Construction Business Owner, May 2008

At a recent speaking engagement for business owners addressing how to implement effective safety programs, I had a question from a member of the audience-we'll call him Bob.  Bob asked why he should invest in safety. He told me he has insurance if an employee gets injured, he has a safety manual, OSHA has never bothered him and the only employee injuries so far have been minor.  Why should he do more if what he's doing now is working?  

Construction Business Owner, May 2008

The single largest cause of safety non-compliance is inattention to safety details on the part of the individual worker.  This inattention generally results from the repetitive nature of most work performed by the worker and the natural comfort that comes from repetitive action. Even for the experienced worker, such comfort is false at best, as each new project and each new day on the same project bring different challenges. The best way to combat this laxity which comes with the repetitive action is through constant daily reminders about safety through a team approach.  Following is a basic outline of daily safety meetings and suggestions for project safety and a demonstration of how they will help prevent on-the-job injury.

Construction Business Owner, May 2008

Personal safety training is needed on every job, although some job categories, by definition, require more detailed safety precautions than others. Employers, who are responsible for implementing most job training, may wonder which type of training is better: traditional hands-on or electronic.

Both types of training offer distinct advantages for employees, business owners and safety directors. Using both, people benefit from subject variety, use of time, course customization, training consistency, organized recordkeeping and best use of training personnel.

Q:

Where do I get assistance for writing an effective safety program?

A:

First of all, I would like to say how important it is to have an effective, written safety program specific to your company. All too often, businesses go on the Internet and purchase a safety plan that claims to be "plug-and-play" where someone plugs in some names, clicks a few buttons and "poof," an effective safety plan appears on-screen ready to print out. If you have ever heard the saying it's too good to be true, then that's probably the case.