CS Tree Services crew members conducting a job briefing. Photo courtesy of Bob Rouse.

Accreditation audits are more than a checklist exercise – they’re a window into how safety practices hold up in the real world. Out in the field, small oversights can quickly become serious risks.

In Safety Snapshot, auditors share trends and observations from job sites across the country – practical reminders of where crews are getting it right and where vigilance is needed. Each installment highlights real-world issues, explains why they matter and reinforces the best practices that protect crews, companies and the public.

Field observation

TCIA Accreditation auditors are noticing that some companies are struggling with how to document job briefings in a digital world.

What auditors are noticing

How a crew verifies that a job briefing was conducted each day has become a bit more complicated. Customer relationship management software (CRM), apps and cloud-based documents make it easier than ever for a company to stay connected on phones and tablets to manage digital documentation, but these same systems can lead to confusion as to what is considered “proof” that the job briefing was done.

Some of this confusion has led to a fall-off in job briefing frequency and consistency. In other cases, job briefings are getting done, but the verification and documentation of them is not consistent or not being done at all.

Why this matters

Conducting job briefings is required by OSHA and ANSI Z133. Failure to conduct job briefings can result in OSHA fines. For your business, failure to conduct job briefings will result in less operational efficiency and higher probability for property damage and workplace accidents.

Common contributing factors

Confusion as to what constitutes enough documentation to meet OSHA and ANSI Z133
safety standards.

Requirements for documenting a job briefing according to OSHA and ANSI Z133.

OSHA: The worker in charge at the job site verifies that the job briefing was conducted and delivered to all employees on the job. OSHA leaves it up to the company how to document that verification, but OSHA will still want proof of compliance in the event of an inspection. Since OSHA leaves documentation methods up to the company, this is where confusion can start.

ANSI Z133: Recommends (should) that the job briefings be documented.

Exceptions: Employees working alone are not required to conduct a formal briefing, but the tasks must still be planned by reviewing the same items that are normally covered in a job briefing. Since this is an exception, the employee working alone is not expected to document the informal job briefing.

Best practices

While documentation may not be strictly required, some form of verification that the job briefing was done is required by OSHA. These are considered best practices for job briefing documentation:

• The crew leader or qualified arborist in charge sign off that they delivered the job briefing.
• Have all crew members sign the job briefing, whether it is a digital document/form, app or a piece of paper.
• If you’re using paper forms, be sure you have a signature box for crew signatures.
• Include the job name, code and/or location.
• Be sure the job briefing is dated.
• Including a time stamp with the date is a big plus.
• Use of apps or cloud-based documents is recommended as you can use a cell phone or tablet on site and have it generate a report for the office.
• Use apps or cloud docs that work off-line, or if not, have paper backup for when your crew is out of cell coverage.
• In the app or cloud doc, be sure there is a method for crew members to sign off on the job briefing.
• It is best if this sign-off, even if it is just an employee check box, can be done on the employees’ cell phones.
• When an additional worker or job visitor arrives on site after the job briefing was conducted, give them the job briefing and have them sign it. (And yes, this includes your boss, salesperson and TCIA auditors.)
• Optional: Consider the exemption for the person working alone. You can ask them to follow the same documentation procedure for job briefings. This will keep job briefings recognized as a normal process that happens before every job at your company, even when working alone.

This issue was shared by Bob Rouse, TCIA’s senior vice president of business support.