Risk & Business Magazine Spectrum Insurance Magazine - Spring 2019 | Page 25

SAFETY & HEALTH
Elements Of A Successful
BY: DAN FROST
RISK MANAGER/SAFETY CONSULTANT
SPECTRUM INSURANCE GROUP
Safety And Health Program
E
very business wants to do all
they can to prevent injuries from
occurring on the job. A serious
fire, a permanent injury, or the
death of an employee or owner
can cause the loss of profits or an entire
business. To prevent such losses, you don’t
need to turn your business upside down.
You may not have to spend a lot of money,
either. You do need to use good business
sense and apply recognized prevention
principles.
There are reasons why accidents happen—
something goes wrong somewhere. It may
take some investigating to determine what
went wrong, but an accident always has
a cause. Once you know why an accident
occurred, it is possible to prevent future
incidents. You will need some basic facts
and perhaps some help from others. You
will also need a plan to prevent accidents in
the future.
Not all dangers require an accident to cause
harm. Worker exposure to toxic chemicals
or harmful levels of noise or radiation may
happen in conjunction with routine work
as well as by accident. You may not realize
the extent of the exposure or harm that
you and your employees face. The effect
may not be immediate. You need a safety
and health management plan that reduces
the risk of health hazard exposures and
accidents.
It is not difficult to develop such a plan. It
should address the types of accidents and
health hazard exposures that could happen
in your workplace. Since each workplace is
different, your program should address your
specific needs and requirements.
FOUR ELEMENTS OF A GOOD SAFETY
AND HEALTH PROGRAM:
1) MANAGEMENT COMMITMENT
AND EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT. The
manager or management team leads the
way by setting up the policy, assigning and
supporting responsibility, setting a positive
example, and involving employees.
2) WORKSITE ANALYSIS. The worksite is
continually analyzed to identify all existing
and potential hazards.
3) HAZARD PREVENTION AND CONTROL.
Methods to prevent or control existing or
potential hazards are administered and
maintained.
4) TRAINING FOR EMPLOYEES,
SUPERVISORS, AND MANAGERS.
Managers, supervisors, and employees
are trained to understand and deal with
worksite hazards.
Regardless of the size of your business,
you should use each of these elements to
prevent workplace accidents and possible
injuries and illnesses.
Developing a workplace program following
these four points is a key step in protecting
you and your workers’ safety and health. If
you already have a program, reviewing it in
relation to these elements should help you
improve what you have.
Another aspect to consider when
developing your workplace program is the
use of incentives to promote safety and
health at your organization. Creating an
Employee Safety Incentive Program can
help you ensure that all employees closely
follow Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) guidelines and thus
reduce the number of preventable on-the-
job injuries. The implementation and use of
an incentive-based program does not have
to be expensive, and it has the potential to
greatly increase employee morale at your
workplace.
Following this approach to safety and
health in your business may also improve
efficiency and help you reduce insurance
claims and other costs. While having a
safety and health plan based on these
four elements—and/or an incentive-based
program—does not guarantee compliance
with OSHA standards, the approach will
put you on the right track toward full
compliance.
The key to the success of a safety and health
plan is to see it as a part of your business
operation and to see it reflected in your day-
to-day operations. As you implement the
plan and incorporate it into your business
culture, safety and health awareness will
become second nature to you and your
employees.
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