An effective accident prevention program requires proper job performance from everyone in the workplace.
As an owner or manager, you must ensure that all employees know about the materials and equipment they work with, known hazards and how to control the hazards.
Each employee needs to know that:
no employee is expected to undertake a job until he or she has received job instructions on how to do it properly and is authorized to perform that job. Also,
no employee should undertake a job that appears unsafe. You may be able to combine safety and health training with other training, depending upon the types of hazards in your workplace.
Here are some actions to consider:
Ask your state consultant to recommend training for your worksite. The consultant may be able to conduct training while he or she is there.
Make sure you have trained your employees on every potential hazard that they could be exposed to and how to protect themselves. Then verify that they really understand what you taught them.
Pay particular attention to your new employees and to employees who are moving to new jobs. Because they are learning new operations, they are more likely to get hurt.
Train your supervisors to understand all the hazards faced by the employees and how to reinforce training with quick reminders and refreshers, or with disciplinary action if necessary.
Make sure that your top management staff understand their safety and health responsibilities and how to hold subordinate supervisory employees accountable for theirs.
Information courtesy of the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration.
Back to Employee Health and Safety
