This leads to large increases in the bottom line due to better productivity, less down time and lower workers compensation costs.
Why do smaller contractors and companies have such a problem running an effective safety program?
Large companies use age old tried and true methods to deal with employees. These methods are normally not used in smaller companies because they have not set up a structure or set of rules to follow that make a company wide program work.
Many small business owners have built a successful business by being the type of person that doesn’t ‘follow the crowd’. They are risk takers and aggressively go after what they want. They are typically not people who like to follow rules.
This mindset that builds a small company can work against the business as it grows. Large organizations have built their success by implementing rules and systems that work to encourage employee participation and individual ownership in working to keep employees and the workplace safe. And here are a couple of very important things you can do to build your own program.
Remember, rules apply to everybody:
When a company initially sets up a safety program the rules that need to be followed typically come from OHSA regulations and information from their Workers Compensation carrier. Don’t fight the rules. You can’t beat the government, especially OSHA. Don’t complain or criticize the need to have to supply or buy safety equipment. Publicly, in front of your employees, always take a positive attitude about changes that need to be made.
Wearing a hardhat is commonplace and well accepted, but other rules such as the mandatory use of safety glasses or respirators in certain situations can be seen as tedious and unnecessary by yourself. If you pass this attitude on to your employees, you’ve started a losing battle.
Even if you don’t like the rules and extra expense, realize that you need to think of the future of your company. Send a positive message to your employees by telling them that the OSHA rules that need to be followed are there because of accidents that have happened in the past. And while the risk might be small, it is very much better to be safe than sorry.
Speak in terms of how you would hate to see anyone accidentally injured or be disabled by not following the rules. Tell your people that you recognize that it is inconvenient at first, but that like everything else in life it is something that a person will quickly become accustomed to.
Safety rules will quickly become second nature to your people if you send the right message. And the primary thing to remember is that you need to let everyone know in no uncertain terms that these rules apply to everyone, no exceptions.
Do not allow a visitor or other non job site employees into work areas without wearing the same protection that is required of the workers. The number one rule to make a safety program work is that the rules apply to everybody, all the time.
Recognize compliance through a visual program:
Hard hat stickers make a perfect method to visually reinforce your company’s safety program. The metrics that you use to define the system are not the items that are important. They could be hours or days worked without a job injury, number of safety inspections passed by each employee or employee group, or any other measurement that you may want to use.
The important thing is that you and your company has a system that positively passes on the message that the company is running their safety program so that employees are not hurt or injured. And that the company is proud of the contribution that all employees make that further the success of the program.
Give out hard hat decals that show that the employees are part of your group. Be sure to do this on a regular basis such as at monthly or bi-weekly meetings.
What you need to do is to pass on the message to all that you, as the owner, are concerned about safety first. Not about the cost of a safety program or loss of profits. You can easily do this just by changing your mindset.
When you do you will find that you reap the same rewards as large companies. By putting your employees and their safety first, you’ll see improved attitudes and improved work performance. Follow these tips and you’ll see that you can make your safety program work for you and your company.