Groundforce Tip of the Week: Make a Safety Commitment
If you run a business, you owe it to your company to put as much energy into your commitment to safety and health as you would any other important part of your business. If you don’t make workplace safety and health a priority in your business plan and integrate it into all aspects of your business, you risk a lot. The risk isn’t just about the money you might be forced to pay in fines; your company’s reputation is on the line, as well as your ability to hire new employees.
Putting together a safety and health plan is important, it’s not rocket science. Here are some guidelines:
- First, put together a company policy that emphasizes the importance of health and safety in your company.
- Make a commitment to provide the resources necessary to protect all of your employees.
- Encourage employee participation in the safety process.
- Establish a health and safety committee, including workers, and begin meetings with a safety topic. Beginning with safety stresses its importance to the workers present.
- Make sure employees are aware that, if they are going to work for you, they will be expected to work safely.
- Make sure all employees, especially managers and supervisors, follow the same safety guidelines at all times.
- Respond quickly to all reports of unsafe conditions or practices, and take steps to mitigate the problem immediately.
- If illness or injury occurs, don’t just treat it; find out why it occurred.
- Address all hazards, whether or not they are covered by law or regulation.
- If necessary, go beyond the regulation.
- Make daily inspections of their areas of responsibility a part of every worker’s and supervisor’s routine.
- Collect and value every worker’s input and feedback regarding safety. Often, workers will recognize hazards and will be just as competent to help solve the problem.
- Hold every employee accountable. Be sure safety and health responsibilities are included in the job description, set safety goals for everyone, establish a clear system for reporting hazards, and make sure employees know they’re responsible for doing so, and discipline workers who act in an unsafe manner.
- Recognize and reward those employees who contribute to keeping the workplace safe and healthy.
Creating a safe and healthy workplace is in your company’s best interest, and the best way to do that is to create a culture, in which safety is an integral part of the job.
Tags: Due Diligence, Safety
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