Does your workplace have a proactive safety and health program in place? When was the last time it was reviewed and improved upon? Safe + Sound Week (August 10-16) gives organizations an opportunity to recognize their commitment to safety by starting or energizing their safety and health program.
Safe + Sound is a year-round campaign led by OSHA, but this week focuses on highlighting success stories of workplace health and safety programs. And provides further ideas and motivation to help keep workers safe.
OSHA promotes that “Every workplace should have a safety and health program that includes management leadership, worker participation, and a systematic approach to finding and fixing hazards.”
And we stand behind this fundamental principle.
Creating a safety and health program
According to OSHA, more than 5,000 workers are killed on the job each year. And more than 3.6 million workers suffer a serious job-related injury or illness.
Proactive safety and health programs help organizations prevent workplaces injuries and illnesses, actively engage workers, reduce costs (including reductions in workers’ compensation programs), and enhance overall business operations.
But successful programs require buy-in from all levels of the organization. This includes leadership and workers, but it also includes how policies are structured to address potential hazards.
OSHA has created numerous resources to help build a well-thought-out safety and health program. Here are a few resources to get you started:
Participating in Safe + Sound Week
Over 3,300 organizations participated in last year’s Safe + Sound Week. If you’d like to formally participate, register your organization and promote any activities or events you plan to hold for your workplace or community.
You can find ideas and success stories from previous years to help plan your own events or awareness campaign.
It can be as simple as publicly recognizing employees who are working safely. Or creating a visual reminder of why safety matters. For example, American Tire Distributors created a board with family photos to remind workers of why safety personally matters to each of them.
We encourage all workers and businesses to take an active role in making workplaces and communities safer.
Health & Safety Institute can help you meet all of our workplace safety and emergency care needs. For more information, check out HSI.com.
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