Creating an Effective Safety Program in Your Organization
‘Safety first’ is an adage everyone has grown up with. Implementing it effectively in the workplace is what ensures rich dividends.
- Assess risks. Get professional safety inspection to know the different kinds of hazards your workplace may pose. The next step would be to assess potential risks from these. Only then can effective guidelines be laid down to avoid any mishaps from occurring.
- Set down safety guidelines. Based on risk assessment the company needs to outline safety guidelines. These must take into account all possible scenarios so that employee safety is never compromised. There is much to be lost with non-compliance including money, man-hours and productivity. Eliminate such possibilities by updating the safety program.
- Educate employees. With the first two steps achieved, it now comes to educating employees. Each employee needs to be provided education regarding the safety guidelines in any particular organization. It often happens that there are different safety requirements in different departments of the same workplace. For example, laboratory requirements will be way different from workshop safety rules. This means that interdepartmental transfers also necessitate a fresh round of safety education and updating.
- Ensure adherence. A safety program and preventive guidelines are only good when people adhere to the rules. The onus lies on the management to ensure adherence. This has to be part of company policy so that employees learn to put a premium on safety. Non-compliance has to be monitored, reported and acted upon. This will not only strengthen safety issues but also make employee participation mandatory. All of this will only go to support safety standards for the organization.
- Hold regular drills. An effective safety program is arrived at by regular and often unannounced drills. This is the best way to ensure each and every employee is in sync with safety requirements. Drills will also help find out any areas that might be lacking or any safety hazard that has not been identified till date. You can also update safety education based on the performances at mock drills.
- Review safety. Having rules and equipment in place for workplace safety is all very good. However, true commitment to safety will reflect in regular review of safety measures. How well the fire hydrant is working, does the safety net need upkeep and repair, are the fire escapes free of crowding, determining lapses in the unfortunate event of a mishap, are all essential components of safety review. One needs to update as required.
- Refresher safety course. With time and new techniques coming in, an organization needs to stay abreast of safety changes. New parameters demand new guidelines as well as new equipment. Some of the new equipments might need a fresh course of safety education because everyone needs to be on board for these changes. Refresher safety courses need to be held annually to ensure all are aware of new additions to safety regulations.
These steps will go a long way in creating an effective safety program and ensuring maximum productivity.
Summary
Every organization should adopt effective safety programs for optimum functioning. Implementing such programs should begin with assessment of risks and laying down proper safety guidelines. Moreover, the employees of the organization should also be adequately educated regarding safety requirements, and regular drills and safety reviews need to be carried out.
Reshali Balasubramaniam
Head of HR, HR Counselor and adviser at https://jobpal.lk and EFutureTech Systems. Submit your resume online and be contacted by prospective employers.