Safety in the workplace is scrutinized today like never before. Not only can a workplace incident cause untold financial hardships as well as injuries to workers, but it can also ruin the reputation of a business. The OSHA guidelines have gotten more complex over time, so it's important to know exactly what is expected in each facet of your business in order to keep people as safe as physically possible.
Manager Safety Expectations
When OSHA is involved, managers are involved. It is the responsibilities of most managers to handle some of the safety issues in the area they are managing. This may require delegating most of the safety duties, but it's still necessary for managers to understand the guidelines and to make sure that each requirement is carried out. When OSHA conducts an inspection or arrives because of a complaint, anything that a manager says to them can be used in the case.
Following Workplace Safety Guidelines
One of the more common reasons that OSHA guidelines get bent is that someone simply doesn't see the point of the safety precautions. They see that they can perform duties without those measures, and they may do it that way until they are caught. This endangers that employee as well as anyone else works alongside them. This also puts the entire company at risk of lawsuits and fines levied by OSHA. One of the best ways to ensure better compliance is to let everyone know, from the managers down, that every OSHA guideline is to be followed without exception. There is never to be even a single time when a guideline is not met.
Let’s take a look at some of the sorts of things you’ll need to incorporate into a training plan.
- Rules, regulations, and standards – both legally and specific to your company
- Equipment information – how to operate, maintenance plans, and what to do in the event of a malfunction
- Contact info – who to contact in case of emergency, including within the company
- Company-wide responsibilities – who is in charge of what, and what the chain of command looks like
- Individual responsibilities – what each individual is accountable for
Safety and the Worker
It's easy to see workplace safety as more of a financial policy than a personal one, but both are true. Every company has the legal duty to protect their workers from any dangers, especially those that are described in OSHA rules. However, workplace safety is also a moral duty. When workers are carrying out their work functions, keeping them safe adds to employee morale and lets them know that you care about their well-being.
If you have questions about how to keep your workplace safer, contact us to find out more.