SAFETY BEGINS WITH CULTURE
Everyone hears about the importance of safety on job sites. We hear about how work site accidents affect our mod rate, which in turn has an adverse effect on our premium cost and our ability to be profitable. And while that may all be true, what is also true is that if we do not change our culture regarding safety, work site accidents will continue to occur. We believe that the key to getting “buy-in” from our employees is to change their perceptions. Beyond the economic impact of an unsafe environment, the most important goal in creating a culture of safety is to protect our greatest asset: our employees. Here are some tips in creating this culture:
Practice what you preach.
Make sure you provide your workers PPE that fits, is not restricting in movement, and is comfortable.
Create a system that rewards workers for being safe.
Likewise, create a penalty system for those who break safety regulations or refuse to wear their PPE.
Each site should have a 2-3 people trained in accident response. This would include first aid, CPR, heat illness detection, etc. They should also be trained to identify potentially unsafe conditions and correct them before they become accidents.
Consider placing new hires with veteran ADCO employees who know the culture well enough to teach by example.