The safety measures a company puts in place tend to be taken for granted. That is until an accident occurs and the issue is brought to the forefront.
June is National Safety Month, an initiative led by the National Safety Council (NSC) to ensure “No One Gets Hurt.” The month aims to reduce the leading causes of injury and death at work, on the road and in homes and communities.
Each week of the month highlights a different aspect of safety: Week 1, emergency preparedness; Week 2, wellness; Week 3, falls; and Week 4, driving.
Prepare for the Unexpected
As news reports confirm, there are many types of emergencies we must be prepared to face in today’s workplace: active shooter situations, weather and natural disasters, terrorism incidents and medical emergencies, among others.
It’s critical for employees to be prepared to act according to your safety policies before, during and after such emergencies. Having plans in place and reviewing them with employees will help everyone get on the same page and minimize the risk of worst-case scenarios in an emergency.
Don’t Slip on Fall Prevention
Did you know that the third-leading cause of injury deaths is falls? According to the NSC, almost 32,000 people died from falls at home and work in 2014. In 2013, more than 47,000 workers were injured severely enough from falls that they required days off of work. Half of all fatal workplace falls were from 20 feet or lower, according to Injury Facts 2016®.
The good news is that falls are 100% preventable if proper safety procedures are implemented and followed. A couple of tips to keep in mind:
- Ensure you and coworkers are properly trained on equipment.
- Make certain stepladders have locking mechanism to hold front and back open.
- At all times, keep either two hands and one foot or one hand and two feet on the ladder.
- The ladder should be one foot from the surface it rests on for every four feet of height; it should also extend a minimum of three feet over the top edge.
Decrease Distracted Driving
The most proactively safe companies are going above and beyond state laws to ensure employees are not driving distracted on company time. Knowing you are four times more likely to crash when operating a cell phone, NSC maintains that any company serious about eliminating distracted driving accidents implement a cell phone ban on both hand-held and hands-free devices.
The NSC points to one Fortune 50 company with a simple phone-ban policy that covers all of the bases. It states that employees cannot use cell phones if an employee is doing any of the following:
- Driving a company car
- Operating a personal car on company business
- Driving on company property
- Using a company-supplied phone
- Using a personal phone for company business
Although June is designated as National Safety Month, it’s a reminder that safety procedures do not take vacations. Following safety protocol is of utmost importance to your business and its employees 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year.
PILLAR’s safety team offers innovative and cost-effective solutions for your organization’s unique needs, including job-related safety meetings, distance learning opportunities, safety records management and on-site training.
For more information on PILLAR’s safety program, contact us online or call 276.223.0500.