This document includes everything a construction industry foreman or trainer will need to hold

For each topic, there is a Safety Walkaround Checklist. (See the Checklists section of this book; topics appear there in alphabetical order.)

This training program is based on the idea that tailgate meetings need to address real safety problems workers currently face on the job site. You’ll want to have up-to-date information about conditions on the site. So it’s important for you or someone else in the company to do a “walkaround” safety inspection. Focus on hazards related to the topic you have chosen. Use the Checklist for that topic as your guide. Each Checklist summarizes Cal/OSHA regulations related to the topic, as well as additional safety rules. Fill out the Checklist as you walk around.

Later, you will use information you have recorded on the Checklist to prepare for the safety meeting.



Most Checklist items simply require that you make a check mark if your job site complies with the safety rule involved. Sometimes the Checklist asks you to write down specific information. (These places are marked with a small pencil like the one at the left.)


The numbers in brackets after items on the Checklist refer to Cal/OSHA standards and other applicable regulations. They are there for your convenience. Most of the standards can be found in Cal/OSHA’s Construction Safety Orders. Some (with numbers over 3200) appear in Cal/OSHA’s General Industry Safety Orders but apply to the construction industry as well. The Cal/OSHA Guide for the Construction Industry, included in the pocket of this binder, gives more information about many of the Construction Safety Orders. Where a number in brackets refers to a regulation from an agency other than Cal/OSHA, that fact is noted.

In each Checklist, there is also space in the right-hand column for your own notes, records of conditions that need to be corrected, etc.

For each topic, there is also a Training Guide with a complete lesson plan. (See the Training Guides section of this book; topics appear there in alphabetical order.)

You will need to spend from 15 to 20 minutes before the meeting becoming familiar with the Training Guide. Read it over. Make sure you understand all the terms used. If necessary, look up terms and concepts in the Glossary (found in the Reference Section at the end of this book).



Fill in the blanks in the Training Guide. (These are marked with a small pencil like the one at the left.) You’ll need information from the Checklist completed earlier, as well as from your own knowledge of the job. Adding these details to the Training Guide helps make sure that the safety meeting deals with actual conditions on your own job site.


Each Training Guide also asks you to write down any Company Rules related to your topic. In some cases, your company may have special safety rules in addition to Cal/OSHA requirements.

Next, fill in the General Safety Discussion page of the Training Guide. This final portion of the tailgate meeting will not be limited to the day’s topic—it can deal with any safety issue of immediate concern to the company or the crew. To prepare for this part of the meeting, answer the questions on this page about hazards resulting from the work of other crews on the site, recent accidents, “near misses,” and any safety complaints.

Finally, think about how to begin the meeting. You need something that will spark the crew’s interest. You may want to talk about a recent accident related to your topic, an incident from your own life (either on or off the job), or some common myth.

Throughout each Training Guide you will find frequent instructions directed to you as
the trainer. They will help you stay on track. These trainer instructions always appear in italics (like this).

To begin the meeting: Tell the crew what the day’s topic will be. Then read aloud the
opening section in the Training Guide, adding ideas and stories from your own experience. Tell the crew where the hazard you’re discussing can be found at this particular job site.

In sequence, ask the numbered discussion questions in the Training Guide (in the section headed Ask The Crew These Questions). After you ask each question, allow time for the crew to think about it, and then call on volunteers to answer. After crew members have given their answers, discuss them, and use the information following the question in the Training Guide to add any points that the crew missed.

Encourage the crew to speak. Always wait for their answers. Make sure that the crew feels what they have to say will be heard with respect. Never make fun of anyone. For ideas on how to encourage participation, see the Tips for Trainers and How to Handle Discussion Problems sections later in this book.

Be sure to leave enough time to get to the General Safety Discussion at the end of
the Training Guide you’re using. This is where you can cover safety issues not related to the day’s topic, such as current conditions on the site, problems that were raised at past meetings, recent accidents, and complaints that have come up since the last safety meeting. Also use this time to encourage crew members to contact you at once about any safety issues or hazards they become aware of at work.

Use your company’s hazard report form (or the sample Hazard Report Form provided in the Reference Section of this binder) to document any hazards that crew members report to you.


• Make a plan for correcting any hazards that are under your control. Assign the work. Write down any action you took, and report on it at the next safety meeting.
  
• If any of the hazards are outside your control, report them immediately to a supervisor. The supervisor should inform the general contractor or sub-contractor involved, who should correct them. Follow up to see what action was taken, and report on it at the next safety meeting.

To conclude the meeting, you may want to ask the crew for feedback. Did they understand the material? Was it well presented? Was it helpful and relevant?

Next, have each crew member sign the Sign-Off Form on the back page of the Training Guide. This will allow you to keep good records of who has been trained, and on which topics.

At this point, you may want to assign a crew member (or members) to help with the next safety meeting. Involve this crew member in choosing the next topic, and take him or her with you when you do your next “walkaround” safety inspection. You might also ask the person to help lead the next meeting.

Finally, file the Safety Walkaround Checklist, the Training Guide, the Hazard Report Form, the Sign-Off Form, and any other materials you have used, according to your company’s policy.