SafeStart Blog

Leverage These 7 Soft Skills for Stronger Safety Outcomes

December 14, 2023

Interest in safety soft skills took off like a rocket this year. From podcasts about enhancing safety leadership to presentations at upcoming conferences like the SafeStart Forum, soft skills are increasingly becoming recognized as key leverage points for health and safety managers to improve safety outcomes without having to make dramatic changes to their safety…

3 Organizational Lenses to Bring Safety Problems Into Focus

December 8, 2023

No one knows the state of safety at a facility like the folks on the ground. Having firsthand experience and getting to see how things operate day to day offers a view of safety that is hard to replicate otherwise. With that said, sometimes people can be so close to an issue that they have…

Take the Stress Out of December With These 24/7 Safety Topics

November 29, 2023

December is a time when many people prepare to celebrate the holidays. In the spirit of the season, we have 12 toolbox talks of holiday safety to help you with your safety talks for December. Our four winter and holiday safety toolbox talk topics also give a good mix of both on- and off-the-job safety…

Uncovering Timeless Insights: How Modern HazCom Safety Can Benefit From Age-Old Risk Management Tactics

November 22, 2023

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) may be over five decades old, but that’s still quite young when you put it into a historical context. After all, people have been thinking about workplace safety for thousands of years. And many contemporary concepts, from risk perception to safety culture, have roots that extend deep into…

How to Use Keynote Speakers to Determine If You Should Attend a Conference

November 15, 2023

A keynote in music is the first note of a musical scale and is meant to define the tonal progression of the piece. Keynote speakers at conferences are no different—their purpose is to set the tone for the event and establish the framework to allow other speakers to carry through the main message or theme.…

4 Ways to Use Consistency to Boost Safety Outcomes

November 8, 2023

Imagine waking up one morning to find that someone has moved things around in your kitchen. The mugs are in a different cabinet than usual, and it takes you an extra minute to find them and make your morning coffee. The next morning, things are even more different—the bowls are in the back of the…

Larry Wilson Receives Distinguished Service to Safety Award

October 31, 2023

On October 23, 2023, SafeStart author Larry Wilson received the Distinguished Service to Safety Award. This award is presented annually at the opening session of the National Safety Council’s Safety Congress & Expo (the largest annual gathering of safety and health professionals worldwide) in New Orleans and Larry was among the eight recipients this year. …

Two Major Considerations for Off-The-Job Safety in November

October 25, 2023

November ushers in a rush of holiday preparations along with several seasonal risks. Relevant toolbox talks could include discussions on Thanksgiving, Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, the “Tie One On for Safety” campaign, disease prevention, and carbon monoxide poisoning. However, recognizing that workers may face additional challenges in their personal lives during this period, introducing two…

Distracted Driving More Common Than Ever: Are We Complacent to the Risks?

October 18, 2023

Distracted driving is one of the most stubborn safety concerns in North America. Despite decades of increasingly alarming data about the levels of distractions on our roads, the problem continues to afflict drivers everywhere. In the United States, over 3,000 people are killed every year in car collisions caused by distracted driving. The problem isn’t…

How to Take the First Steps to Human Factors Management

October 11, 2023

54% of slips, trips and falls are the result of human factors. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, various human factors are the top three causes of fatal car crashes. And fatigue alone—just one of many human factors in the workplace—is regularly cited as one of the biggest safety concerns in most workplaces,…

Don’t Miss the SafeStart Forum: Registration Open Now

October 4, 2023

The SafeStart Forum is the place for human factors practitioners from the SafeStart community to exchange ideas and discuss human factors in safety with like-minded professionals in person this spring. The event will be held April 23 and 24, 2024, at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista South in Florida, and it…

Fall Into Talking About These Off-the-Job Safety Topics in October

September 27, 2023

In autumn the days get colder and shorter, with nighttime arriving earlier. The leaves change color and before you know it, it’s the beginning of Spooky Season—when people start to get ready for Halloween. And all the changes in fall also bring about a heightened need to attend to specific safety issues. Our 6 Toolbox…