Safety Meeting Ideas from the Real World
by Kirk Lloyd, Risk Management Services, Inc.

Do you ever wonder how other agri-business employers handle their safety programs? This month we will share the details of a safety program implemented by one member of the Agri-Business Council of Oregon. Our thanks to Richard Obrist, president of Fairview Acres Dairy Farms, Inc., for sharing this information.

Fairview Acres Dairy is headquartered near Tillamook, Oregon. While the business is fairly large and complex, it is a family farm not nearly big enough to support a personnel department or a human resources specialist to run the safety program. So the program has to be simple and effective.

Regular monthly safety meetings are a key part of their efforts to avoid employee injury. There is a core group of employees who serve as the regular safety committee and attend the safety meeting every month. In addition, all other available employees attend as well. Some employers prefer to schedule their meeting the same day each month. Due to varying shifts at Fairview Acres, they switch the meeting days around so that more people have a chance to attend at least a few times during the year.

There are three major sections to every safety meeting. The first is a review of injuries and incidents. OSHA rules require them to analyze and discuss each significant injury that occurs on their farm, and develop a plan to prevent similar events in the future. Fairview Acres also reviews any “incidents” or near-miss events, on their farm and elsewhere, that may present an opportunity to learn and make changes before an injury occurs. These real life stories bring home the importance of good safety practices and the constant efforts required to avoid risk-taking behaviors when working in agriculture.

The second part of each meeting is a review of old business. Old business items are the recommendations from past meetings, including plans to change the way certain tasks are performed, or correcting physical hazards such as a missing guard or a machine that needs repair. Each old business item is carried forward to the next meeting until it is resolved. This monthly review assures that good intentions for improvement are not lost to the pressures of getting daily chores done.

The last section of each meeting is a discussion of new business items. Sometimes those are seasonal in nature, such as a recent recommendation about treating slippery spots of ice that formed during winter weather. Often this is a chance to discuss new mechanical problems that have turned up, or to review any training needs or concerns from the employees.

There are a few tips and tricks that are used at Fairview Acres and that might be useful to other members of our association. First, if members of the family management team have been involved in any incident or unsafe practice, these outcomes are discussed just the same as they would be with any employee. This helps send the message that no one is “above” working safely. Second, because some of the employees speak only English and some speak only Spanish, bi-lingual employees help at every meeting to bridge those language gaps. Finally, in addition to the minutes recorded for each meeting, every major action item is posted in the office on a white dry-erase bulletin board so that the current safety initiatives are on display every day. This dry-erase board also allows employees to add questions, concerns, or items needing attention before the next meeting. All these steps have served to improve communication. And improving communication is a big part of getting good safety results.

Speaking of results, Fairview Acres has had a long-term safety record that is better than average. Because injuries have been less than expected, employees were saved from pain and disability. That also means the farm has been able to save on insurance costs by qualifying for the Agri-Business Council of Oregon group insurance plan with SAIF Corporation, and save even more through their lower experience rating. With today’s high prices of feed, fuel, and other input items, these insurance savings make an important difference on the bottom line.