When it comes to safety in the workplace, there’s this idea that it is most needed where there is going to be for a more labor-intensive environment such as a construction site, warehouse, or maybe even somewhere that handles chemicals. While these types of environments certainly need to have a safety protocol, in actuality, all work environments need this. Even if it’s just an office-based environment, there needs to be great emphasis on a safety culture there as well.
While the COVID pandemic has proven that no matter where you work, there needs to be some type of safety precautions. It’s vital that safety goes beyond COVID. Continue reading on to learn more about how your business can move forward and implement more safety into the workplace and the culture.
How to Instill Safety Culture in Your Organisation
Safety culture is an important aspect of any organisation, whether you believe your business needs it or not, it has to be there. Safety culture is a set of values, behaviors, and systems that help to create an environment where people feel safe to do their work. It also helps promote a sense of trust among employees, which is crucial for productivity.
This atmosphere is absolutely needed. During the Great Resignation in late 2021 and 2022, people are quitting their jobs because they didn’t feel safe in the work environment thrown in. The following are the steps that can be taken in order to create a safe culture in your organisation:
1. Create awareness of safety.
2. Establish values that support a safety culture.
3. Develop communication and training programs for all employees on safety topics such as hazardous materials and workplace violence prevention.
4. Develop a plan for how you will handle emergencies in your company.
5. Create a system for reporting unsafe behavior or incidents so it can be dealt with promptly and appropriately by the appropriate team members or authorities, such as human resources or law enforcement officials
6. Make sure everyone is trained on what constitutes harassment and discrimination
7. Set up clear rules and expectations about workplace conduct
8. Hold regular meetings with managers and employees to discuss safety concerns
You can always look into what the industry standards are, as this can also help you set up the important guidelines and steps for instilling this type of culture.
How to Help Your Employees Engage in the Safety Process
Safety is a process that should not be ignored in the workplace. While you don’t need to go to great lengths such as having a covid vaccine fridge in your workspace to ensure everyone is vaccinated, you still need to lay out ground rules about safety in the workplace. When you’re in the beginning stages of creating this, you need to stick to it, no matter how much your employee’s protest. It is important to keep your employees engaged in the safety process so they know what to do if an emergency happens. There are multiple things that you can try to keep your employees engaged in this.
You can train your employees on safety procedures and policies, and also make sure they have a clear understanding of the company’s safety culture while this is still being set up. You’re also going to want to create a culture where everyone wants to learn more about safety. Another thing that needs to be instilled in order to keep up with the safety process would be to provide training opportunities and resources for new hires.
While engagement and motivation can go hand in hand, what about keeping the employees (and yourself) motivated about safety? When safety is at the forefront of your company, it is important to motivate your employees. When it comes to safety, you want to make sure that your team members are not only doing their job but also feel that they are contributing to the process. One way you can do this is by connecting with them on a personal level and encouraging them through positive feedback and recognition.
Creating a Safety Compliance Program?
A safety compliance program is a set of policies, procedures, and tools that an organisation uses to achieve its goals of workplace safety. It usually includes a variety of safety-related procedures such as:
– Safety policy
– Injury and illness prevention program
– Workplace health and wellness program
– Safety training
– Employee assistance program (EAP)
– Medical surveillance program
– Emergency response plan
In the world of work, safety is a concern that must be addressed. Having a safety compliance program in place can help businesses prevent workplace injuries and illnesses. It also helps to create a safe and healthy work environment for employees.
What are the Benefits of Having a Safety Compliance Policy?
The benefits of having a safety compliance policy are numerous. It allows companies to make sure that their employees are safe from hazards in the workplace, which can reduce the risk of injuries and illnesses. It also helps to create a safe and healthy work environment for employees, which can help increase productivity among employees.
Employers have many reasons for implementing such policies, including reducing liability costs; improving worker morale; increasing worker productivity; complying with applicable laws; ensuring compliance with legal and industry-based regulations are met; and being more competitive against other businesses by providing better working conditions. There have been numerous stories of some businesses blatantly not caring about worker safety, and those businesses either had too many people quit and go off to competitors, or the entire business was shut down.
Who Should Be Involved In Safety Compliance at Work?
In most countries around the globe, there are legal and industry-based programs put into place already. These should be getting enforced as well. This is to ensure that the workplace is safe for their employees and that they are not exposing them to any harmful chemicals. Depending on the size of the company may depend on who gets appointed for this. This could include hiring a safety officer, giving someone training at work to become, the manager, but, this can just really depend based on the industry.