10 Tips for an Effective Safety program

Effective safety programs are tricky to build and maintain. Stepping wrong at any point in the process doesn't just lead to inefficiency; it can lead to serious injury or death. That's a lot of responsibility on everyone involved, from the employee to the safety manager to the company. And that means we have to be in a constant state of review and adaptation when it comes to our safety programs.;

To help you in this, we've put together ten of the most helpful safety tips we've learned over the years, and organized them based on what stage of development your safety program is in: whether you're in the process of building it or you're looking to revisit and revise.

For all programs:

Tip 1: Conduct a task-based risk assessment

This tip applies universally, whether you're building a fresh program from scratch or modifying an existing program. You have to conduct an effective risk assessment for each task in order to identify all the hazards, find protective or preventive measures to apply, train employees, and obtain appropriate PPE.

Yes, you might have done a risk assessment back when you first built your safety program, but many things could've changed between now and then. You could've installed new equipment or bought new tools, safety standards might have been updated, or maybe a procedural change further up the production line changed how people downstream are working.

Basically: keep the task-based risk assessments coming. Your employees will thank you.

Tip #2: Focus on hazards, not compliance

If you identify a hazard that can cause injury or harm to your people and/or your equipment, you are both obligated by regulations and ethically to create safe solutions for your team. If you eliminate or significantly reduce the identified hazard and address it, you will be in compliance more than 90% of the time. There may be prescriptive regulatory requirements that you must also do but that is a technicality compared to your people having a safe environment in which to work.

Tip #3: Focus on employee practices, not conditions

More than 90% of all injuries and unsafe conditions created in the workplace are a direct result of what your people do and how they do it. For example, housekeeping, which statistically causes more than 70% of all workplace injuries, is often identified as an unsafe condition. However, that condition is a direct result of people not cleaning the workplace and then allowing it to remain unsafe.

Emphasize, recognize, and reward employees who are observed and evaluated on performing safe practices. This encourages them and others to continue developing the right skills and habits that ensure their and others' safety at work. A byproduct is that these safe practices will go home with them, as well, influencing family and friends to also work safely.

Tip #4: Engage your front-line employees

Engage with your front-line employees, allowing them to participate in writing effective procedures, identifying the hazards they must work around every day, selecting the PPE they will have to wear, and evaluating how the procedures and practices are working to maintain their safety.

You cannot write procedures from your office or select PPE from a catalog. Engaging those who do the work, wear the PPE, and intimately know the hazard they work around encourages buy-in and helps develop safe work practices.

Developing a program

Tip #5: Purchase hazard-appropriate PPE

Keep in mind that "appropriate" does not mean "overcompensate." Don't spend on greater levels of protection than you need, because it often creates entirely new hazards. For example, purchasing gloves that are thick, heavy, and awkward for performing finer hand and finger tasks will only force people to either take it off or risk fumbling the task.

Match the PPE to the hazard and select, purchase, and provide that which is most effective. 

Tip #6: Select PPE that meets regulatory requirements

At first glance, this might be the same as the previous tip. But to clarify this point, let's discuss the example of eyewear

There are numerous places throughout the OSHA standard mandating some form of eye protection. Many of these requirements are performance-based, meaning the protection level must match the hazard level. Providing plastic imported safety glasses at under $1 each may meet the letter of the standard but doesn't always meet the spirit or intent.

The cheap imported plastic wrap-around safety glasses are not high-impact resistant. The poor fit and design make them painful to wear, especially around the ears and nose. Most employees won't wear them, thinking that the glasses are just there to meet the OSHA standard and not for their actual use. That's bad for your safety program and morale, productivity, and employee retention.

Employers who purchase quality eye protection that matches the hazard find that employees wear it, that the eyewear is more durable and lasts 5-10 times longer than the cheap stuff, and, in both short- and long-term, save on injuries and budget.

Improving your current program

For those of you who have already built an effective PPE program and are already doing tips #1-6, consider these tips to keep your program relevant:

Tip #7: Review written procedures with employees

Periodically review your written task procedures with frontline workers to ensure nothing in the process has changed and that your team hasn't started using unofficial "shortcuts." Doing so ensures your team stays alert to the safe procedural requirements, helps ensure new team members are trained properly, builds a safety mindset, and encourages compliance with procedure.

If the team has started using shortcuts, don't just slap them on the wrist and tell them to stop. Dig into why these shortcuts caught on in the first place. It may be that there is a process inefficiency that is slowing them down, and you need to revise the written procedures to safely accommodate it.

Tip #8: Participate in trade associations

Safety standards or agency-recommended practices are updated all the time.. No matter how well-developed your PPE safety program may be, there's always a chance it will be out of date a few months later.

Stay ahead of these changes by being active in trade associations or industry forums so you know how to prepare for changes before you get caught short or ill-prepared. For example, there were significant changes in the OSHA HazCom standard when the Global Harmonization System (GHS) rolled out, which impacted US workers related to training and labeling requirements and PPE needs. Fall protection requirements and the latest changes/additions related to heat stress and heat illness can impact your PPE choices.

Tip #9: Stay connected with fellow safety professionals

Don't just rely on trade associations or the government for news. Foster relationships with other safety professionals or other general managers and share information. Expand your network with safety distributors and PPE manufacturers to stay current on advancing technology.

Of course, this doesn't mean you should rush out and change PPE every time a new technology is introduced. It just means staying aware of new developments and thinking logically about its potential for improving your own operations.

For example, arc flash fabrics have become lighter, more breathable, better at fire retardancy, and now offer greater levels of protection. These advancements reduce your employees' risk of heat stress and injury to existing hazards while increasing clothing comfort and durability in the fabric. But these aren't very widely reported in the news, and so one has to talk to suppliers and fellow safety managers to discover this information.

Tip #10: Document your PPE upgrades

Documenting upgrades to your PPE and providing them to regulatory agencies demonstrates your good faith in wanting to have an effective risk assessment and management program. This also shows your employees that you're concerned about their safety, health, and well-being. That only improves relationships, builds trust, reduces potential for injury and lowers the occurrence of safety complaints.

It is critical for your employees to be part of the hazard recognition and PPE process (see Tip #4), because if an inspector arrives at your workplace, you can demonstrate that your employees are active participants and engage with the company on safety matters.

Conclusion

Developing and maintaining an effective PPE safety program keeps your employees safer, healthier, and more productive. It also ensures proper compliance, employee participation in safety, better PPE purchasing practices, reduced frequency and severity of injuries, and overall makes you more competitive in your industry and market. Sign up today and reap the TRACK benefits and move your PPE safety program to the next level of success!