Rancho Mesa's Alyssa Burley and Media Communications & Client Services Coordinator Megan Lockhart talk about the process of transitioning a company from using paper to utilizing mobile apps like SafetyOne™ for administrating and tracking toolbox talks (aka tailgate talks or safety meetings) with their crews.

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SafetyOne™ App

Director/Host: Alyssa Burley

Guest: Megan Lockhart

Producer/Editor: Lauren Stumpf

Music: "Home" by JHS Pedals, “News Room News” by Spence

© Copyright 2023. Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc. All rights reserved.

Transcript

Alyssa Burley: Hi, this is Alyssa Burley with Rancho Mesa's Media Communications and Client Services Department. Thank you for listening to today's top Rancho Mesa news, brought to you by our Safety and Risk Management Network, StudioOne.

Welcome back, everyone. My guest is Megan Lockhart, Media Communications and Client Services Coordinator with Rancho Mesa. Today, we’re going to talk about the process of transitioning a company from using paper to utilizing mobile apps like SafetyOne™ for administrating and tracking toolbox talks, also known as tailgate talks or safety meetings, with their crews.  So Megan, welcome to the show.

Megan Lockhart: Yeah, thanks for having me, Alyssa.  

AB: So, in our discussions with clients in the construction, landscape, and human services industries we’re seeing a desire for companies to move away from paper-centric or analog processes towards more digital platforms. However, when it comes time to actually make the transition, we see some hesitance to actually make the switch. Why do you think that is the case?

ML: Well, first let’s talk about the paper process many companies are accustomed to using in order to administer and document their toolbox talks. Typically, the safety manager, office manager, even the owner may be the person in charge of picking the safety topic for the meeting that week.  They may have a source of topics provided by an industry association or a book they’ve purchased. They print out copies of the toolbox talk content from a website or they make copies of the individual pages out of their book, either way, they’re distributing the paper toolbox talks and a generic sign-in sheet to their supervisors or foreman to complete at the jobsite. 

The person conducting the toolbox talk gathers the crew together. They go over the content provided on the paper, and then they pass around the sign-in sheet. 

I know that some people even pass around the sign-in sheet as they’re going over the content, so who knows if the team is really paying attention while they’re signing their names on the sheet.

Once the content has been shared and questions have been answered, the person conducting the toolbox talk needs to remember to return the sign-in sheet back to the office so it can be recorded on an Excel spreadsheet or at minimum filed in a folder somewhere. 

AB: Yeah, and I think that’s a pretty accurate description of how most of our clients were used to doing the toolbox talks. So, what are some of the issues clients have reported with this method?

ML: Well, too many times we’ve heard the compliant that the office isn’t getting the signed sheets back in a timely manner or even getting them back at all. So, it’s tough for management to know if the toolbox talk was actually completed or not.  And, that’s really doing a disservice to the employees.  The employer is responsible for ensuring their employees are getting the safety information they need in the appropriate interval.  If the sign-in sheets aren’t turned in, the employer can’t ensure the information was distributed.

AB: Absolutely and, relying on a physical piece of paper to show that something so important was completed, is quite risky.  The paper could be lost, thrown away on accident, or destroyed, even before it makes it back to the office.

ML: Yes, exactly. Plus, let’s say the toolbox talk records need to be provided to a project owner or OSHA, but the employer keeps the signed sheets in a folder in a file cabinet somewhere in the office. The toolbox talk records that need to be provided are missing. The paper isn’t in the folder, it was misplaced.  What does that person do? They don’t have the records to support that they covered the safety topic.

AB: Yeah so, how does using a mobile app like SafetyOne™ eliminate those issues companies are experiencing?

ML: Using a mobile app like SafetyOne™ to administer and document the toolbox talks eliminates several steps and issues. First, the toolbox talk content is built into the mobile app.  The app comes with a library of topics, and our clients can add their own custom content, if they’d like. 

What’s great about distributing the content via the mobile app is that no toolbox talks need to be printed ever.  In fact, the system is specifically designed to distribute the toolbox talks through the app, not a PDF for printing. We’re really trying to eliminate as many unnecessary steps as possible. 

The documentation of the completed toolbox talk is streamlined through the app.  From the screen with the toolbox talk content, employees can type their name, and the system can remember their name once it’s been entered, and sign the device with their finger. Each person signs just like they used to on the sign-in sheet.  However, now that the signatures are digital, and are stored in the company’s admin website.  As soon as the toolbox talk is completed, the data is uploaded and stored.

This eliminates the need to print out toolbox talks and sign-in sheets, bring the completed sign-in sheet back to the office, manually update an Excel spreadsheet, and file the paper in a folder.  It also eliminates the risk of losing the physical record.  At any time, administrators can print a report that shows the toolbox talk content, and the person who conducted the toolbox talk, and the names, signatures and even an optional photo of everyone who participated in the meeting. 

We’ve listened to our clients needs and have developed an app that addresses those specific areas that are causing them so many issues.

AB: So, if we can solve several issues with the toolbox talks in the SafetyOne™ app, why do you think companies are hesitant to making the switch?

ML: Yeah, I think companies feel the switch is going to take too much time to setup and implement.  Setup in SafetyOne™ is minimal and training supervisors and foreman to use the mobile app only takes a few minutes. Plus, we have some short video clips that walk them through the basics.

AB: Will you describe how easy the setup is for the toolbox talks?

ML: Sure, the administrator adds a project through the SafetyOne™ administrator website.  This literally involves clicking a button and entering a name.  Now, depending on if this is an actually construction site, crew or a facility, the project name just allows the mobile app to organize the data. Next decide which users should have access the project, crew or location’s records. Identify which toolbox talks you want to appear on the mobile app for the project, crew or facility. You could turn on the entire library or limit it to only topics that apply. Then you can just start administering and documenting the toolbox talks.

AB: Is there any employee setup?

ML: The only employee setup that is required is adding the mobile app user to the platform, which is the person administering the toolbox talk.  The individual employees signing the toolbox talk do not require any setup in the platform.  That’s why this is so easy to implement and manage.

AB: Alright well that sounds pretty straight forward. Megan, I really appreciate you taking the time to walk us through all of this and I’m sure our listeners do too. So, thanks for joining me in StudioOne.

ML: Of course, thank you so much.

AB: This is Alyssa Burley with Rancho Mesa. Thanks for tuning into our latest episode produced by StudioOne. For more information, visit us at ranchomesa.com, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter.