Are you conducting pre-pick & demo safety meetings with your crews? If not, you should be. These meetings can be a great tool to get crews all on the same page before a critical operation begins. Below, we’ve outlined four reasons you should be conducting and documenting these meetings before every pick and demo operation.  

One Crew, One Goal

Every operation begins with proper planning and by having your crew all on the same page you can minimize risks and hazards during the operation.  As Safety Director, my game plan was always the same regarding pick and demo operations. Initially, I’d research the intended operation by reviewing the plans and speaking with our foremen and operation supervisors. During this phase, we would identify important information specific to the operation. For example, a few of the things we might attempt to identify would be:

1. Known and foreseeable hazards – Are the crews working over water, traffic, etc? Are there other hazards that will affect the operation such as overhead utilities? Will the crews be working at night or during the day?
2. The anticipated sequence of the operation.
3. Crew structure – Do we have the right workers for the job? Are each of them trained for the task? Do we have properly trained and qualified riggers and signalers?
4. What types of equipment the crew is going to utilize during the operation.  Will they need harnesses and lanyards? Rigging equipment? Are we using cranes? If so, is it rented or owned? Has it been inspected? The list goes on.
5. Rescue and Emergency Response Plan – What are we going to do if an accident occurs? What is the plan, how will it be carried out, who to contact, etc.
6. Operation specific information – Are we setting or removing beams? How much do they weight, etc.

After compiling the initial information we then begin filling out the Pre-Pick & Demo Safety Meeting form (the form is attached at the bottom of this post for download).

After the initial information was gathered a safety meeting with the crew would be held the day before or the day of the operation. The goal of this safety meeting is to communicate to the crew all of the information already put together by management and to get any feedback from the workers.  As a result, the management and crew would all have the same information on how the operation should proceed. At the conclusion of this meeting, everyone knows what is expected and the companies safety policies have been reinforced.

Hazard, What Hazard?

One of the additional benefits of these meetings is that even though management does the preliminary research in an attempt to recognize all the hazards of the operation, the on-site crew will almost certainly be able to add their input to the operation.  This back and forth feedback between workers and management can uncover unrecognized hazards, allow the operation to run more efficiently and strengthen the relationship between the office and the field.  Your crews are the front line of your projects, and by listening to their experiences, concerns, and questions you can make your operations as safe as possible.

Smooth Operations

The goal of any construction operation is to do it safely and productively.  Pre-Pick & Demo Safety Meetings ensure both of these goals are achieved.  When workers leave the safety meeting two goals have been achieved.  First, the information is fresh and immediately applicable to the task at hand.  They know what is expected by the company and what safety hazards they should be watching for. Secondly, each worker knows the plan of the operation and what is expected from each worker involved in the operation.  This awareness can help allow the operation to progress productively and safely.

Accident Response

Hopefully, you never have a major accident on one of your projects, but if you do, you need to be prepared.  Talking about your emergency action/rescue plan with the crew can save lives. Statistics show that few people think clearly or logically when confronted with an emergency crisis, so it’s important to prepare in advance. First, brainstorm the worst case scenarios and how they would affect your workers during the operation and the response plan.  Secondly, assign responsibilities to each crew member in the event of an accident.  For example, you may decide to designate one person to call emergency services and another to flag down the responding emergency unit when they arrive.  Third, implement and practice the plan with the crew.

End Result

We’ve only touched on a few of the things you can do to make pre-pick/demo safety meetings a success on your projects but don’t stop at just four ideas. Brainstorm additional areas specific to your projects to make your meeting even more applicable to your workers. Advanced planning will result in safer operations.  Lastly, don’t forget to document your safety meeting with the crew.

Pre-Pick (Demo & Set) Meeting – Download out pre-pick safety meeting form for your crew.