It's in everyone's best interests for employers to address safety issues not only on but off the job. Because off-the-job safety focuses on how individuals behave when they're on their own time, it can be a sensitive topic. So it's important to deliver advice as just that - a suggestion, not a mandate. There are two ways to implement an Off-the-Job (OTJ) safety program: there's the subtle approach we discussed last week and there's a not-so-subtle approach.

The Not-So-Subtle Approach

The passive approach of just sending off e-mails and including off-the-job safety material in payroll stuffers without any discussion about the new focus can be effective. But a more effective means is to be more active. For instance, launch your OTJ program by holding some type of "kick off" observance. You can start in department meetings and provide managers with:

• A script to help them explain to workers the rationale behind the program;
• A description of what you intend to provide in the months to come; and
• A summary of what you hope to accomplish.

Consider holding a competition among departments or individual employees to see who can develop the best slogans, posters and name for the program. This approach involves the employees and gives them some ownership.

You should also form an OTJ Steering Committee to manage the program and select topics. The program can be managed through your organization's Employee Health department or Human Resources. It can also be a logical extension of the safety or wellness program already in place.

Selecting Topics

One of the mainstays of the OTJ safety program is addressing seasonal safety topics, such as:

• Winter driving;
• Holiday safety;
• Recreational safety;
• Preventing sunburn; and
• Lawn and garden work.

Your OTJ program can also address the safe use of power equipment, such as mowers, trimmers, chainsaws and power tools, including saws and drills.

3 Ways to Go Beyond Print

Delivering safety advice via e-mails and articles just scratch the surface. To add some dimension to your OTJ safety program, you can:

1. Provide PPE: Offer personal protective equipment to employees who have weekend projects planned. Even if it's just limited to safety goggles and earplugs, the offer of PPE for OTJ activities reinforces the need to use them. (Note: Never lend equipment, tools or vehicles to employees. This can present a tremendous liability exposure if the employee is injured while using it.)

2. Provide Manuals: Compile a library or identify sources of owner's manuals for power equipment. It's not uncommon for manuals to disappear into the dark recesses of a home, never to be seen again. However, with a company safety library, an employee can quickly find how to safely use a particular piece of equipment.

3. Provide Training: Many people undertake home maintenance in the springtime, so you might consider offering training on power tool safety basics. Or in November, before workers start stringing up the holiday lights, you can provide demonstrations on how to safely use a ladder.

Conclusion

Off-the-job safety programs can pay big dividends all around, but they need to be sustained and hold interest. You can accomplish this best by giving employees some ownership of the program and with constant reminders of the need to stay safe all the time.

Editor's Note: How do you address off-the-job safety at your workplace? Please send your success stories, as well as any pitfalls you encountered, to catherinej@bongarde.com. (And let us know if we can use your name/company name with your note.)

TRAINING THE TRAINER

Safety practices learned on the job also prevent injuries off the job.

How to Address Off-the-Job Safety in Regular Safety Talks

By Catherine Jones

You might be hesitant about giving a safety talk on off-the-job hazards. After all, workplace safety is your main concern. However, as John points out in the above article, many days of work are lost because of injuries incurred away from the job, so off-the-job incidents can become your concern. Besides, a safe attitude at home can also translate into a safer attitude at work.

Here are four ways to include off-the-job safety in your regular safety talks:

1. Share the statistics.
Check with your company's human resources or safety department for statistics on lost time due to off-the-job injuries. Remember that off-the-job incidents are costly to the company, whether the injury happens to a worker or a member of his family. The company faces the costs of lost production because of absence or inattention, retraining for a replacement, light-duty recovery time and many other hidden costs.

2. Explain how OTJ incidents affect the whole team.
Remind your crew that when a co-worker is injured, not only does he suffer, but often his co-workers do too.

3. Relate workplace safety to home safety.
Some of the safety skills you emphasize in your safety program are just as important away from work. Remember to focus on these. For example, while training your crew in workplace fire safety, point out the parallels in home fire safety and vice versa. These comparisons make it easier for your workers to understand and remember the subject matter.

4. Encourage storytelling.
Ask employees for examples of at-home incident stories. They may want to relate their experiences to the group as an example of what "not to do" on days off. They may have safety tips to share or stories of things they have done to increase safety off the job, and the things that have gone wrong.

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