Risk & Business Magazine General Insurance Services Magazine | Page 28

PROACTIVE VS. REACTIVE
WHY PROACTIVE SAFETY
PROGRAMS ARE BETTER
THAN REACTIVE ONES
Y
BY: KIM RAMSEY
SOFTWARE & TRAINING CONSULTANT,
GENERAL INSURANCE SERVICE
28
ou run a small construction
company. One of your
employees is climbing up a
ladder with one hand while
holding some power tools
with another and, as a result, puts not only
the employee in danger but also some of
your other employees. How do you respond
to this? For one thing, the employee
technically hasn’t done anything malicious.
It is simply a corner that has been cut,
likely in the name of productivity. Either
way, OSHA wouldn’t be happy about what
is going on. And if OSHA isn’t happy, you
probably won’t be happy either.
When it comes to safety programs and
regulatory compliance, there are generally
two types of responses:
• reactive
• proactive