5 Steps for Building an Effective Safety Program

A comprehensive safety program may not only reduce employee injuries and illnesses; it can also improve employee morale and retention. In addition, fewer workers’ compensation claims can help improve workers’ compensation costs over time. To realize these benefits, employers should consider these 5 steps to create a well-rounded safety program:

1. Develop your safety program by following set OSHA standards. OSHA standards provide a pathway to workplace incident reduction, as many incidents stem from poorly developed or poorly implemented OSHA safety programs (e.g., not using the proper fall restraint system when working at heights, improperly using personal protective equipment when working with hazardous job site materials, and poor lifting techniques). Thoroughly developing and effectively communicating OSHA-compliant programs can lead to fewer incidents, increased production, and lower expenses by reducing workers’ compensation claims and avoiding OSHA citations.

2. Integrate programs into your daily operations. An effective safety program must translate from policies to daily practice for its impacts to occur. Achieving this requires a strategic plan that is communicated to workers, proper execution, and a culture that inspires and rewards employees for their efforts. Providing workers with knowledge and skills through training is also critical to the safety program’s success.

3. Investigate all work-related injuries and illnesses.  Incident investigations provide information on real or potential job site issues. All accidents, including first-aid-only incidents, should be investigated. Not only does this allow for corrective action to be taken to improve safety, but filing claims drives up workers’ compensation expenses, so finding strategies that result in fewer incidents reduces costs. Accident investigations go more in-depth than simple reports to uncover the incident’s root cause. This allows businesses to make improvements to prevent reoccurrences. Additionally, since first-aid-only incidents are the largest category of incidents, preventing them can protect workers and reduce associated expenses.

4. Develop competence in all employees. Training plays a crucial role in building an effective safety program. The goal of training is to develop employees who have the knowledge, skill and understanding to safely perform their assigned job responsibilities. Competent employees can identify workplace hazards and correct them, leading to fewer injuries and incidents and lower associated costs.

5. Perform regular audits.  Once the programs are developed and implemented, employers need to review them regularly to ensure they are still relevant and effective. If safety deficiencies are discovered, they should be corrected. Consistent audits enable employers to constantly improve their safety programs and outcomes.

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