One of the hardest things any company has to do each
year is to plan for the future. There are so many variables to take into
consideration: changes in the economy, changes in legislature,
competition, new products and services, changes in population and
changes in what people want. Products and services come and go, people
move and government policies change. The only real constant in life and
business is change. Successful companies are the ones that understand
this and are able to adapt to the changes.
This is also true when it comes to safety. The companies
with good safety performance year in and year out are the ones that can
adapt to the changes and plan for the future. It is also equally
important to stay on the plan.
Many of the companies that hire us either did not have a
plan or got off the plan somewhere along the way. I understand that with
all the other things a company has to do, putting together a Safety Plan
can be difficult. However, a good Safety Plan and proper follow through
on the plan will make your Safety Program strong and more productive.
The Safety Plan should be the vehicle that will allow
the company to achieve its overall Safety Mission. What is the Safety
Mission? The Safety Mission should be the same as the overall Corporate
Mission which is to be successful, grow and make a profit. A good Safety
Plan helps the company achieve its overall corporate mission. The Safety
Program does this by protecting the company’s most valuable assets:
employees, property and equipment, financial strength and a good company
name.
Therefore, the Safety Plan should be designed to protect
the company’s most valuable assets and help the company achieve its
corporate mission.
Annual safety performance goals should be established.
These should be for employee injuries and lost time injuries. The
company goal should be compared against the OSHA National Incident Rate
for your industry.
The next part of the plan should be an annual review of
the various types of injuries and potential types of injuries. Written
Safe Procedures should be developed and all exposed employees trained.
If necessary, other preventative measures should be taken.
An Annual Training Plan should be developed. New
employee training should be a part of the plan, and annual refresher
training should be included. As a review of your training program, you
should review who should be conducting the training, what subjects
should be included and when is the best time to conduct the annual
refresher training. All training should be documented.
OSHA mandated safety requirements should be reviewed and
updated. Remember — OSHA could show up at any time unannounced.
Inspections should be conducted on a regular basis and the items noted
should be corrected as soon as possible. The effectiveness of the
Inspection Program should be evaluated annually.
Each year your Safety Plan should be reviewed and
updated. Maintaining a good Safety Program is an ongoing, continuous
process. Having a solid plan in place makes the process easier and more
productive.
If you have any safety-related questions or need
assistance with your Safety Program, please feel free to call me at
1-800-356-1274.
