Reading time 4 Mins
Published on Jun 15
Share
Put safety at the heart of everything you do
Creating a culture of safety goes beyond implementing the necessary OSHA and other required standards. Where the health of your employees and your company are at risk, there can be no shortcuts or lapses. To truly create a safety-focused culture within a company, employers must focus on putting safety at the heart of everything they do.
What is a culture of safety?
A culture of safety is the result of combined efforts toward values, attitudes, goals, and proficiencies of a company’s health and safety program. In a safety culture, everyone within the company is committed to workplace safety and takes on the responsibility to ensure that safety. Beyond reacting to incidents as they happen, a culture of safety goes above and beyond to reduce the risk of accidents and engages all members of the staff, from upper management to hourly employees, to reinforce the importance of a safe workplace.
Companies with a safety culture demonstrate a deep concern for the well-being of their employees, and that concern is reflected in the measures taken to ensure their safety. Leaders at all levels of the company gather knowledge and use that to improve and promote safety across the organization.
Communication
Continuously communicating the importance of safety is the first step to creating a culture of safety. While most companies train new employees on safety and its priority at the company, many do not go beyond emphasizing its importance beyond the training period.
Companies can increase safety communication while building a positive culture by holding weekly or monthly safety talks or creating a weekly safety newsletter that is delivered to all employees. Include non-management employees by asking them to lead safety talks or write articles. Make safety policies readily available to your employees and use your company intranet to communicate safety expectations and best practices.
Training
Providing adequate and regular training is one of the best ways to demonstrate your company’s commitment to safety. Go beyond the basic requirements to ensure that your employees understand the importance of maintaining a safe work environment.
Well-trained employees will more readily embrace safety culture because they are aware of potential hazards and the effect that these hazards can have on maintaining workplace safety. Continuously reinforcing the knowledge garnered from these trainings will add to the culture of safety in your company.
Investing in employee health and safety training will not only impact the culture of your company, but can also have a positive impact on your company by reducing insurance premiums, lower workers’ compensation rates, and ensuring compliance with regulations.
Register today for safety trainings offered by your partners at Sheakley to help keep your staff aware of the latest standards and protocols. Our experts are here to keep your employees and your business safe.
Leadership
Leading by example is crucial to the success of building a culture of safety. In addition to talking the talk, managers and leaders at all levels of the company must walk the safety walk.
Employees follow the examples set by their managers. Therefore, management must always be cautious of following the safety policies and procedures set forth by the company. Managers should also conduct regular walk-throughs of the work areas and make recommendations regarding any potential safety hazards they see. By proactively addressing concerns before they result in an incident, management is effectively demonstrating the importance of safety to their employees.
Empower employees
A culture of safety is created when every employee feels responsible for ensuring the safety of all of those around them. The more employees understand and take ownership of your company’s safety initiatives, the more they will take action.
Empower your employees will create buy-in to the safety process. Working with employees to develop the communication method for reporting safety concerns will result in a higher likelihood of reporting of potential hazards before they result in an accident. Create an honest, open door policy that encourages employees to look for and report hazards, to make suggestions for improvement, and give them room to admit when they’ve made mistakes so that lessons can be learned. Work with your employees to develop peer-to-peer feedback on safe behaviors, allowing them to evaluate each other and improve upon processes that follow your safety policies.
Safety and Sheakley
Keeping your workforce safe is priority one for your company. Sheakley can help you develop better policies and provide assistance with training programs to help you achieve your safety goals. Sheakley’s Workforce Management Services experts provide complete safety resources for your company.
Get your free safety consultation today with an expert from Sheakley. Stay up-to-date on all things Sheakley by subscribing to our blog and following us on social media. Join in the discussion by commenting below.
You may want to read
See all articles
The True Value of Modified Duty Off-Site Return to Work
In an increasingly competitive business environment, companies are continuously searching...
Help Employees Maximize Their FSAs
With 2019 spending having topped out at around $3.8 trillion,...
The Importance of Effective Driver Safety Training
In 2018, there were over 450,000 police-reported large truck accidents,...
Injury Reporting in Ohio
The sooner the better Early injury reporting can save days...