From The Ground Up 5 Anchors For Building A Robust Safety Framework
Irrespective of the industry, whether you’re a doctor, nurse, construction site manager, or company owner, safety in the workplace is paramount. Convincing those who work with you or for you isn’t an issue. Implementing procedures can be a challenge, especially when everyone has their workload to focus on.
When corners are cut, accidents occur. Cutting that corner may have saved you ten minutes; a casualty can lead to expensive sick pay costs and time off work. To illustrate this, there were 5,486 fatal work injuries recorded in the United States in 2022 alone.
Ensuring safety protocols are in place and become a habit rather than an afterthought will help you give your employees the tools they need to make better-informed decisions.
In this guide, we delve into the protocols you can adopt. All promise to help you create a robust safety framework. Read on to discover more.
1. Level Up Your Workplace Safety With Safety Communication
To ensure a safe work environment, you must provide your employees with medical, well-being, traumatic events, and critical incident support. One way to do this is to employ a leading keynote speaker on safety. Such an individual can deliver engaging speeches that resonate with your employees by offering practical advice, sharing real-world experiences, and ultimately inspiring change.
This will encourage your employees to take a proactive approach to safety in the workplace and take the necessary steps to prevent accidents.
2. Involve Leadership
If leadership doesn’t back safety protocols, it’s unlikely your employees will. Most people follow by example. Developing a solid safety program is easy; implementing it is hard. This is when leadership comes in. From stakeholders to company owners to managers, leaders must embrace the safety program by showing others that they intend to implement a safety protocol in the workplace. Leaders can show their support by hosting safety talks, signing intention letters, and pinpointing a safety committee. The key is to be transparent.
3. Embrace Risk Assessment Tools
Pinpointing, evaluating, and overseeing workplace hazards is crucial to preventing accidents from occurring. It plays a big part in a robust safety framework. From administering regular inspections to investigating past incidents to encouraging employees to report hazards, there are many ways to implement this framework.
You can also create a risk evaluation and administer risk control. This will help you to pinpoint hazards and put measures in place to prevent them from causing injury. Besides, this may be as simple as investing in additional safety equipment, such as alarms, protective clothing, eyewear, or administrative controls.
4. Provide Company-Wide Training
Ensuring your workforce is educated and safety-certified is crucial. There are various apps and tools available. These ensure new and existing employees stay up-to-date with the latest safety procedures. There won’t be one fit for all, as many employees will work in different spaces and use different equipment. This is when tailored training is a must. This training will allow them to complete their daily tasks safely and efficiently.
When everyone in the company is aware of the protocols, the workplace is a much happier place.
5. Safety Incentives
The likes of individual and team rewards, as well as safety education, contribute to safety incentives. These encourage employees to embrace a strong safety culture within the workplace, with many going above and beyond to promote safe behaviors.
Individual awards may include branded merchandise, gift cards, or certificates. Team rewards often comprise group dinners, outings, and team gifts. These incentives should be linked to specific safety goals and awarded promptly. Many companies will adopt safety incentive programs such as monthly safety awards, safety suggestion programs, and team safety challenges. The goal is to create a positive safety culture.
Automating processes to record and track hazards is a great way to stay on top of workplace risk assessment. Digitalizing these will encourage more employees to report any hazards or accidents. They can easily access safety checklists and emergency procedures. Having an online staff portal where these documents are stored is a must! It means anyone in the company can access them at the click of a button!
Having to file, compile, and assemble paperwork can make busy individuals reluctant to report hazards simply because of the time it will take. This means they will occur time and time again.
The Bottom Line
Creating a strong safety culture and program doesn’t need to be overly challenging. Recognizing the importance of safety and implementing the tools to showcase this will quickly get your workforce on board. Safety is a group responsibility and not a solo mission. Establish a transparent culture where no one is afraid to speak up or ask questions.
By reviewing hazard checklists and administering regular inspections, you can stop potential risks from becoming accidents. The result? Lives are safeguarded, injuries are less frequent, and costs are lowered.
