More Profits from Controlled Hazards
Safety is of the utmost importance. But safety can also be a boon to your company’s bottom line. Making minor adjustments and upgrades on older equipment can result in savings for employers and employees alike.
A safe environment reduces downtime, as it ensures fewer accidents affect production or result in injuries that take workers out of the field for extended periods of time. Additionally, maintaining a safe workplace encourages productivity, as employees feel more confident in their abilities to complete tasks without injury or adverse reaction to unsafe conditions.
Businesses with high-risk workplaces - such as those who work with machinery - have the most to lose from an unmitigated hazard event or accident. These industries can benefit greatly from implementing the following controls.
Implement an Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP): A IIPP is a document that lays out the goals and strategies for preventing workplace injuries and illnesses, as well as the resources for carrying out those plans in real time. The program should include: Establishing safety programs to identify hazards, assess risks, create controls and minimize loss Communicating with employees about safety issues Developing training to promote safe behaviors Maintaining records on safety data to identify trends and make improvements
A IIPP is a document that lays out the goals and strategies for preventing workplace injuries and illnesses, as well as the resources for carrying out those plans in real time. The program should include: A more detailed IIPP should include the following: Establishing a formal process for evaluating injury and illness data to identify trends and make improvements Identifying potential hazards through a risk assessment process Conducting surveillance to identify accidents and injuries that may have gone unreported
Establishing a formal process for evaluating injury and illness data to identify trends and make improvements Identifying potential hazards through a risk assessment process Conducting surveillance to identify accidents and injuries that may have gone unreported Employers should also implement an incident response plan, as well as an Occupational Safety and Health Training Program (OSHA 10) with annual on-site courses. These courses are offered by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), respectively.
If you’re looking for more information on these topics, remember that we are available to assist you. Please contact us at any time. We would be pleased to speak with you regarding your company’s safety concerns, as well as offer a free consultation on how to improve your safety programs!
More Profits from Controlled Hazards: The Case for 10OSHA Training is an eBook published by the National Resource Center on Workplace Safety (NRC-WPS). This publication serves as a guide for employers who are interested in updating their existing OSHA 10 training or preparing for their first team training. This eBook was developed in collaboration with:
The NRC-WPS is a national resource center on workplace safety education and training, funded by OSHA as part of the agency’s cooperative program. NRC-WPS provides free and confidential safety and health education programs to employers, workers, health professionals and others. The mission of the center is to provide high quality training that empowers workers, employers and their partners to create safe workplaces. Our vision is a nation where all workers return home safely at the end of their workday. We accomplish this mission through innovative education and outreach activities designed to improve worker safety.
The NRC-WPS Web site provides information, training and outreach materials for employers and workers on preventing worker deaths, injuries and illnesses. For example, through the OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Web site, individuals can access basic and advanced training modules. OTI also provides links to free on-site safety and health training courses available in communities throughout the nation.
The NRC-WPS also publishes a bi-monthly newsletter that contains articles written by experts on a variety of safety topics. The online version is available at no cost or registration to readers with an interest in workplace safety issues. The NRC-WPS Web site provides an online bookstore where readers can purchase books, pamphlets and posters related to workplace safety.
The NRC-WPS is part of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
For more information contact: The National Resource Center on Workplace Safety at 1-800-467-6231 or visit us on the Web at www.cdc.gov/niosh/homepage.
The following is a list of safety functions for businesses who do not have OSHA 10 training onsite or have completed their OSHA 10 training in the past. This list provides companies who have updated their training with the tools and resources to support them going forward.
Continue with reminders and reviews: Employees will still need reminders and reviews throughout their careers in order to retain their knowledge of accident prevention and injury prevention. The company should develop formal and informal ways to remind employees about these concepts. For example, updates on safety programs should be included in performance appraisals, employees should receive safety and health updates during orientation sessions and employees can be given newsletters about safety issues. Informal reminders could come from coworkers on a daily or weekly basis.
Employees will still need reminders and reviews throughout their careers in order to retain their knowledge of accident prevention and injury prevention. The company should develop formal and informal ways to remind employees about these concepts. For example, updates on safety programs should be included in performance appraisals, employees should receive safety and health updates during orientation sessions and employees can be given newsletters about safety issues. Informal reminders could come from coworkers on a daily or weekly basis. Include a refresher training course: A refresher course is a great way to keep the workforce educated about workplace hazards, hazardous materials and the way they work together. A refresher course can be just as effective as an initial training session is with similar materials, but presented in a different way.
A refresher course is a great way to keep the workforce educated about workplace hazards, hazardous materials and the way they work together. A refresher course can be just as effective as an initial training session is with similar materials, but presented in a different way. Offer periodic safety seminars: It is important to provide your employees with information that goes beyond their day-to-day job responsibilities and also involves safety hazards faced in other areas of their job. These seminars can be low key and informal, which allow employees to have questions answered by their supervisors and/or peers. Seminars should be geared towards all jobs within the company whether they involve office work or skilled labor positions.
It is important to provide your employees with information that goes beyond their day-to-day job responsibilities and also involves safety hazards faced in other areas of their job. These seminars can be low key and informal, which allow employees to have questions answered by their supervisors and/or peers. Seminars should be geared towards all jobs within the company whether they involve office work or skilled labor positions. Incorporate an annual safety contest: This contest can be run on a small or large scale. Employees are always eager to win an award or to simply participate in a spirited competition encouraging safety excellence in the workplace.
Conclusion
In order to prevent workplace injuries, companies should provide a detailed list of activities with clear expectations by employees. This is important because most employees know that the list is the best form of training. With the knowledge of what needs to be done, employees can better manage their mistakes and avoid exposing themselves or others to possible harm.
Recent studies have shown that large numbers of workers are not following safety guidelines when they work with chemicals at work sites. The most common violations identified in these working environments were related to failure of primary and secondary employee protection measures such as personal protective equipment (PPE) use, follow-up safety procedures and transportation safety indicators (TSIs).
Complacency is a serious problem in the U.S.