10 safety resolutions for 2015

In the spirit of the new year and the traditional practice of making resolutions, myosh safety management software has delivered a list of 10 activities all businesses can undertake to ensure a safer workplace in 2015.

• Investigate near misses. While a near miss is not legally reportable because no damage or injury has occurred, investigating near misses can provide valuable insight into problems within the organisation. Consider them an opportunity to fix a problem before it turns into an incident or injury.
• Encourage a culture of shared responsibility for safety within your organisation. Ensure hazard and incident reporting is simple and effective for all staff and promotes a positive safety culture.
• Report hazards. Everyone in the company has a responsibility to mitigate hazards in the workplace. Regular inspections are a good place to start. Once a hazard has been identified, action can be taken to reduce the risk and make the workplace safer for everyone. Actions result in fewer injuries and illness, and less downtime.
• Review safety data. Configure, analyse and share your organisation’s safety.  Safety management software can provide interactive safety dashboards to communicate the big picture at a glance. Access to real-time safety data allows management to make better decisions.
• Communicate safety. Workplace communication regarding safety is critical. Often this takes the form of policies and procedures, safety meetings and training sessions. Following through on the message with action will go a long way in creating a culture of safety.
• Fight fatigue. While overtime policies vary by industry and by country, each organisation may want to consider that tired employees are not as productive: for each 10% increase in overtime, a 2.4% decrease in production results. Fatigue also contributes to a 62% increase in on-the-job injuries. Finally, workers compensation costs quadruple for fatigued workers compared to rested workers.
• Don’t forget PPE. Each dollar spent on PPE saves $4 in productivity losses and healthcare expenses. Make sure employees understand how to use PPE correctly; it needs to be fitted properly and used every time. Keep PPE available and convenient for workers; if it is not available, it won’t get used. Make sure managers and supervisors are setting the example.
• Practise lockout/tagout every time. This is one of the most frequently cited workplace safety violations. A good workplace program should outline procedures for each machine, issue lockout/tagout components to employees, train workers on the steps involved and test the process periodically to ensure compliance.
• Always use fall protection. Falls are one of the most common workplace injuries, yet fall restraints seriously minimise the risk of injury when used. Fall protection requirements vary by industry, but many common mistakes occur in fall accidents: not consistently wearing fall protection, not wearing it properly, using old gear and improper anchorage.
• Evaluate ergonomics. This is an easy topic to overlook because these injuries develop over time when a worker does repetitive tasks. Risk factors can include: vibration, eye strain, bending, lifting and repetitive motion. Be proactive with job analyses and establish controls to minimise risk.

Remember that effective safety communication is the key to a safer workplace. Safety management software, such as myosh, should be easy to use, save time and money, and, most importantly, help ensure a safe work environment.