– Carola Mittag
On the wall in my office, I have two items that I look at every day before I start work. The first is a collage of pictures from the dental office I worked in for twenty-one years and was presented to me when I retired. The second is a picture of my five-year-old grandson.
The collage reflects those years and my relationships with co-workers and with patients. There was a responsibility I had to ensure that my patients received the best care, in an environment with the potential to cause the spread of disease and infection. There are the faces of my employer, the dentist who was either unaware of his responsibilities toward his employees or, just didn’t care, and my co-workers who each brought different personalities, perspectives and priorities to their jobs.
The picture of my grandson represents to me the promise of the future, the potential to be a person who will make a difference because of his developing personality, widening perspective and hopefully, objective priorities.
I just read an article on job satisfaction. Workers are looking for employers who value creativity, trust their
workers to work independently, show appreciation by supporting an inclusive workplace culture and promote safety as part of that culture.
Are you that desirable employer? What are your safety goals? How have you prepared to achieve those goals? Here are our top five critical areas to examine to ensure you are on the right track to keeping your workers safe:
- Health and Safety Policy
A health and safety policy is a written statement that clearly outlines how health and safety is managed in your specific workplace. It shows the company’s commitment to the health and safety of the people working for them and lays out the details of how employees can benefit from it. It is in essence, a statement of promise and must be posted prominently for all to see.
- Health and Safety Policies and Procedures
Health and safety policies and procedures will be different depending on the industry you operate in and the risks your workers face. However, your approach to health and safety should always be the same and must adhere to legislative guidelines. Your specific policies and procedures should be created by someone who understands the law, the work and its inherent risks and must be customized accordingly. This is typically the responsibility of the Joint Health and Safety Committee.
- Workplace Inspections
Workplace inspections help prevent incidents, injuries and illnesses. Through a critical examination of the workplace, inspections help to identify and record hazards so that corrective actions can be taken. Health and safety committees can help plan, conduct, report and monitor inspections. Regular workplace inspections are an important part of the overall occupational health and safety program and management system.
- Accident / Incident Investigation
Measuring how many injuries take place in your facility each year is
often more difficult than you might think. Consider the following when attempting to get accurate numbers:
- Minor Injuries – People often don’t report minor injuries because they don’t think it’s worth the time. The difference between a minor injury and a potentially fatal one is often quite small. Encouraging employees to report all injuries is essential.
- Near Misses – In many cases people can move out of the way or stop a machine just before someone is hurt. This is known as a near miss and it is important to make sure you track these numbers because they are an indication of a risk that needs to be addressed.
- Cause of Accident – When evaluating and measuring an incident/accident, it is essential to get to the root cause.
Whenever investigating incidents or accidents, you must make sure you obtain and document accurate, detailed information. With this information, the right steps can be taken to improve safety and prevent future incidents and accidents.
- Training
As a desirable employer, for whom people want to work, you will ensure that you have the right people to do the job you expect. For them to do that they require training. Anyone in a management/supervisory position needs training to be an effective leader. This does not come naturally to everyone.
Proper training helps workers understand their rights, gives an overview of specific hazards to which they may be exposed and helps them to be able to protect against those hazards.
When a workplace injury occurs, there is an incredible amount of money spent on medical bills, insurance premium increases, training an injured employee’s replacement, equipment damage, OHSA citations, and lawsuits. But, more important than any of this, is the fact that safety training could save the life of one of your employees. A few hours of downtime for safety training will save you and your company time and money.
Safety Transformation Through Effective Partnership
Mentor Safety Consultants offer you their expertise in safety management as a working partner, to help you transform your safety goals from intent to reality.
This is the kind of partnership I want for my children’s employers and my grandson’s sake!
Watch for next month’s Blog published in the first week of March.
Sincerely,
Carola Mittag
Consultant and Editor for Mentor Safety Consultants Inc.