Risk to Resilience: Trending Topics for Safety in the Workplace

Safety should be top priority for organizations across every industry. While many companies maintain their strong commitment to safety, millions of preventable injuries still happen in workplaces every year.

So how do you achieve safety in the workplace? You don’t just talk about it. You proactively build a safety-driven culture, educating and empowering employees to integrate safety into not only their work, but their everyday lives.

SBM’s best-in-class safety program?is driven with a proactive approach that exceeds basic compliance expectations and truly integrates the workforce into every step of the process. We do this by providing extensive safety training and performing interactive behavioral audits, validating training and comprehension. Employees are also empowered to stop the job if they don’t feel safe. As a result, our recordable incident rate is four times lower than the industry average.

As we recognize National Safety Month, SBM asked Kristen Sanchez, VP of EHS, to identify trending topics in the world of safety. From staffing shortages to the rise of technology, our EHS team is prepared to overcome challenges, embrace innovative concepts, and maintain safe work environments for all.

Staffing Challenges: Staffing has been an issue across most industries, including facilities management. Without an adequate number of staff, everyone has an increased workload, which can lead to employees taking shortcuts or rushing to complete tasks. This negatively affects morale and increases anxiety. While recruiting is key to resolving staff shortages, EHS teams can take proactive measures to maintain safety when head counts are low. “To alleviate the stress of our employees and create a safer work environment, SBM increases the time that management is on the floor interacting with employees, understands the full scope of work of each employee, and recognizes and acknowledges safe behaviors,” says Sanchez.???

Mental Health: Mental health and well-being will continue to be an important focus for companies throughout 2023. Because mental wellness can impact the risk of workplace injury, it must be an integral element of safety programs. Employees who struggle can become a safety hazard, due to distraction or difficulty focusing on their job duties. “SBM encourages our management to establish relationships with employees individually, building trust, so they feel comfortable asking for help,” Sanchez says. SBM offers a free Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for every employee and members of their household that provides self-care tools, therapist recommendations, and other mental health resources.??

Evolving Technology:?The facilities management industry has entered a new era of technological revolution. From robotics to AI to real-time data monitoring, several pioneering innovations are disrupting the way FM companies provide service for their clients. As a preferred provider at the world’s most complex and dynamic workplaces, SBM is uniquely positioned to drive innovative technology advances for our clients. We’ve already designed and developed a powerful mobile platform that improves the employee experience, empowering them to perform the best job while also delivering transparency to our clients. We’ve been recognized as the innovative provider in our industry, and we’re willing to invest in technology that positively impacts facilities management going forward.

Post-COVID Workplace: Three years after COVID-19 changed our world, companies are still defining the new normal, including the future of EHS at their organizations. During the pandemic, SBM relied on our mobile program, which continued to provide the tools, training, and knowledge our employees needed to work safely.?When in-person meetings were not taking place, they had access to training videos, good catch reporting tools, and communication with management through the messaging tool. Our teams also provided elevated cleaning and disinfection procedures, including high-touch-point cleaning programs that help prevent the spread of illnesses. Now that buildings are occupied again, SBM is focused on safety education, reinforcing safe working habits when employees have increased workloads. However, as we look to the future, SBM is fully prepared if another pandemic hits, as we’ve developed and implemented proven cleaning programs that ensure safe, healthy workplaces.