep flammable and combustible liquids in closed containers.
• Store flammables in approved cabinets.

Electrical:

• Maintain sufficient access and working space around all electrical equipment allowing for ready and safe operations.

COMMENTS FROM THE CREW

Ask:

• Do you have any other concerns about housekeeping?
• Do you see any problems at our facility?
• What about other jobs you've worked on?
• Have you had any experience with housekeeping that might help us work safer on this job?

SIGN-OFF FORM

Toolbox Talk #001
Housekeeping Practices

Date Presented: _______________________________

By: __________________________________________

NAMES OF THOSE WHO ATTENDED THIS SAFETY MEETING

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