Celebrate Safety in August: Safety Observances for your Calendar

Are you looking for ways to improve safety in your organization? Safety observances can effectively reinforce your safety message to employees and connect your conversations to a larger goal of working together toward a safer workplace. Here are some great safety topics and observances to be on top of in August.

August Safety Observances

National Immunization Awareness Month

National Immunization Awareness Month is an annual observance held to highlight the importance of routine vaccination for people of all ages. With COVID rearing up its ugly head once again, it certainly can’t hurt to stress the importance of being up to date on your immunizations.

Here’s some background from the CDC

And an interesting vaccine quiz

Safe + Sound Week

August 11-17, 2025

OSHA describes it as “a nationwide event held each August that recognizes the successes of workplace health and safety programs and offers information and ideas on how to keep America’s workers safe.”

Stay tuned for more from KPA as we join in with OSHA and share some great tips and resources here on the blog, through our social media, and in our customer community.

In the meantime, read all about it on the OSHA website.

Back to School

Many parents (like me) are getting ready to send their kids back to school. This is a great time to reinforce safe driving across your workforce, whether on the job or off.

From 2012 to 2021, about 70% of the deaths in school bus-related crashes were occupants of vehicles other than the school bus, and 16% were pedestrians. (source)

Check out KPA’s safe driving online training.

And the National Safety Council has also put together a back-to-school safety page with a great downloadable checklist and other helpful tools.

Fire Prevention

Goodness, it’s hot out there! And in many spots around the country, it’s hot and dry. Here in Oregon, that means it’s fire season.

OSHA requires you to reduce employees’ exposure to polluted air. Here are some steps to keep your workforce safe.

National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day

August 4th, 2025

Why this isn’t a national paid holiday is completely beyond me. Priorities, people!

My important contribution to this national conversation: the original Nestle Tollhouse Cookie recipe. You’re welcome.

Build a stronger safety culture month by month. The 2025 Safety Observances Guide is designed to be your comprehensive companion for planning and executing meaningful safety initiatives throughout the year.

Download eBook >

Safety Meeting Topics for August

Keep your safety meetings, toolbox talks, or safety trainings relevant to your workforce’s needs in August. Here are some suggestions for topics to cover. Check out some of the safety meeting outline topics we offer:

Avoiding Heat Stroke
Heat stroke: a medical emergency that requires quick action and is easily prevented.

Fire Prevention
Following safe work practices can help prevent a fire, but if one does break out, do you know what to do?

Storing Chemicals Safely
To prevent improperly-stored chemicals from leaking, spilling, accidentally mixing, poisoning workers, and causing fires, read this list of things to remember when you store chemicals.

Online Training Topics for August

Digging through KPA’s comprehensive training catalog, here are some topics that reinforce August’s safety observances.

Heat Illness Prevention

This training covers the common types of heat illness and how those working in hot environments can avoid them. It includes warning signs, how to respond in an emergency, steps you can take to lower your risk, and common controls.

Wildfire Smoke Safety Training

This training covers the basics of wildfire smoke safety precautions and procedures. Specifically, the training goes over health effects, symptoms, sensitive groups, protective measures, medical treatment, employee rights, and employee/employer responsibilities.

Falls from Same-Level Walking Surfaces

This micro content training covers hazards to look out for and ways to prevent a fall from the same-level walking surface.

Explore the full training catalog >>

If you haven’t already, now’s the time to start implementing safety observances into your safety plans.

This is the perfect opportunity to level up your knowledge and take action to keep yourself and those around you safe. When we all prioritize safety, we create a culture that benefits everyone. So let’s make the most of this month and take advantage of the amazing resources available to us!

Need help? Check out the Compliance Calendar as a great way to keep on top of all your important dates >