Workplace health and safety is all about managing risks to protect your workers, your business, and your brand. Excellence in health and safety management is characterised by a strong safety culture that relies on leadership involving your managers, workers, suppliers, contractors, and customers. Behaviours that promote equality, diversity, and inclusion in achieving health and safety goals, are not easy but are an essential element of success. When words and actions are not aligned, they will always be taken as the true intention, and this is the message that will be conveyed throughout the company.
To ensure a positive safety culture is developed and maintained, the most senior people must convey a consistent, sincere narrative. Storytelling is an effective way of communicating beliefs while helping to achieve desired behaviours. Leaders must inspire their people and build a sense of community rather than just imposing another process or procedure that adds little to the performance of the business or the individuals involved. In other words, lead from the bottom up. Allow everyone an opportunity to succeed. Workers are much more likely to contribute and get involved if senior management makes it clear that health and safety is taken seriously by your business and the voice of all is a cornerstone of success. Actively discouraging negative behaviours, such as taking risks to save time or effort, through education and positive reinforcement goes a long way.
Why is health and safety important?
Here are a few key elements:
- It is morally imperative to ensure your workers return home safe and healthy at the end of every working day.
- By protecting your workers, you send positive messaging and reduce injuries thereby ensuring that your workplace is safer, more efficient, and productive.
- Research shows that workers are more productive in workplaces that are committed to health and safety.
- Reducing down-time caused by illness and accidents contributes to greater job satisfaction, job security and reputation for excellence.
- A good health and safety record is a source of competitive advantage: it builds trust in your reputation and brand, while poor health and safety performance will directly affect profitability and can result in loss of future business opportunities.
For over three decades, Tickner and Associates have helped clients improve the health and safety competence in their business. We provide training courses to meet your needs at all levels. We will help you implement an occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) that sets out your commitment to compliance, the responsibilities for your supervision and workers – and your general policies and procedures detailing how you will actually control your risks. Systems safety is within your reach. It’s a clear path.