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You Have Options – 11/14/22

Safety E-Quick Tips

OWYN Safety Mgmt Platform

Nov. 14, 2022

You Have Options

Last week we talked about keeping workplace safety and compliance simple.

As I was thinking about this week’s E-QuickTip I realized how often we use the words simple and easy when talking about how we can help with workplace safety and compliance.

Although the two words seem to say the same thing, Merriam-Webster Dictionary says different.

Simple – Single; consisting of one thing; uncompounded; unmingled; uncombined with anything else; as a simple substance; a simple idea; a simple sound.

Easy – requiring or indicating little effort, thought, or reflection.

After reading that, I can honestly say that we may be able to help make workplace safety and compliance simple, but easy? Not a chance.

Workplace safety and compliance will always take more than a little effort or thought, no matter how simple we make it.  So we’re going to stop using the term easy.  If you catch me saying easy again, you need to call me out on it.

Now that I’ve clarified that, let’s look at a couple options you might consider to simplify workplace safety and compliance.

For both options you need to start with something everyone can agree on.

Let’s try – Protecting Employees, Company Reputation and Profits.

A simple statement that provides something for everyone.

Option 1

I provided you the first 3 steps of this option last week and I’ll include the 4th this week.

  1. You start with a weekly documented safety meeting about general workplace safety then gradually work up to meetings that are more relevant to the work being performed at each worksite.[KD1] 
  2. Once that is running smoothly, maybe in a month or 2, or whatever time frame works for your company, you could consider having supervisors complete a weekly workplace safety inspection checklist.
  3. After those have been happening for a few months, you could start a monthly or quarterly review process of the safety meetings and inspections.
  4. Once you have a few things up and running, it’s time to sit down and develop a more formal program (but not too formal).

That brings me to Option 2.

  1. Develop policies and procedures on workplace safety and compliance (a written Safety Program)
  2. Communicate the information to employees and managers (Safety Training)
  3. Perform regular and frequent workplace inspections
  4. Enforce and/or provide incentives for workplace safety and compliance

Either of the options will work if you don’t spend too much time on trying to be perfect; always consider them a work in progress.

But both will fail if you don’t get buy in from everyone in the company.  That’s why you need to start with something everyone can agree on.

If you like one of these options, that’s great. But if you have an idea of your own or want to mix them up a bit, that works, too, as long as you get something going sooner rather than later.

Have you just received your first Safety E-QuickTip or just want to look at past issues? Check out our Safety E-QuickTips Archive Page on our website.

Employee QuickTip

Each of us has a choice when it comes to workplace safety and compliance. If you’ve made bad choices in the past, that’s OK. You just need to start making better choices today.

Employer/Management QuickTip

When it comes to workplace safety and compliance, getting something going today is more important than trying to make it perfect.

Have you received your first Safety E-QuickTip or just want to look at 500+ past issues? Check out our Safety E-QuickTips Archive Page on our website.

If you know of someone or a company that might benefit from receiving Safety E-QuickTips, please take a moment to share this with them so they can sign-up today.

Thanks for Reading and Please – “Be Safe this Week”.