| Every safety program has two major objectives: | | | | improve. |
| injury prevention and compliance with company | | | | After a program is in place, it may be necessary |
| policies, and state and federal regulations. But, | | | | to conduct some training to make sure everyone |
| somewhere along the way, a safety program has | | | | knows the rules and what is expected. |
| to pay for itself in terms of increased production, | | | | Responsibility for the program has to be assigned |
| reduced workers' compensation costs, and | | | | at all levels. After that, it's a matter of monitoring |
| improvements in employee morale. The safety | | | | the workplace, correcting errors and holding |
| program has to add value, otherwise, it becomes | | | | employees at all levels accountable for safety. |
| a drain on resources and it will be hard to keep | | | | Enforcement of the rules has to be consistent |
| management and employees interested. Avoiding | | | | and evenly applied. The program has to be |
| fines and penalties in the event of a compliance | | | | evaluated periodically to identify what's working, |
| inspection is another cost savings that can be | | | | and fix what isn't working. |
| realized, but be very hard to quantify if there are | | | | A key step to preventing injuries is to keep |
| no inspection and fine history to evaluate. | | | | employees focused on doing their job in a safe |
| Injury prevention and compliance doesn't always | | | | manner. One way to do that is to conduct a task |
| go hand in hand. It's possible to have very few | | | | specific job safety briefing before starting work. |
| injuries and no compliance or great compliance and | | | | This briefing can be called a job safety analysis, |
| lots of injuries. To get both, safety has to | | | | job hazard analysis or anything you want to call it. |
| become part of the organizational culture. The | | | | The important thing is to keep your employees |
| success of an environmental, health and safety | | | | involved in the process and focused on doing their |
| program depends on the participation of everyone | | | | job safely. |
| in the company. Without buy-in at all levels, the | | | | The immediate supervisor should conduct a job |
| safety program will be just another book | | | | safety briefing at the beginning of each workday |
| collecting dust. | | | | and anytime the scope of the work changes |
| The recommendation from the experts (including | | | | significantly. The purpose of the briefing is to |
| OSHA) is to get employees at all levels involved in | | | | identify the steps needed to accomplish the task, |
| the development of a safety program. A safety | | | | the hazards that are expected and ways to |
| program has to be approved and implemented | | | | eliminate the hazards or keep the worker from |
| from the highest levels, but getting input from all | | | | getting hurt. Input from employees involved in the |
| levels gives everyone some degree of ownership. | | | | task should be used to identify all the hazards |
| This will give your employees an incentive to | | | | associated with the task. Upper level managers |
| comply with necessary changes in policy, | | | | should attend occasionally and the safety |
| procedures and culture and greatly increase the | | | | manager on a regular basis to give management |
| chance of success. | | | | support to the process and to demonstrate that |
| Buy-in, or the willingness of an employee to follow | | | | safety is a major corporate concern. |
| the rules, is an important ingredient in a successful | | | | The task specific safety briefing is an important |
| program. Most people are willing to work safely, | | | | tool and can be used in conjunction with a task |
| I've never known anyone who went to work and | | | | debriefing to keep the employees focused on |
| decided to get hurt, but there is a natural | | | | doing their job safely. The debriefing should get |
| resistance to change. Injuries happen. A bigger | | | | input from the employee and identify what went |
| problem exists when people expect to get hurt | | | | right, what went wrong and what can be done to |
| on the job. Injury prevention is a key to success. | | | | correct what went wrong. It keeps the employee |
| If you can keep your workers from getting hurt, | | | | involved in the safety program and makes them |
| everything else just gets better. Production, | | | | part of the solutions that continue to reduce |
| quality, employee morale and the bottom line all | | | | injuries in the workplace. |