Eight Principles of a Safe Workplace

Eight Principles of a Safe Workplace
The safety of any workplace is the perception of risk by the workforce within the environment. The level of awareness of hazards and ensuing results contribute to measure designed by managements to combat the perceived outcomes.
There are therefore several principles which act as guide or give direction to hundreds of safety managers and trainers at locations worldwide.
In this presentation we shall enumerate some principles for a safe workplace and proffer steps which, if taken could eradicate or reduce workplace incidents to levels as low as reasonable practicable

1.    Safety is an Ethical Responsibility. At its core, ethics holds up a positive vision of what is right and what is good. It defines what is "worth" pursuing as guidance for our decisions and actions. Workplace injuries and deaths are too often seen in the abstract as statistics. But when it happens to someone we love, we suddenly see the reality of the horrible pain and suffering and its widespread effect. It is our ethical responsibility to do what is necessary to protect employees from death, injury, and illness in the workplace. This is the only foundation upon which a true safety culture can be established in any workplace.

2.    Safety is a Culture Not a Program. The combined commitment and participation of the entire organization is necessary to create and maintain an effective safety culture. Every person in the organization, from the top management of the corporation to the newest employee, is responsible and accountable for preventing injuries.

3.    Management is Responsible. Management's responsibility is to lead the safety effort in a sustained and consistent way, establishing safety goals, demanding accountability for safety performance, and providing the resources necessary for a safe workplace. Managing safety is the responsibility of every supervisor, from the first line supervisor to the Chairman of the Board.

4.    Employees Must Be Trained to Work Safely. Awareness of safety does not come naturally; we all need to be trained to work safely. Effective training programs both teach and motivate employees to be a productive part of the safety culture.

5.    Safety is a Condition of Employment. The employer must exhaust every reasonable means to lead, motivate, train, and provide for employees to maintain a safe workplace. But, in the event the employee refuses to take the actions required to work safely, the employer must utilize a system of progressive discipline to enforce safety requirements and ensure the cooperation of the employee or the removal of the employee from the workplace in order to protect the employee and their co-workers.

6.    All Injuries Are Preventable. Sometimes accidents occur without the apparent indication of fault or blame. But there is always some chain of events that occurred leading up to the accident that, had we realized the eventual outcome, someone could have interceded. The fundamental belief that injuries are, by their nature, preventable is a catalyst that encourages us to prevent injuries.

7.    Safety Programs Must Be Site Specific with Recurring Audits of the Workplace and Prompt Corrective Action. The purpose of the workplace audit is to discover and remedy the actual hazards of the site before they can injure workers. Recurring hazard analyses, comprehensive inspections, and aggressive investigation of accidents or near misses, discover potential workplace hazards and identify weaknesses in safety plans, programs, policies, and procedures. Safety regulations and generic safety programs are not sufficient means to discover hazards because they are not specific to the individual workplace. A safety audit program is site specific. Whenever a safety deficiency is found, prompt action is required both to overcome the hazard and to reinforce the message that safety is a priority.

8.    Safety is Good Business. Reducing workplace injuries and illnesses reduces the costs of workers' compensation, medical expenses, potential government fines, and the expenses of litigation. Effective workplace safety is not an expense, its an asset.

A properly managed safety culture based on these Eight Principles of Workplace Safety will produce employees who participate actively in training, identify and alert each other and management to potential hazards, and feel a responsibility for their safety and the safety of others. Accepting safety as an ethical responsibility demonstrates a sincere concern for each employee which establishes the foundation for an effective safety culture.