May
13
7 Things to Remember When Starting a Safety Program
Filed Under Careers | Comments Off
Nicole Matthews asked:
1. Policies Just Aren’t Enough
It isn’t enough to have written policies if you let them sit in a folder until it’s time to review them. Policies are the foundations on which your entire safety sits so:
They must be visible.
Easily accessible and.
Staff need to be trained to use them.
Just because your policies cover all legislative requirements, doesn’t give you protection from prosecution in the event of an accident.
You need to prove that you’ve done everything possible to:
Remove the risk.
Substitute another product if possible.
Safety guards etc in place to protect people.
Administrative controls – procedures to keep people safe.
Issued Personal Protective equipment.
2. History Doesn’t Repeat
Just because you haven’t had an accident doesn’t mean you are running a safe workplace.
It actually could put you at greater risk of having an accident due to management or worker complacency. Unless you are actively looking for unsafe situations or problems you won’t find them. And if you don’t find them someone will.
Possibly with tragic consequences.
3. Making Money With Safety
Making money with safety might seem like a strange concept but if you think about it for a while it isn’t.
Think about the costs involved with:
Retraining of staff due to high turnover.
Insurance premium increases due to safety issues.
Decrease in productivity because workers are worried.
It will cost to put a safety system in place but the long term benefits are huge.
4. Healthy Workplace = Happy Workers
Ensuring a safe workplace makes your people feel valued. And employees that feel valued are more likely to stay with the company and want the company to succeed.
Bad employees will tend to leave of their own choice because they won’t fit with your company. Your company will gain a reputation for being a great place to work and you’ll find good employees easily.
So staff turnover decreases and productivity increases which equals increased profits.
5. Accidents Don’t Just Happen
Despite what we have all come to believe accidents don’t just happen. Accidents happen because of things like:
Complacency.
Inaction.
Poor performances in safety programmes.
Lack of training, reporting or listening.
By avoiding trigger factors for accidents we can easily build a workplace that is safe. A commitment to safety first by management will lead to a commitment to safety first by staff.
And only by total commitment will safety be achieved.
6. Show, Don’t Tell
Safety systems have to be clearly understood by all the people using them. From the general manager to the newest apprentice, safety must be clearly understood.
Having policies and procedures that are not clearly understood is a waste of time and money.
The best way to impart the knowledge is with posters, charts and diagrams. Print them off, laminate them and place them in all work areas as well as places like the meal room. Having them displayed prominently instead of sitting in a folder on a shelf will have the effect of keeping the safety culture in your workplace alive which keeps your workers alive.
7. Analysts Help
You’ve done everything right. You’ve got OH&S committees, you do safety inspections, you listen to your employees when they mention safety issues, so you don’t need an external analyst do you?
WRONG.
Having an analyst come in is the same as going to your accountant. A safety analyst specializes in safety. They are able to see things from a different perspective and seeing things through a different perspective is good for your business.
Another benefit of having an analyst is they keep current on all legislative changes. An analyst is amongst the first to know what changes have taken place at a state and federal level. They are able to explain exactly what they mean to your business or industry.
Just like an accountant keeps on top of financial matters a safety analyst keeps on top of safety matters, leaving you free to run your business.
Samuel
1. Policies Just Aren’t Enough
It isn’t enough to have written policies if you let them sit in a folder until it’s time to review them. Policies are the foundations on which your entire safety sits so:
They must be visible.
Easily accessible and.
Staff need to be trained to use them.
Just because your policies cover all legislative requirements, doesn’t give you protection from prosecution in the event of an accident.
You need to prove that you’ve done everything possible to:
Remove the risk.
Substitute another product if possible.
Safety guards etc in place to protect people.
Administrative controls – procedures to keep people safe.
Issued Personal Protective equipment.
2. History Doesn’t Repeat
Just because you haven’t had an accident doesn’t mean you are running a safe workplace.
It actually could put you at greater risk of having an accident due to management or worker complacency. Unless you are actively looking for unsafe situations or problems you won’t find them. And if you don’t find them someone will.
Possibly with tragic consequences.
3. Making Money With Safety
Making money with safety might seem like a strange concept but if you think about it for a while it isn’t.
Think about the costs involved with:
Retraining of staff due to high turnover.
Insurance premium increases due to safety issues.
Decrease in productivity because workers are worried.
It will cost to put a safety system in place but the long term benefits are huge.
4. Healthy Workplace = Happy Workers
Ensuring a safe workplace makes your people feel valued. And employees that feel valued are more likely to stay with the company and want the company to succeed.
Bad employees will tend to leave of their own choice because they won’t fit with your company. Your company will gain a reputation for being a great place to work and you’ll find good employees easily.
So staff turnover decreases and productivity increases which equals increased profits.
5. Accidents Don’t Just Happen
Despite what we have all come to believe accidents don’t just happen. Accidents happen because of things like:
Complacency.
Inaction.
Poor performances in safety programmes.
Lack of training, reporting or listening.
By avoiding trigger factors for accidents we can easily build a workplace that is safe. A commitment to safety first by management will lead to a commitment to safety first by staff.
And only by total commitment will safety be achieved.
6. Show, Don’t Tell
Safety systems have to be clearly understood by all the people using them. From the general manager to the newest apprentice, safety must be clearly understood.
Having policies and procedures that are not clearly understood is a waste of time and money.
The best way to impart the knowledge is with posters, charts and diagrams. Print them off, laminate them and place them in all work areas as well as places like the meal room. Having them displayed prominently instead of sitting in a folder on a shelf will have the effect of keeping the safety culture in your workplace alive which keeps your workers alive.
7. Analysts Help
You’ve done everything right. You’ve got OH&S committees, you do safety inspections, you listen to your employees when they mention safety issues, so you don’t need an external analyst do you?
WRONG.
Having an analyst come in is the same as going to your accountant. A safety analyst specializes in safety. They are able to see things from a different perspective and seeing things through a different perspective is good for your business.
Another benefit of having an analyst is they keep current on all legislative changes. An analyst is amongst the first to know what changes have taken place at a state and federal level. They are able to explain exactly what they mean to your business or industry.
Just like an accountant keeps on top of financial matters a safety analyst keeps on top of safety matters, leaving you free to run your business.
Samuel
Jan
2
A Career In Health And Safety Management
Filed Under Careers | Comments Off
Tony Jacowski asked:
Responsibilities
It is the responsibility of the Health and Safety Manager to ensure the safety of everyone who enters the company’s premises. They are solely responsible for the implementation and ensuring that all the safety regulations are followed. For example, if a plant manufactures a hazardous material, then as a health and safety manager, they are responsible to ensure the safety of the workers by asking them to wear facemasks, goggles and protective clothing. If it is an office, then they are required to maintain safety by assuring that all desk drawers and file cabinets are closed, spills cleaned up and signs posted.
One of the major roles of the Health and Safety Manager is to schedule routine fire drills and also assure that each department designates a person to act as a monitor. They may also have to walk the floor regularly, to check for any violations and also to rectify any problems. The Health and Safety Manager is designated to handle the issues related to illness that may result due to unsafe working conditions. They are basically responsible for the implementation, application and maintenance of value, decision and risk management tools, procedures and techniques.
Qualifications
To undertake the role of a Health and Safety Manager, you have to acquire a college or university degree and gain several years of experience. Education is an ongoing process and must be upgraded, as new safety products enter the market regularly.
A Health and Safety professional’s responsibility is to ensure that all the fire extinguishers are in safe and working condition and that everyone knows how to find and use them. In many companies, the manager recruits new employees and also guides them with the instructions on conduct and about existing safety measures.
Job Prospects
You can also work as an Environmental Health and Safety manager in a manufacturing unit, where selection is based on education or internal promotion. The candidate would ideally need to have a degree in Industrial technology or a Business degree. But nowadays, as Environmental Degree programs have increased, candidates can find a job immediately after they complete their college education.
Protecting people, equipment and the environment is the primary motive of an Occupational Health and Safety Specialist. They are called Ergonomists, Occupational Health and Safety Inspectors, Industrial Hygienists and Environmental Protection Officers. They assist the company in creating safer and unpolluted processes. These Health and Safety Specialists scrutinize the data collected by the technicians and then improve them to protect the workers and the equipment.
The primary duty of the Health and Safety professional is to safeguard the workers and the company against the common workplace hazards. Such as:
- Injury caused from biological and chemical agents
- Protection from accidents caused by heavy metals
- Electricity hazards
In the United States, the Occupational and Health Safety Administration has been regulating the operational health and safety since 1971.
Eric
Responsibilities
It is the responsibility of the Health and Safety Manager to ensure the safety of everyone who enters the company’s premises. They are solely responsible for the implementation and ensuring that all the safety regulations are followed. For example, if a plant manufactures a hazardous material, then as a health and safety manager, they are responsible to ensure the safety of the workers by asking them to wear facemasks, goggles and protective clothing. If it is an office, then they are required to maintain safety by assuring that all desk drawers and file cabinets are closed, spills cleaned up and signs posted.
One of the major roles of the Health and Safety Manager is to schedule routine fire drills and also assure that each department designates a person to act as a monitor. They may also have to walk the floor regularly, to check for any violations and also to rectify any problems. The Health and Safety Manager is designated to handle the issues related to illness that may result due to unsafe working conditions. They are basically responsible for the implementation, application and maintenance of value, decision and risk management tools, procedures and techniques.
Qualifications
To undertake the role of a Health and Safety Manager, you have to acquire a college or university degree and gain several years of experience. Education is an ongoing process and must be upgraded, as new safety products enter the market regularly.
A Health and Safety professional’s responsibility is to ensure that all the fire extinguishers are in safe and working condition and that everyone knows how to find and use them. In many companies, the manager recruits new employees and also guides them with the instructions on conduct and about existing safety measures.
Job Prospects
You can also work as an Environmental Health and Safety manager in a manufacturing unit, where selection is based on education or internal promotion. The candidate would ideally need to have a degree in Industrial technology or a Business degree. But nowadays, as Environmental Degree programs have increased, candidates can find a job immediately after they complete their college education.
Protecting people, equipment and the environment is the primary motive of an Occupational Health and Safety Specialist. They are called Ergonomists, Occupational Health and Safety Inspectors, Industrial Hygienists and Environmental Protection Officers. They assist the company in creating safer and unpolluted processes. These Health and Safety Specialists scrutinize the data collected by the technicians and then improve them to protect the workers and the equipment.
The primary duty of the Health and Safety professional is to safeguard the workers and the company against the common workplace hazards. Such as:
- Injury caused from biological and chemical agents
- Protection from accidents caused by heavy metals
- Electricity hazards
In the United States, the Occupational and Health Safety Administration has been regulating the operational health and safety since 1971.
Eric