We at CMC Corporate Solutions take workplace safety very seriously. We have always considered safety to be the primary method of delivering our services.
Workplace safety must be built into the business culture for it to be successfully implemented. Many organizations practice a Manager/Owner responsibility attitude toward workplace safety. This creates an almost adversarial relationship between the the people expected to act safely and the people who expect their actions to be safe.
The reality is, it is everyone’s job to maintain a safe workplace. Not just the manager/own and not just the team member. Every business owner should manage the safety of their employees in the same way they manage any other part of their business. The following areas serve as a foundation of a comprehensive safety program suitable for any organization:
Management Commitment
It is crucial in the creation and integration of safety policies in any workplace that safety begins at the top of the management heap. Commitment and genuine interest from upper management keeps the workplace free from hazards and risks. Team members see participation from managers/owners and then view those activities as important.
If upper management does not initiate the creation of safety policies the staff will likely decide it is one of those fad programs that start and then stop a couple weeks later if they get sufficiently ignored.
This is not to say recommendations from safety meetings group or safety committee should not be incorporated into the proposed policy, on the contrary. Team contributions are valuable to the over-all success of the program.
Accountability
All employees should be given a clear idea of the consequences of not maintaining their own safety and that of their colleagues. Management could strengthen the all employees’ accountability by:
- Creating disciplinary policies when expectations are not met.
- Holding supervisors and managers accountable for the safety of the people they manage.
- Holding appropriate authorities accountable for enforcing safety and health policies.
- Incorporating the safety responsibilities of each employee to their job descriptions as well as performance evaluations.
- Establishing programs that recognize the individual contributions of employees to the safety efforts of the organization.
Involvement
Employees are in direct contact with tools, equipment, machineries, and appliances that make them vulnerable at work. It is, thus, very important to directly involve them with the efforts to minimize workplace hazards, risk of injuries and of accidents. Construct a system that encourages employees to suggest safety polices or report hazards.
Surveys, inspections, job hazard analyses, and keeping tabs of accidents occurring in the workplace are just some of the most effective methods of identifying workplace accidents. these help not only un determining possible accidents that may occur in the workplace but also in preventing these from happening.
Hazard Control
Hazards covers everything from housekeeping and janitorial to equipment and raw material selection. The goal being to reduce the potential of an accident at every turn of the corner, every step in the process, from start to finish.
Investigation of Accidents and Incidents
Every accident, every time should be the subject of a completely thorough investigation. This should include a detailed description of what was being done before during and after the accident. Reports need to be filled out and filed with your head office as well as with appropriate state authorities.
Once the details and paperwork are taken care of, a search for a solution starts. It is important not to turn this step into a “witch hunt”. The goal is to avoid accidents, not burn the person involved.
Safety Training
Everyone should be informed of any potential job hazards in or around their work area and specific to the performance of their job. They need to receive specific training that will allow them to perform their job in the safest manner possible. They also need to learn what to look for in their environment that represents a potential safety hazard.
Safety Evaluation
Assessing the effectiveness of your Safety Program is an important step toward improving the plan over time. Each assessment should drive toward making safety simpler, faster more cost effective and most of all safer.
