Employee Participation is Key to Safety Culture More than 5,000 workers are killed on the job every year according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Break that number down and that’s a rate of 14 deaths per day. Now add in the 3.6 million workers suffer a serious job-related injury or illness each year. Safety is everyone’s responsibility, workers and employers alike. One way to decrease these numbers is to have safety programs set up and let workers share knowledge to find solutions to safety challenges. Employers that invest in workplace safety and health can reduce fatalities, injuries, and illnesses resulting in cost savings due to lowering workers compensation costs and medical expenses, avoiding OSHA penalties, and reducing costs to train replacement employees, and conduct accident investigations. What Can You Do? Listen to Others By creating an open line of communication with your coworkers, they feel more comfortable giving honest feedback about safety issues that come up. Empower Workers with Safety Information You wouldn’t put a player on the football field without a helmet, so why would you put an employee in the field without knowledge? By supplying workers with the appropriate safety knowledge, tools, and skills, they will be more confident and engaged at work. Build Trust One way to build trust is by having an open-door office hour where employees can come in to communicate any possible safety concerns they may have. Once they communicate those concerns, make sure to follow up with solutions and/or advice. Monthly Team Meetings Schedule monthly meetings with your team to discuss what jobs you are working on and any possible hazards or safety concerns you might have. By asking open-ended questions you leave room for a discussion about safety concerns and ways to improve safety protocols. Anonymous Feedback By creating an anonymous email, hotline, or chatbot, you can give workers the opportunity to offer suggestions or bring up concerns without fear of retaliation. Holding Trainings: Hold annual trainings for employees to refresh their knowledge on safety information. You can have these trainings online at their convenience or scheduled a group. Once a new standard gets released, make sure to get your workers trained as soon as you can. Create Safety Material: You can also make “Tool Box Talks” covering different safety material. Put information where it’s easily accessible to everyone. Consider uploading it to a shared computer file, putting documents on a team SharePoint page, or stay analog and have printed sheets in a binder. You can include sheets on chemical and equipment manufacturer safety recommendations and workplace inspection reports. SAFETY FOR TECHNICAL SUPPORT CONTACT: SAFETYQUESTIONS@FASTENAL.COM OR 1-833-FNL-SAFE
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