Morning Meeting

Purpose
The House Leader, Crew Leaders and Site Safety Observer meet at the site 30-45 minutes prior to the scheduled arrival of the Volunteers. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the day's planned work, and to assign tasks to the Crew Leaders. The discussion will include details about the technical aspects of the day's tasks, the materials to be used, the location of the materials, the tools needed and where they can be acquired.

Additionally, and safety issues associated with the day' s planned work are discussed among the House Leader, Crew Leaders and Site Safety Observer. This discussion sets the agenda for the safety portion of the morning meeting with the Volunteers.

Role of the House Leader in the Morning Meeting
After the Volunteers arrive, the House Leader will describe the day's work and discuss the assignments of the Crew Leaders and the crews they will be guiding. The House Leader will also introduce the Site Safety Observer to the group and briefly describe the role of the Site Safety Observers as an observer and coach who will spend a portion of the day raising the awareness of the personnel on site about site safety issues. (See Morning Safety Huddle Topic Sheets)

Role of the Site Safety Observer in the morning meeting
Since the Site Safety Observer participates in a prior discussion with the House Leader and Crew Leaders about the safety issues associated with the day's planned work, this information will prepare the Site Safety Observer to talk about these issues with the Volunteers during their morning meeting. This discussion will include and hazards that result from the site conditions and the potential hazards associated with the planned tasks.

The Site Safety Observer will also point out the posting location of the HFHSL Work Site Safety Checklists and recommend these to the attention of the Volunteers during their breaks.

The Morning Devotional Period
As the Volunteers are already assembled for the morning safety discussion a separate gathering will not be necessary for the devotional period. This brief devotional period is usually very natural for the church congregations. While other organizations that partner with HFHSL may choose to not include a devotional period in their build some of their Volunteers will still value these few moments during a Devotional Period to focus on their reason for participating.

It is usually possible for the Volunteers from a building site to attend the Devotional Period on an adjacent site. A few moments of dialogue among the House Leaders prior to the arrival of the Volunteers will facilitate providing an opportunity for all Volunteers to attend a Devotional Period if they choose.

The role of the Crew Leaders in the Morning Meeting
After the morning meeting is concluded the Crew Leaders will each meet briefly with their assigned crew members to discuss the work crew's assignment for the day. This may include the demonstration of the tools and techniques to be used and a discussion of the standards to be met. This is also a time when the Crew Leaders can support the safety process by identifying any safety issues that are specific to their crew's assignment.

If additional Crew Members arrive at the site after the Morning Meeting, the Crew Leader and Site Safety Observer are expected to assure that the late arrival is fully aware of the issues that were discussed during the Morning Meeting and during the crew's discussion of the day's work.