5 Minute Safety Talks

If you are looking for a 5 minute Safety Talk on a specific topic try checking out one of these. They each have enough information for you to use as a 5 minute Safety Talk along with links to additional information if you need it.

• Safety Helmets
  
• Fall Protection - Retractable Lanyards
  
• Fall Protection - Harnesses
  
• Fall Protection - Carabiners
  
• Fall Protection - Lifelines
  
• Fall Protection - Lanyards
  
• Confined Space Working
  
• Handtools

The Rest of this lens provides hints and tips on how to prepare for your 5 Minute Safety Talk Presentation.

So you have been asked to give a Safety Talk!

First tip - DON'T PANIC!

If you are asked to give a Safety Talk the worst thing you can do is arrive without any preparation.

As a guideline, if you know your subject, and are starting from scratch you really should allow at least an hour to prepare a 5 minute Safety Talk.

If you don't really know your subject, you should allow a lot longer to do the research necessary.

Find out how the subject of your safety talk affects your organisation or the group of people that you will be present. Tailor your presentation to met the needs of your audience.

The venue for your safety talk may be dictated to you. It may be an existing meeting room, site office or other suitable location.

Make sure any equipment or props you need are going to be available. If you need an overhead projector to show a Powerpoint presentation, is there one available? Is there room to demonsate putting on a Safety Harness?

Check the location before you start your preparation, it may determine the type of presentation you deliver.

Decide on the best time to have the safety talk, once again this may be determined for you. A good time is a the start of a shift, or at the start of a meeting.

Avoid having a safety talk at the end of a meeting or at the end of a shift. You will find people are not interested and just want to get away.

Safety Talks should be kept short and to the point. The aim is to get the message across efficiently and quickly in a way that will be understood and remembered.

A Safety Talk is not a training course. Think of it as a memory jogger, a quick bit of advise, or a short discussion session.

Ideally a Safety Talk need only be about 5 minutes long, certainly it should not be longer than 10 minutes.

Choose a single topic, there are some ideas below. Pick something that is relevant to the people you will be presenting to, or the work that they are performing.

Keep It Short, Simple (remember KISS), allow discussion on the topic but maintain control. If you need to you can review the discussion topics in another Safety Talk.

Examples can be great, especially if they are specific to the work force being addressed, or the tasks being performed. Props, items of PPE, Video Clips, Photographs and so on can all add value and interest to your Safety Talk.

As already mentioned you can allow questions to be asked, and you should encourage this. It is up to you whether you answer questions as you go or ask for questions to be kept until the end. A good discussion group can turn a Safety Talk in to a valuable session for all attending.

Keep a record of those attending the Safety Talk. Most companies use these to demonstrate a level of commitment to safety.

You can use these records for a number of things. A check can be made to ensure that the target audience is being captured, or are there some individuals, shifts, or contractors that have been missed.

If you are required to provide evidence of Safety training, attendance records for Safety Talks can form a part of this evidence.

When you have completed your Safety Talk you should archive it. It can then be used again in the future as a refresher or for new personnel.

If using an archived Safety Talk be sure to check the validity of the information. Check that legislation or local rules have not changed. Check that the work tasks are similar and that the information being conveyed is relevant.

Make notes each time you give the Safety Talk detailing questions asked, areas that need further explaination and props used.

If you are looking for a 5 minute Safety Talk on a specific topic try checking out one of these. They each have enough information for you to use as a 5 minute Safety Talk along with links to additional information if you need it.

• Safety Helmets
  
• Fall Protection - Retractable Lanyards
  
• Fall Protection - Harnesses
  
• Fall Protection - Carabiners
  
• Fall Protection - Lifelines
  
• Fall Protection - Lanyards
  
• Confined Space Working
  
• Handtools