Toolbox Talk

Today all companies who are members and participants in the Metro Indianapolis Coalition for Construction Safety (MICCS) join together to recognize the efforts of the tradesmen and women working in Indiana.  Today’s event, "Safety 1st in Construction Day," is an annual recognition program that MICCS proudly supports. 

We have distributed to you a commemorative hardhat sticker that has been developed to recognize those workers who lost their lives on construction jobsites in 2007.  A total of 20 Individuals arrived at work as they did every other day, expecting to do their job and return home at the end of the day.  None of them left for work expecting  that day to be their last opportunity to say hello or goodbye to a loved one. 

Many of you may know the individual, friend or family members of the individuals that we honor here today, if you do, we join you in your grief.   

I would like to take a brief moment to read the names of those individuals who were lost and following the reading of the final name please join me in recognizing a brief moment of silence in their honor:

In Central Indiana we have an incredibly dedicated workforce. Each of you contributes to the mission and goal of MICCS which is to accomplish ZERO injuries.  Your occupation may expose you to potential safety and health risks such as fall exposures, hazardous atmospheres, working around heavy operating machinery, heavy lifting, and overhead hazards, just to name a few. 

Please remember that workplace safety is an individual responsibility working as part of a team.  Each person is responsible for acting in a safe manner and being mindful of the safety of others  in the workplace.  A safe and healthy workplace depends on all of us working together toward this common goal.  

It is especially important that you work with your supervisor and co-workers to pre-plan your work activities to identify and take steps to minimize hazards before beginning work.  Should you identify potential hazards that were not addressed by your training, it is your responsibility to report those hazards to your supervisor.  Meanwhile, if you find yourself getting into a situation where your safety and health may be at risk, take action to protect yourself and others  to make sure that they are safe.

Safety is much more than a priority: it needs to be a core value in how we live life and a part of your every day thinking, whether it is in the field, traveling, or at home.  The ultimate success in your profession will not only be be measured by how well you do your job, but also whether you and your co-workers returning home at the end of the day healthy and without injury for your own benefit as well as that of your loved ones.
We ask for your help in making Central Indiana a safer place to work by preventing and reducing injuries.  A safe and healthy workplace depends, in part, on you being properly prepared, equipped and mindful to carefully manage the hazards of your job.  Thanks for being an integral part of the focus of workplace safety.

Accidents do not have to happen. We must believe in zero injury and practice every minute, hour and day to make it a reality.