|
flevyblog
The Flevy Blog covers Business Strategies, Business Theories, & Business Stories.
|
Editor's Note: Take a look at our featured best practice, Human Factors - The "Dirty Dozen" (92-slide PowerPoint presentation). "We don't redesign humans; We redesign the system within which humans work" Various industries including aviation sector have realized the need of understating in human factors and utilization and application of the understanding in order to protect human and properties and enhance productivities [read more]
* * * *
Workplace injuries result in approximately 104,000,000 production days lost annually in the US, according to the National Safety Council. Workplace injuries not only cause pain and suffering to the affected person, but they can also lead to a significant drop in productivity levels and consequently, profits. As a manager, you have a responsibility to provide the leadership, vision and resources required to implement an effective health and safety program. You need to come up with an action plan for preventing injuries in the workplace and dealing with them in the unfortunate event that an accident happens.
Come up with a health and safety program for your organization
You need to establish a written health and safety management signed by top management describing your organization’s commitment to safety. A clear, written health and safety policy helps you communicate with every member of your organization that safety is a primary organizational value. Communicate the policy clearly to all members of staff and, when appropriate, to other relevant parties such as visitors, suppliers and customers.
Funding safety programs
As management, you are in charge of allocating the resources needed to implement your health and safety program. Resource needs vary depending on the size of your organization and the hazards you face, but they can include buying safety equipment and supplies, staff training, and access to health and safety experts. With the help of other members of your organization, come up with an estimate of the resources required to establish and implement the program. Once you have a figure, you can integrate health and safety into your planning and budgeting processes.
Have proper insurance coverage
Even after taking steps to prevent injuries at the workplace, some accidents may happen when you least expect it and cause injuries to your employees. This is exactly why you must ensure that you have the right insurance coverage. One type of insurance you need to protect employees and the organization after workplace accidents is workmans comp insurance. If an employee is injured at work, workmans comp insurance will save your organization from having to pay medical fees and lost wages. You should also consider buying liability insurance in case a visitor, customer or other non-employee gets injured in your workplace.
Poor management of workplace health and safety issues can have various financial implications for your organization. As a manager, it is your role to demonstrate a positive attitude towards health and safety so that every member of your organization can join forces to create a safer and happier working environment.
You can download in-depth presentations on Workplace Safety and 100s of management topics from the FlevyPro Library. FlevyPro is trusted and utilized by 1000s of management consultants and corporate executives.
For even more best practices available on Flevy, have a look at our top 100 lists:
These best practices are of the same as those leveraged by top-tier management consulting firms, like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, and Accenture. Improve the growth and efficiency of your organization by utilizing these best practice frameworks, templates, and tools. Most were developed by seasoned executives and consultants with over 20+ years of experience.
