Month: August 2014

Employee Safety – If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail

Employee Safety - when all you have is a hammerEver been ready to take on a task or project, only to find that you didn’t have the right tool for the job?  While not the handiest when it comes to mechanical, home remodeling or building projects – I do enjoy taking on projects myself when possible.  For example, I like to perform the scheduled maintenance on my vehicles rather than taking them to someone else.  I’ve also enjoyed laying tile and wood flooring in our home, among other projects.

These tasks become much more difficult, and the likelihood of an unsatisfactory result increases without the proper tools.  The same is true of employee safety programs.  The best strategy will include several elements – and your employee safety incentive program is only one of them!

Have a plan.  Consider your current situation – and the tools (below) needed to implement a safety program –and ultimately to establish a culture of safety throughout the organization.

Have the proper tools.

  • Safety Policies and Procedures should be clearly defined and communicated
  • Safety Training Guidelines by job type and responsibility
  • Establish Safety Teams / Regularly Scheduled Safety Meetings
  • Safety Gear
  • Establish Safe Operating Guidelines and Procedures for Equipment and Vehicles
  • Employee Safety Incentive Program

Have Patience.  It takes time to effectively work through the planning stages and, once implemented – to see results.  Think about those times when you tried to complete a project, and instead of putting it off until you had the proper tool, went ahead with less-than-desired results.

An effective employee safety incentive program will compliment and support all the other components of your safety program.  You may have a beautiful, shiny tool box – but putting a hammer in it and calling it done is not only inadequate – it can also be counterproductive.  Make sure you have the right tools for the job – contact us here to find out more about employee safety programs.