Safety awareness involves consistently maintaining safety before, during, and after completing a task. Continuously considering safety reduces the risk of accidents, injuries, and illnesses.
Raising safety awareness in your team includes educating your employees on your company’s safety policies and procedures and ensuring they are followed. Prioritizing workplace safety shows you value and respect your team.
Discover why your team needs to raise safety awareness and methods to prioritize safety.
Importance of Safety Awareness
Raising safety awareness in your team is essential to implementing your safety program. Because you care about your employees’ physical and mental health, your employees should also care.
Safety awareness is essential for the implementation of a safety policy or procedure. You can train your team on the policy or practice, then build awareness of it by posting signage, regularly talking about the policy or procedure, and occasionally quizzing your team on it. These actions help instill habits to follow the safety policy or procedure.
Prioritization of safe work practices results in fewer accidents and injuries. This lowers worker’s compensation claims, disability claims, and healthcare costs.
Methods to Raise Safety Awareness
Raising safety awareness in your team requires pointing out why safety policies and procedures are essential to them. Examples include how maintaining safety makes your employees’ jobs easier and helps your team remain healthy.
Use these methods to raise safety awareness in your team:
Signage and markings: Ensure clear signage and markings exist throughout the work environment. For instance, yellow lines marking walkways, storage areas, and aisles must be visible. Also, ensure the warning plaques are legible and in good condition.
Safety posters and banners: Ensure safety posters and banners are relevant to your operations throughout the work environment. Also, frequently change the posters or banners to increase your team’s attention to the messages.
Safety discussions: Consistently talk with your team about safety before, during, and after work. This may include safety meetings, toolbox talks, or reminders about specific safety procedures. For instance, if you must ask an employee to use a forklift to move a pallet, you could remind them to keep the load low to the ground when traveling.
Constructive feedback: Ask your team for constructive feedback on your safety program, policies, and procedures. Find out what is and is not working and specific ideas for improvement. Show that you value your employees’ safety and input.
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