SAFETY FIRST! So what and how can we achieve it ...

"Companies can be successful and safe at the same time. The reality is that virtually all workplace injuries are preventable, and safety management and operational excellence are intimately linked."

It isn’t just about the bottom line; workplace safety is about trust.

According to the National Safety Council, 85,600 workers were injured on the job every week in 2017. And the figures for workplace fatalities are no less shocking. In 2017, it is estimated that a worker died on the job every 119 minutes. If you run a plant that requires working at heights above 1.2 meters, fall protection should be at the top of your list of safety concerns.

With proper planning, implementing safety systems and products well-suited for the facility pays dividends in the long run. With 2.8 million non-fatal workplace injuries and illnesses reported by private industry employers in 2018, there’s also evidence that investing in the development of safety standards, systems, and industry-appropriate products will increase productivity in the long run and help with employee retention. Nevertheless, the budget will not be the determining factor in developing a comprehensive plan.

Productivity need not come at the expense of worker safety. Moreover, nearly all accidents are preventable. Plant managers that implement the following five best practices are likely to see profits soar while reaping the long-term benefits of safety, such as higher employee satisfaction and retention rates, increased productivity and improved brand reputation.

The first step toward improved safety is to take a thorough look at your workplace to identify anything with the potential for causing harm. Hazards could include anything from protecting employees from falls while working at heights above four feet or traveling up and over equipment, to ergonomics and potential repetitive motion injuries, as well as exposure to harmful chemicals or extreme temperatures. Anything that affects the wellbeing of your employees should be considered.

Once hazards are identified, a thorough analysis and evaluation will determine how likely and severe the potential risks are. At that point, decisions can be made about what measures should be put in place to effectively eliminate the risks. It’s tempting to believe that your team knows best when it comes to keeping the plant safe for workers.

However, evidence suggests that inviting the perspective of an outsider, one with professional credibility in your industry and experience in safety, will be more valuable than the view from the inside. 

We can’t see what we can’t see. Most importantly, remember to use periodic risk assessment as a tool for improving outcomes, not just avoiding the worst-case scenario.

By keeping the big picture in mind, you’ll automatically lower incident rates and raise profit margins. 

It’s common for plant managers to emphasize the efforts made to ensure workers are not harmed in the event of a fall or accident. Fall protection equipment such as harnesses and rescue plans are required to comply with HSE standards and regulations, but in most cases aren’t enough to create a comprehensively safe workplace.

When it comes to prevention-based safety programs, company-wide initiatives will always be more effective than isolated efforts. Proper training ensures everyone knows what to do in the event of an injury or accident. Practice makes perfect. Taking the time to act out scenarios helps employees and managers feel prepared when the unexpected occurs. People tend to react rather than respond when accidents happen, so be sure to have signs posted throughout your facility with simple and direct steps to follow when someone is injured.

Falls aren’t the only hazard to prevent on the job. Any activity that puts workers at a heightened personal safety risk is your responsibility to address preventatively. Heat exhaustion, electrical shock, chemical spill containment, vehicle, and heavy equipment-related accidents and proximity to dangerous machinery are common concerns at plants.

A thorough accident prevention program requires regular training, high-quality, industry-appropriate equipment and a company culture that embraces safety and respect for all workers.

Employees who feel empowered to support one another in creating an environment where everyone’s safety is the highest priority are trained to use equipment safely. Those who fully understand the safest ways to fulfill their duties on a regular basis are less likely to become complacent. Keeping workers engaged and focused on supportive and attentive leadership will maximize prevention efforts. Remember that safety is about good business practice. The benefits of investing time and energy into a good safety plan include higher job satisfaction, improved corporate image and staff retention, increased productivity and efficiency and fewer costs associated with incident resolution.

Developing a culture of safety by demonstrating an expectation of success in every department should be at the top of the priority list for plant managers. By investing in new systems for communication, accountability, and celebration of success at regular intervals, the trust will increase, motivating growth and progress for everyone on the team. Incentivize the behaviors that exemplify a positive company culture and watch the collaborative and mutually supportive energy at your workplace flourish.

Empowering employees to support one another in reporting near misses and making suggestions for improvements creates an atmosphere of mutual respect and personal responsibility. Keep the lines of communication open and be ready to consider solutions you may have never considered before. Managers who are approachable and work to stay in close contact with their teams are much more likely to hear about what’s not working from the employees’ perspective.

Leaders can’t force people to develop a meaningful sense of accountability, they can activate responsibility by shaping an organizational culture that promotes responsibility.

Focusing on the worst-case scenario makes sense. However, it doesn’t get to the root of the problem. In isolation, safety measures are at best a haphazard attempt to keep the Owner happy and business humming. By establishing a culture of safety and mutual respect throughout your company, you’ll stay ahead of preventable accidents and build a team of loyal employees.

Although every incident can’t be anticipated, keeping a facility safe and compliant is not just the right thing to do, it’s also a good investment. According to the National Safety Council, the largest penalty issued to an employer in 2019 was nearly $1.8 million. Estimates indicate work-related injuries and deaths annually cost society $164.6 billion. It’s important to consider direct and indirect costs when evaluating how much expense is associated with an injury.

An article in Dec. 2018 issue of Safety + Health Magazine suggests that direct costs include workers’ compensation, medical and legal costs. Indirect costs include lost productivity, hiring and training replacement employees, time and expense of conducting incident investigations, repairing damaged equipment and implementation of corrective measures.

Safety managers should be prepared to clearly demonstrate the return on investment (ROI) of their efforts by running the numbers ahead of time. To calculate the percentage of profit earned for every training dollar spent, it is necessary to track expenses to design, develop, administrate, execute and evaluate programs.

Safety First !... Keep alive...