By: Express Employment Professionals
Do you have safety policies and procedures in place to protect your employees from work related injuries and hazards? Even the smallest workplace accidents can be dangerous to your employees’ wellness and safety and costly to your business. And, workers’ compensation costs, including medical bills and legal liabilities, can add up fast.
Having safety policies and procedures in place can go a long way in preventing workplace injuries. But, it’s not enough. To help prevent and minimize injuries in your workplace, it’s not enough to have policies – employees must actually follow them every day. If your business is experiencing workplace injuries, despite policies, it may be time to raise the bar to get your staff more involved with workplace safety. Here are some tips to get employees more engaged with safety at work.
Involve employees in the planning process
If you want employees to understand and stick to company safety and emergency procedures, i
nvolve your staff on the development end. Include team members on task forces that review aspects of your crisis management plan. Ask for their input on how safety processes could be improved. Designate emergency leaders in different areas of your facility to be the go-to person in case of an emergency. The more you include employees on the front end of your safety policies and procedures, the more committed they will be to following guidelines and getting their co workers to do the same.
Communicate the plan
The more clearly and frequently safety plans are communicated, the more likely people will be to use them. So when necessary, remind employees of your safety policies and procedures. Follow regulations on signs and maps for emergency routes and exits. Consider a safety newsletter or memo to send to employees several times a year to keep them up to speed. Be sure to communicate any revisions or changes to procedures and plans.
Train your employees
From the first day on the job, make sure new employees are trained on your emergency and 
safety policies and procedures. And have refresher courses for your entire team when necessary. Consider investing in training such as CPR and first aid for some employees throughout your company for first response circumstances in the event of an emergency. If workers are properly trained from the start, they will be more likely to continue to follow the set guidelines correctly.
Establish an incentive program
An incentive program can help get buy in and participation from workers on workplace safety. Create your own by offering rewards for employees who initiate safety in the workplace by following guidelines, observing hazards, or informing management of concerns and issues. Consider offering incentives for a certain number of incident free days. Your team’s safety is a top priority. So, come up with an action plan that includes training and incentive programs to get employees actively involved in workplace safety, to make sure safety is more than words on a page.