HAVE YOU SET UP A SAFE WORKPLACE?

Q. Safety is something we talk about more than do something about.

We post a few safety rules and have a safety meeting now and then,

but I know we fall short of doing what we should. What can I do to

beef up our safety effort?

A. Develop a safety program that fits your business.

OSHA defines four major categories of standards or guidelines

according to the following major business types – general, industry,

maritime, construction and agriculture. It’s the employer’s responsibility

to know which set of standards applies to your business.

The complexity of your safety program is largely dictated by the

nature of your business. For example, a metal fabricator has

exposure to greater safety hazards – creating greater safety needs

than an office workplace.

A successful safety program reduces workplace accidents. Fewer

accidents mean fewer workers’ comp claims – which in turn mean

lower insurance premiums. With less time and money spent on

accidents, your employees have more time for productivity.

Here are some do’s and dont’s for putting together a safety

program:

* Begin with a commitment. Develop a written safety statement and

circulate it to all of your employees. Don’t post a list of

safety rules and fail to enforce them.

* Clearly communicate your safety concerns and your plans to

develop a safety program to your managers and supervisors.

Unless they see your intentions as serious, they may not share

your commitment. Don’t hang a few posters and hand out coffee

mugs to the department with an accident-free month and expect

to see ongoing improvement in safety.

* Name a person to be in charge of safety. This person can work

closely with you in setting up your program. Don’t designate

this person and then expect your newly appointed safety director

to know how to take over this project.

* Do accident investigation. Ask questions about every accident

to uncover the real cause for the accident happening. Don’t

settle for this kind of response… “broken arm was result of a

slip and fall.” What did the employee slip on? Why was the floor

wet? What will we do to prevent this situation from happening

again?

* Begin safety training. Video a re-enactment of any accidents

you have. This will bring home to employees the safety point

better than videos you can purchase.