The investment of time and money to ensure that employees understand your safety and security rules comes back with positive--and measurable--returns. Injuries and work-related illnesses mean higher insurance premiums and increased operating costs--which eventually mean higher costs to customers for products and services and lower margin for competitiveness, not to mention damage to a company's reputation with the community with potential employees, and with its own workforce.
Your Company's Safety Policies
Your company's handbook is the logical place to plainly state rules, regulations, and procedures that affect safety, security, and wellness in your facility, as well as other workplace issues.
By consistently applying and communicating safety and security policies and incorporating these policies into core business processes, employers can:
- Reduce the cost and frequency of penalties for health and safety violations.
- Minimize the likelihood of lawsuits.
- Lessen health insurance and workers' compensation premiums and other medical costs.
- Increase productivity and morale.
- Expand safety and health awareness at all levels.
- Improve communication and trust between management and workers.
- Bring about a lasting, positive change in employee relations.
- Ensure minimal disruptions for customers and clients.
- Protect the company's reputation.
Policies serve several useful functions: giving rules that can be applied consistently, answering frequently asked questions for employees (especially new hires), meeting legal requirements for providing certain information to employees in writing, and outlining company goals.
A lack of policies--or simple noncompliance with them--often sends the message that employees' safety is of secondary concern to the bottom line. And your employees should never have the impression that safety takes a back seat to productivity!
OSHA and State Agencies
Of course, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and state departments of safety and health do have regulations that give both employees and employers rights--and responsibilities. Your employees should know that the General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 gives them a basic right to a safe and healthy workplace. The General Duty Clause (Section 5(a)(1) of the Act) applies to any aspects of workplace safety that may not be covered under other specific OSHA regulations.
The purpose of the General Duty Clause is to prevent accidents and injuries, not to put blame on anyone. This concept should be stressed in your policies and again when the policies are presented to employees. However, your company should also have its own internal policies, geared toward your specific industry and workforce.
Resources for Safety Policies
From Safety.BLR.com
From the BLR Catalog