Introduction - Reporting Hazards

Introduction for Leaders (Use Before Monday’s Toolbox Talk)

Purpose for Supervisors:

This week, we will discuss how the team members' can improve their identification of hazards, how to speak up about hazards, and how to report and correct them. We will also discuss how to encourage open communication and accountability throughout the workplace. 

How Leaders Should Frame This Week's Toolbox Talks:

• These talks aim to remind team members that safety is everyone’s responsibility, and everybody is a leader in safety. Encourage employees to participate in discussions, ask questions, share concerns, and help identify solutions.
• Create a conversational style that keeps team members engaged and invested. Team members who feel supported are more likely to report hazards and create a stronger safety culture.  
• Speaking up, correcting unsafe conditions, slowing down, reporting concerns, and helping coworkers work safely are signs of professionalism and leadership. 

Monday - The 4 Levels

Discussion:

Safety leadership is not a title; it’s a mindset. Every person on this team has the ability and the responsibility to lead in safety, regardless of their role. The Safety Leadership Progression model shows us that safety engagement exists on a spectrum, from basic compliance all the way up to visionary thinking. The question we should each ask ourselves every day is: Where am I on this progression, and what would it take to move to the next level?

UNDERSTANDING THE FOUR LEVELS

LEVEL	WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Compliance	Completes safety activities because it’s required by regulation, corporate policy, or a supervisor. The motivation is external. Safety is a checkbox, not a value.
Supporter	Understands why safety matters and believes in investing time and resources. Supports safety efforts but may not yet actively lead them.
Champion	Actively leads, participates, and models safe behaviors. Advocates for safety because of a strong personal safety ethic — not because someone told them to.
Visionary	Seeks out new safety methods and thinking. Internally driven to innovate and serve others. Look beyond today’s hazards to anticipate tomorrow’s risks.

At the Compliance level, you notice hazards only when someone points them out or a checklist tells you to look. At the Supporter level, you understand why hazard recognition matters and try to stay aware. A Champion actively scans for hazards before and during tasks and coaches others to do the same. A Visionary anticipates hazards that don’t exist yet, they think systemically about how work design, staffing, or schedule changes could introduce new risks.

This week's safety shares focus is on how we can use this model to strengthen three critical behaviors: recognizing hazards and error traps before they lead to harm, speaking up when something isn’t right, and building a workplace culture where open communication and accountability are the norm, not the exception.

A real-world example:

Mike noticed a stacked anti-fatigue mat near a machine walkway. He had been taking an interest in workplace safety and how to improve the workplace, and he knew it was a trip hazard. So he removed the top mat, unstacking it, removing the trip hazard. He also understood that reporting safety hazards did not mean he was trying to get his team members in trouble, but that he was keeping them safe from a trip hazard. Mike reported that the opportunity and the ergonomics team had better mats installed that helped prevent fatigue and could not be stacked. Remember find and fix it if you can and if you can not report it.

Team member engagement:

• “What level do you think Mike was from the example, a compiler, supporter, champion, or a visionary?”

Tuesday – Speaking Up About Hazards

Discussion:

Recognizing a hazard is only half the equation. The other half and often the harder half is speaking up. Many people see something that concerns them but hesitate to say anything. Why?

• Fear of being wrong or looking foolish in front of peers.
• Concern about slowing down production or being seen as a problem.
• Belief that “someone else will say something” or that leadership already knows.
• Experience where speaking up was ignored or punished.

Every one of these is a barrier that leaders at all levels must actively work to eliminate. Speaking up about a hazard is not a disruption, it is a gift to the team.

Practical Ways to Speak Up:

• Use direct, specific language: “I noticed the guardrail is missing on the second level” is more actionable than “something doesn’t look right up there.”
• Frame it as care, not criticism: “I want to make sure we all go home safe. Can we pause and look at this?

A real-world example:

Marcus and Joe work in a fabrication area and have noticed that a section of guardrail near a loading dock has become loose after being struck multiple times by pallets and carts. Because the rail was still partially attached, they both thought that it was fine, and since it was near the loading dock, it wasn't part of their job to report it. During material movement later in the week, an employee leaned against the damaged guardrail while guiding a pallet jack. The weakened rail gave way, causing the employee to fall off the edge of the dock platform and suffer a serious leg injury requiring medical attention. If they both found, fixed, or reported the guardrail that accident would not have happened.

Team member engagement:

• “When was the last time you spoke up about a hazard? What made it easy or hard to do?” 

Challenge for the day:

Find, Fix, and Report Challenge:

• “For today, find and fix a hazard, and then report it in the safety reporting system.” 

Wednesday – Open Communication
Discussion:

A workplace where people freely share safety concerns, near-misses, and ideas for improvement is a workplace that prevents serious injuries. But that kind of culture doesn’t happen by accident, it has to be built, reinforced, and protected every day. Remember, everyone is a leader in safety.

What Open Communication Looks Like:

• Near-miss and good-catch reporting is celebrated, not punished.
• Leaders ask questions like “What are you worried about today?” and “What could make this task safer?” and then actually listen.
• When someone raises a concern, the response is “Thank you, let's look at that,” not “We’ve always done it this way.”

What Accountability Looks Like:

Accountability in a healthy safety culture is not about blame. It’s about ownership. It means:

• Following through on commitments, if you said you’d fix it, fix it.
• Holding each other to shared standards with respect and care.
• Leaders modeling the behavior they expect — wearing PPE, following procedures, admitting mistakes.
• Investigating incidents and near-misses to understand the system, not to find someone to punish.
• If you can not fix it then reporting it is your next best step.

How This Connects to the Leadership Progression:

At the Compliance level, communication flows one way: top-down. Supporters engage in two-way dialogue when given the opportunity. Champions actively create opportunities for others to speak, and they hold themselves accountable first. Visionaries design systems and set the cultural tone so that open communication and mutual accountability are embedded in how work gets done, not bolted on as an afterthought.

A real-world example:

George was working on the production floor when he noticed a small pool of hydraulic oil forming near the base of a machine. Although the leak was minor and did not affect production, Greg told a team member that he would place a spill cone around the area, clean it up using absorbent pads, and report the issue to maintenance before continuing his work. He did not do this, and it resulted in a slip and fall. Even though it was within his ability to fix it himself, he did not follow through with his promise and it led to an accident.

Team member engagement:

• “How can we improve communication when hazards are identified? Is our reporting system easy to use?” 

Challenge for the day:

Report It Challenge:

• “If you notice damaged equipment, unsafe conditions, or missing safeguards today, report them immediately.” 

Thursday – Building a Lasting Safety Culture Through Ownership 

Discussion:

Safety culture is not built in a single meeting, policy, or training session. It is built over time through consistent actions, conversations, and decisions made every day by every person on the team. The culture of a workplace is shaped by what people accept, what they correct, and how they treat one another when it comes to safety. This week, we talked about identifying hazards, speaking up, communicating openly, reporting concerns, and correcting unsafe conditions. All those actions connect to one bigger idea: ownership. A strong safety culture exists when employees stop thinking, “That’s someone else’s responsibility,” and instead think, “If I can help prevent someone from getting hurt, I will.”

Ownership means:

• Taking responsibility for your work area and actions.
• Looking out for coworkers and stepping in when something is unsafe.
• Following procedures even when no one is watching.
• Reporting issues instead of walking past them.
• Being willing to slow down and do the job the right way.
• Understanding that small unsafe acts can lead to serious consequences.

The safest workplaces are not the ones with the most rules posted on the wall; they are the ones where people genuinely care about each other and take pride in working safely.

A real-world example:

During a busy production shift, Kevin noticed that a new employee seemed unsure about the lockout/tagout process while preparing to clean a machine. Instead of assuming someone else would help, Kevin stopped what he was doing and walked the employee through the correct procedure step by step. Although it delayed production for a few minutes, it prevented the employee from potentially placing themselves in a dangerous situation. Kevin understood that building a strong safety culture means helping others succeed safely, not just focusing on your own tasks. 

Team member engagement:

• “What is one thing we can each do every day to help build a stronger safety culture on this team?” 

Challenge for the day:

Own It Challenge:

• “Before the end of today’s shift, identify one positive action you took this week to improve safety and one thing you will continue doing next week to help strengthen our safety culture.” 

Friday – Week wrap-up

Discussion:

This week, we talked about identifying hazards, speaking up about unsafe conditions, improving communication, reporting and correcting hazards, and taking ownership of workplace safety. We recognized that many incidents start from small issues that are ignored, accepted as normal, or left unreported over time. We also discussed that reporting hazards and speaking up are not about blame, they are about protecting each other and preventing injuries before they happen. A strong safety culture is built when everyone works together, communicates openly, and takes responsibility for keeping the workplace safe. The goal of these discussions is to better understand how work happens day to day and where we can improve safety for everyone. Let’s continue building a workplace where hazards are noticed early, concerns are communicated openly, and everyone looks out for one another.

Team member engagement:

This week’s challenges were designed to help us pay closer attention to workplace hazards, communication, and safety ownership. I’d like to take a few minutes to hear what you noticed or learned throughout the week.

(Question and discussion starters can be framed like:)

• “Did anyone notice or report a hazard this week that may have otherwise been ignored?”
• “What makes it easier or harder to speak up about safety concerns?”
• “Were there any small issues you noticed that could become bigger problems if left uncorrected?”
• “What is one thing we can continue doing to improve safety as a team?”

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