Managing Safety at Remote Locations
April 25, 2013 No Comments
Some companies have service technicians and installers who virtually live out of a suitcase. These employees’ jobs are out in the field, often hundreds of miles away from their home base. They usually work alone and rarely get back to the main office. What can you do to include these employees in the company safety program that won’t break your budget?
We’ve asked a number of companies this question; here’s some solutions they’re using that you might want to consider:
- Hold monthly meetings over the phone and Internet. All employees would call in at an appointed time. During this conference call, they would also be required to log into a net meeting site on the Internet. The employees would view a video or Power Point presentation on their computer; and they’d be able to ask questions and make comments over the telephone. One such service you may want to consider using is “GoToMeeting.com“.
- One-on-one safety meetings can be held over the Internet using Skype. The two participants would be able to see and talk with each other in real time. My daughter lived in Spain for five months. By regularly Skyping, I was able to keep in close contact with her. The clarity of both the video and the audio was outstanding.
- Remote employees could be required to complete an on-line safety training program once each month. The self-administered and self-paced program would have a quiz at the end to verify leaning. .
- Conduct regular telephone conference calls. They could be held at the same time and day of the month so there’s no confusion as to their scheduling. During the slow season bring the remote employees together for a face-to-face annual safety meeting.
- Provide each remote employee with a weekly (or monthly) packet of forms. The employee would be required to complete each form and promptly mail them back to the safety department. The packet could contain a safety training topic of the month & quiz, accident notices, and a safety newsletter.
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