Benefits Of A Safety Manager Or Committee

My first response is that the suggestions I make are simply that. You need to take ownership of safety at your company and at your facilities to protect your workers, your customers and yes, your company itself. If you do not have a Safety Manager and/or a Safety Committee, you need to start there. Your insurance carrier should have some guidance in this area. If not, you may have the wrong insurance carrier. You can also get a lot of information from the Internet by using a search engine and typing in "safety committee or safety manager or safety program."

If you cannot afford to hire a Safety Manager outright, you or another staff member should take on that role. They need to immerse themselves in applicable laws and guidelines for your industry. They should pull together a small group called the Safety Committee who has the authority to review and approve safe practices, equipment, tools, chemicals, etc. with the goal of protecting workers and tenants while fully complying with federal OSHA, state and local laws. There are some states that meet or exceed federal OSHA guidelines but no state can overrule or dismiss those laws.

All Safety Committee meetings should be documented with Action Items shared with the appropriate parties. This committee could also be responsible for implementing regular (at least monthly) safety meetings for all staff. They should also review the staff orientation process to make sure that all new hires understand the importance of safety and safe practices on the job. You can drill down to specific tools, chemicals and equipment based on the tasks a worker performs. For instance, if a worker is not going to operate a floor machine, they do not need to be exposed to that information.

The goal is always safety.

Your comments and questions are important. I hope to hear from you soon. Until then, keep it clean...

Mickey Crowe has been involved in the industry for over 35 years. He is a trainer, speaker and consultant. You can reach Mickey at 678-314-2171 or CTCG50@comcast.net.