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Everyone knows that safety is important, but it always seems to be put on the back burner until an accident happens. Even when an accident happens and safety is at the top of the list, it can be hard to turn the tide and significantly reduce the number of accidents in your workplace. We work with companies to help them implement critical improvement initiatives, including safety initiatives. Here are 8 steps that can reduce injuries in your workplace and show your employees that safety is your number one priority.

1. Evaluate where you are currently with safety.
Develop a checklist of what a safe work environment looks like for your business and then review your plant and see how you are doing. To view a good start for this list click here.
Once you have developed a good plant checklist you should also develop a checklist for each specific department.

2. Develop an action plan for the plant and break it down by department.
The action plan should be reviewed and updated regularly. The plan should include a prioritized list of action items with the name of the person responsible and the due date.

3. Perform a Job Safety Analysis (JSA) for each position and make it a living breathing document for each position.
A job safety analysis should lay out the steps to perform each job position and list the safety gear or Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) a person should be wearing. A picture of the activities and the PPE should also be included. This document can be used as part of the training process and will ensure that every person who performs the job knows how to do it safely. Keep the Job Safety Analysis current by continually evaluating the safety of the position. If your operation includes machinery, an assessment needs to be conducted to ensure it is impossible for the employee to be injured while operating it. For example, a punch should have a guard around it so that it would be impossible for a person to put their hand in the punch.

4. Develop a safety behavior observation checklist
This list should check department safety, ensure each employee is performing their job correctly and safely, and observe if employees are wearing the proper PPE. All managers, supervisors, and employees should be involved in these observations and these observations should be scheduled to occur on a daily basis.

5. Develop a thorough accident investigation process
The goal of an accident investigation process is to prevent the accident from happening again. Accident investigations are a tool for uncovering hazards that either were missed earlier or require new processes, new PPE, or new training. The key to a successful accident investigation is determining the immediate and underlying root causes. To view a good reference when setting up a program click here.

6. Develop a thorough near miss process
The best way to eliminate accidents is to record near misses. When all near misses are recorded, you can develop processes and procedures to avoid the situations that caused the near miss. If implementing a near miss recording process seems overwhelming, start with the near misses that occur most often and then work back to the less frequent near misses.

7. Put together a safety committee
The key to bringing all of the different areas of safety together is a safety committee. This committee should have people from all levels of your organization participating. Its responsibilities are to monitor the overall safety plan, assign individuals to specific safety tasks, and to ensure that these action items are completed on time.

8. Develop measurable metrics to quantify safety improvements
To ensure that you keep the focus on safety improvements you must quantify safety results and measure progress on the processes you have put in place. It is important to hold your people accountable to safety the same way you would for productivity or on time delivery. When you make safety as measurable as efficiency, you will see results.

A focus on safety shows employees that you care about their needs-and that is the kind of organization they want to work for. As safety improves, morale will go up. Buy-in on new programs will be easier, attitudes will be more positive, turnover will be reduced, and it will be easier to hire new people. A safe work environment is the cornerstone to a successful business.

Be Safe!

David Robinson
Steller Solutions

David Robinson is co-founder and president of Steller Solutions LLC, a business consulting and coaching company.

Reprinted from "Steller Ezine", an electronic newsletter of Steller Solutions that is full of FREE tips and resources for your business. Subscribe today!