Safety Moments - Guide for safety professionals

Create safety in seconds with Safety Moments

In less than five minutes, a decisive knowledge impulse can protect lives. Safety Moments utilise the effect of micro-learning: short, focused learning units that are repeated regularly have been proven to increase the recall rate and practical applicability. For safety experts, they are an agile tool for quickly raising awareness of current hazards among the workforce.

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Tabel of content

1. Safety moment definition: Short knowledge impulses instead of long instructions
2. Why micro-learning with safety moments protects lives
3. Safety moment examples: 20 proven topics
4. How to implement safety moments correctly
5. Safety moment key figures
6. Recommendation for action: Five steps to the next safety moment

Safety moment definition: Short knowledge impulses instead of long instructions

Safety Moments therefore complement toolbox talks and mandatory instructions, but do not replace them. Their advantage lies in their high frequency and low threshold: any line manager can initiate a Safety Moment.

▶︎ Read more: How alerting software like safeREACH saves valuable time

Why micro-learning with safety moments protects lives

• Timeliness - hazards are addressed immediately, e.g. after near-accidents.
• Safety culture - regular short impulses create continuous risk awareness.
• Engagement - Employees participate more quickly in short, interactive formats.
• Key figures - Correlation between safety moment frequency and reduction in near misses (internal evaluation in accordance with ISO 45001).

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Safety moment examples: 20 proven topics

Universally applicable (all industries)

• Trip, slip and fall hazards - Shows how to secure loose cables, spilled liquids and uneven floors in seconds.
• Personal protective equipment on hot days - Reminder of which PPE needs to be adapted in hot conditions to avoid heat stress.
• Dangers of distraction (smartphone use) - Raising awareness of how mobile typing on the move increases accident risks and how to define safe zones.
• First aid quick check: refresh rescue chain - lets participants run through the emergency call sequence including location information in 60 seconds.
• Skin protection plan in winter - raises awareness of hand cream protective films against cold- and chemical-induced skin cracks.
• Correct lifting technique for loads > 15 kg - Demonstrates knee instead of back loading with a 15 kg box.
• Fire protection: Storing flammable substances correctly - Quick test to see which canister belongs in the safety cabinet.
• Road safety on company premises - refreshes speed limits and pedestrian crossings with a mini-quiz.
• Lock-out/tag-out in the maintenance area - Practically explains the three-lock principle for maintenance work.
• Behaviour in the event of a power failure - teaches how to safely shut down critical systems and check emergency lighting.

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Industry-specific

Production

• Machine start only after function check - Shows how a 30-second test run recognises malfunctions and prevents injuries.
• Presses: Hand protection and two-hand operation - Reminds you to check the sensor before each shift start.

Construction

• Fall protection on flat roofs - Demonstrates with belt check how to achieve 100 % anchorage.
• Load securing during lorry transport - Example video illustrates 3 G belt friction and the use of edge protection.

Logistics

• Forklift trucks: blind spot and speed - laser marking illustrates the 4 m safety zone.
• Ergonomics at packing stations - Checks reach heights of 75 to 110 cm to relieve strain on the spine.

Office & IT

• Recognising phishing in emails (ISO/IEC 27001) - Participants mark five typical social engineering indicators together.
• Ergonomic VDU workstation - Explains the 20-20-20 rule and shows the correct monitor height.

Chemical industry

• Handling acids & alkalis - pH test before disposal - Demonstrates how litmus paper prevents incorrect disposal.
• Demarcating explosion zones in accordance with ATEX Directive 137 - Floor markings help to visually identify Zone 1.

Each topic ends with an action anchor, e.g. ‘Check your PPE labelling today’ - so theory is immediately translated into practice.

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How to implement safety moments correctly

1. Choose a topic - hazard analysis, accident statistics or seasonal risks.
2. Prepare the impulse - 1 key fact, 1 relevant example, 1 call to action.
3. Determine moderation - shift supervisor or occupational safety specialist; maximum 5 participants per group.
4. Conduct - standing circle, clear line of sight, visualisation (picture, sample PPE).
5. Documentation - date, topic, number of participants, open questions. Digital via intranet or simple checklist.

Time required: 2-5 minutes (incl. discussion)

▶︎ Read more: How safeREACH works

Safety moment key figures

In order to provide measurable evidence of the effectiveness of safety moments, it is not enough to simply document the number of briefings carried out. The decisive factor is whether this results in a demonstrable improvement in safety-relevant KPIs.

The following KPIs can be easily extracted from existing HSE systems and provide safety experts with a meaningful early warning tool. Define a fixed comparison period in advance (e.g. three or twelve months) and communicate the results regularly to the management team - this turns the KPI analysis into an effective control process instead of a mere fulfilment of obligations.

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