Core 6 Helps Members Narrow the Safety Focus

If you boiled safety down to a half dozen points, what would make the list? PDRMA Risk Management makes it easy for you to narrow your focus with its Core 6 concepts, introduced at the 2014 Risk Management Institute.

Core 6 is a quick reminder of the key strategies to stay safe:

1. Equipment: Do I have the right equipment to do this task safely? Is there another piece of equipment that could make this task safer?
2. 30 Second Site Safety Walk Through: Did I take 30 seconds to walk about the jobsite to check that it’s safe before I start? Did I take any action to make it safer during the walk through?
3. Personal Protective Equipment: Am I wearing the proper personal protective equipment for this task?
4. 3 Points of Contact: Am I consistently using three points of contact every time I climb ladders and enter or exit vehicles and equipment?
5. Stretching: Do I/Have I warmed up before starting this task? Do I reset my muscles by stretching after my task is completed?
6. Best Practices in Lifting: Am I practicing these techniques for lifting?

• Move straight up and down.
• Keep elbow close to the body.
• Move my feet with each step.

“I really like Core 6 because it’s simple to remember, easy to use, and we can discuss it as a group and incorporate it into real life examples we experience during our work day,” explains Scott MacLean, Manager of Park Maintenance, Waukegan Park District.

MacLean incorporates Core 6 into weekly meetings, too. On Mondays, the maintenance staff reviews the six concepts, stating them out loud. On Wednesdays, he has employees share how they used Core 6 throughout the preceding week. They can give an example of using a specific concept or relate a situation that made them recall Core 6 strategies.

“We showed the Core 6 video for an in-service training for Parks Department staff last fall, and this spring we rolled it out to the Recreation Department as part of injury prevention training and made it part of our Safety Orientation video, which all new and returning hires watch annually,” explains Tanya Brady, Manager of Risk Management, Waukegan Park District. “We also use the Core 6 concepts when we investigate accidents and even property damage incidents. We’re finding that using the 30 Second Site Safety Walk Through — being more aware of your surroundings — could prevent many of our property damage issues as well as injuries.”

Waukegan plans to continue rolling out Core 6, using both the video and strategy cards, which Brady found to be very useful. She noted that showing staff how the concepts can be incorporated into a variety of activities — from talking about 3 Points of Contact during mower training to describing how the agency uses it to investigate accidents — really brings the message home.

Bill Sosnowski, Superintendent of Parks at the Lombard Park District, agrees that the video helped his staff embrace the Core 6 concepts. “We started off the year showing the video to the Parks Department staff in January and have incorporated the Core 6 program into our packet for new hires as part of their orientation,” he explains. Sosnowski also made it a standard part of staff meetings and has Core 6 posters around the maintenance garage so staff can see them on a daily basis.

“I believe making people aware of the issues is the greatest thing we can do to help prevent injuries,” says Sosnowski.

PDRMA Resources:

• Core 6 Video – Downloadable.
• Core 6 Strategy Card