The safety task assignment is a procedure used to make an
effective safety audit for a task before it is assigned. It is
usually carried out at the beginning of each shift and often at
the beginning of each assignment.
The STA is performed as a meeting held by the foreman or lead
man to discuss any potential hazards of the assignment and
preparations for the worksite. Most often it is accompanied with
a checklist form that each participant signs to acknowledge that
he has taken part in the procedure and understands the
requirements.
Some of the obvious personal protective equipment checklist
items are gloves, hardhat, safety glasses, ear protection, steel
toes and personal fall protection. Each worksite has it's own
permitting requirements but the usual ones are excavation, hot
work, welding, confined space entry, concrete pouring, and line
opening. There should also be plenty of space for adding
additional requirements and instructions.
Before each STA the supervisor should make a thorough inspection
of the work location. He should locate the fire extinguishers,
alarm stations, safety showers and egress routes. He should also
make note of the noise level, footing, ventilation, weather,
overhead work, lighting, debris, chemicals, fall hazards, and
any other health and safety factors that may be of concern. And
last but not least he should consult with other crews and
workers in the area to discover additional or unusual hazards.
On a construction project the landscape changes on a
minute-by-minute basis while each task, craft, and worksite has
it's own inherent dangers. A well-conducted STA will bring
safety awareness to a new level by making each employee aware of
the potential dangers and his own responsibilities. It will
foster a heightened positive attitude toward overall safety that
greatly benefits the company as well as the employee.
Gangbox Journal