5 Core Elements of Effective Safety Programs
Whether your business operates from a construction site or an office, a quality health and safety program is needed to protect employees. With the right knowledge, staff can confidently do their jobs without the fear of injury.
Research shows that $170 billion is spent each year by businesses, on costs associated with workplace illnesses and injuries. With the right health and safety program, these costs can be cut by 20-40%. Other benefits include better staff morale, increased productivity and an improved business reputation. Here are five core elements of effective health and safety training programs.
Educate and Empower Employees
Safety in the workplace starts with educating employees and empowering them with the right tools to deal with hazards that may crop up. Set aside time for health and safety training in each department, that includes engaging, hands on activities. Consider implementing a stop-work policy, empowering employees to stop performing a task if it becomes too risky.
Identify and Control Workplace Hazards
Once basic safety training has happened, systems need to be put in place to identify and control workplace hazards. For example, if staff will use machines in a factory, hazards such as handling machinery and what safety equipment is needed should be discussed before any work commences. While you can’t eliminate all hazards, steps can be taken to control situations and minimise risk.
Compliance with Local Government Regulations
Business owners have responsibilities regarding health and safety in the workplace. Regulations and codes of practice have to be adhered to in your state or territory. Best practices need to followed and are actually law. Following local guidelines is the best way to keep workers safe and reduce the costs of injury and worker’s compensation.
Ongoing Improvement and Auditing
Going through health and safety training once, then forgetting about it, is not the right approach. New employees need to be trained and old employees need to learn about updates and have refreshers.
There also might come a time when previous safety measures, just don’t work anymore. Aim for a full health and safety audit every year and encourage employees to speak up about any workplace concerns.
Leadership Training and Development
While training employees is important, ensuring supervisors and managers are setting good examples is equally important. Every day workers will be faced with safety decisions in the workplace and an effective leader should encourage and motivate good codes of conduct.
Great leadership starts with communication. Managers should have regular meets with staff, so everyone is on the same page. Incentives can even be offered for those following protocol.
Tailored Health and Safety Training for Your Business
Link Resources provides the best healthy and safety training to workers and organisations across Australia. On site and group bookings are available on request. Contact Link Resources for more information today.