Toolbox Talk: Teamwork

Toolbox Talk: Teamwork

Whether in the sports arena or in the workplace, the most effective results come from people who realize that their goal is best achieved by teamwork.

Injury-preventing teamwork on the job consists of a combination of thoughtfulness and responsibility—for co-workers’ safety as well as our own.

For example:

• Lending a hand when asked, or offering help when noticing a need.

• Cleaning up a mess or spill that we cause—but even doing it for someone else’s mess in order to keep anyone from getting hurt.

• Leaving our work area and equipment in safe condition for the next shift.

• Turning in a defective tool for repair.

• Reminding a co-worker of safe behavior (such as putting on safety glasses) .

• Reporting a potentially hazardous condition to our supervisor.

Here’s what company managers have said about the importance of teamwork:

• “It takes everyone working together cooperatively for everyone to be truly safe.”

• “Teamwork means taking the time to show someone else the safe way to do a job and asking for help if you are not sure what to do.”

• “Cooperation of this sort is necessary because we’re all in this together—in life itself—and life, like work, is not only safer and more productive but even more fun when we cooperate.”

But it’s not just the top brass who feels strongly about teamwork and safety.

 

Here’s what employees at a company with a zero-accident goal had to say:

 

• “The secret is personal commitment and communication, and looking out for one another, too.” (Office worker)

• “Anybody who does something unsafe in the shop gets jumped on by the rest of us—but never maliciously or to downgrade the person.

We monitor one another because we care about one another.” (welder)

• “I’ve learned that safety is a two-way street: The worker has to be involved, but the go-ahead from the top is essential.” (Mechanic)

Teamwork keeps workers safe and production high on any job. Teamwork prevents accidents.

 

All we have to do is think about the other person’s safety as well as our own.

Think about driving as one example of teamwork for safety. Safe drivers not only look out for their own safety, but make sure they do not endanger the lives of other drivers.

They give up their right-of-way to help another driver.

They slow down to let a driver cut back in after that driver has tried to pass and discovered a vehicle coming in the other direction.

It is not just a matter of one driver having the right of way or being right; it is a matter of a little teamwork to prevent accidents.

The safe driver knows that someday, it may take teamwork from some other safe driver to prevent an accident.

What applies on the road also applies on the job.

It is not just a matter of our working safely and following all the rules individually; we must think about the other person’s safety, too.

We must lend a hand once in a while to prevent or avoid an accident that may involve another worker.

We can never tell what kind of situation will require teamwork to prevent an accident.

We must solve each situation by working together and helping other people on the job.

If we have suggestions for making the task, the crew we work with, or the jobsite safer, we must let our supervisor know. We must think of the other person.

His or her safety may depend on us.

We must not let our team down.

All of us want to be on a winning team.

 

Let’s practice teamwork to have a winning safety team.

 

“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision; the ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives.

It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” Unknown