In these times when we are all looking into the safety of us and our loved ones, it is also good to evaluate our day-to-day safety on the job. Safety and health programs are recommended for all workplaces, from office buildings and construction to industrial settings. These workplace safety programs protect your employees and empower them to confidently complete tasks without fear of injury or worse. The following five key elements must be present for a safety and health program to get off the ground:
1. Employee training and empowerment:
Before you can expect employees to follow best practices, you must educate them and empower them to hold each other accountable. Dedicate a day to safety training when you share safety tips and plan activities that keep your employees interested. There are plenty of online safety training ideas and resources to help get you started.
2. Hazard identification and control systems:
Once your employees are trained, a safety management process must be put in place for them to easily identify hazards and take steps to contain them. For example, if workers will use an aerial lift on a job site, hazards like power lines and uneven ground should be identified and addressed before any work is done.
3. Focus on compliance:
Complying with local regulations is the best way to ensure you are doing everything you can to keep your workers safe. They even provide compliance resources organized by industry as well as email newsletters and a searchable database by safety topics.
4. Continuous improvement:
Safety and health programs don’t fall into the “set it and forget it” category. Not only are new regulations being released all the time, but new employees will join your team. Thus, it’s important to adopt a continuous improvement mindset when it comes to safety, with frequent safety meetings and trainings.
5. Leadership and organizational buy-in:
For a safety and health program to be effective, there must be institutional buy-in from the top down. Workers will be faced with situations every day that force them to decide between a safe course of action and an unsafe one. Good safety leaders motivate workers to make the right decision even when no one is watching.