● Establish Safety and Health as a Core Value
The foundation for an effective safety and health program is making it an organizational priority, rather than just an initiative you take on in addition to your "real" work or goals. Establish safety and health as a core value of the company and make decisions based upon it. Include language regarding your dedication to employee safety and health in your mission statement, in your job postings, as part of your onboarding, etc.
● Reduce the Risk of Existing Hazards
The push for productivity can often make it easy to ignore known hazards for the sake of speed, however, that will backfire when accidents occur. Take an assessment of the most common hazards in your workplace. This can be done by reviewing accident reports or surveying your employees' feedback. Determine ways you can reduce the risk of these existing hazards, such as processes that could be changed.
● Get Employee Buy-In
Communicate to your employees why following safety and health procedures are so important, so they take it seriously rather than viewing it as yet another set of rules to remember and follow. Ask for their opinions on what could be done differently to make them feel safer. By engaging them in the process, you are more likely to get employee buy-in so they will voluntarily follow the rules.
● Focus on Regular Improvement
Managing safety and health in the workplace is not a one-time project - it should be a consistent priority. Set aside time on a monthly (or another timeline that makes sense for your workplace) basis to focus on regular improvement. Analyze the accident or illness rate for the previous time period to determine if you're on the right track or further tweaks need to be made.
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