CIRMA’s new Tail Gate Topics: 78 Topics for Building On-the-Job Safety are an important new tool for raising awareness about common safety issues. “Tail gate” safety meetings are short, informal on-the-job discussions held to keep employees informed and aware of work-related safety concerns. These weekly meetings have proven their worth by making safe work practices common practice through continuous training and reminders. CIRMA’s Tail Gate Topics have been specifically written for municipal operations. CIRMA’s Tail Gate Topics can be used to guide the discussions, as handouts, and as a quick reference during the weekly meetings. For more information, contact your CIRMA Risk Management Consultant.

Supervisors Download Full Tail Gate Topics Booklet

For Supervisors and Safety Committees

Leading a Tailgate Safety Discussion

Preparation
Use Tailgate Safety meetings to address actual problems on the job or to pro-actively raise safety awareness. Select a topic for the meeting based on its importance to your municipality. Consider recent accidents or incidents, demonstrated lack of skills or experience on the job, and if it is a required or mandatory training (fall protection, ladders, PPE). You can draw on the knowledge of experienced workers, and use that knowledge to remind all employee–especially newer ones–of the dangers of working with particular kinds of machinery, tools, equipment and materials.

Research the subject. Include your organization’s policies and procedures. If it’s not a new topic, ask the audience what they already know so you can avoid repeating instruction.

Choose a good location to train—one with few or no interruptions and good seating. Hold the meeting at the beginning of a shift or after a work break.

Presentation

• Talk about what is going to be taught.
• Tell why the subject (or training) is important.
• Describe the safety procedures, general to specific.
• Demonstrate the safety procedures!
• Repeat steps if necessary; be patient.
• Don’t let the meeting drift onto other subjects; keep it short and focused.
• Get workers involved in the discussion and encourage questions.

• Ask the employees to perform the procedures.
• Correct any errors immediately; address the performance, not the person.
• Practice until you and the worker are confident that they’ve got it right. Their lives may depend on it!

Follow Up

• Observe employees performing safety procedures on the job.
• Ask for feedback; encourage questions.
• Give feedback on performances.
• Address other topics as needed.