Workplace Safety - Plan Implementation
Once the safety planning is over, the next step is the need to develop way to implement workplace safety program as effectively as possible. Effective and favorable implementation of safety plan depends upon the close rapport between the managers and the employees.
Managers and employees need to work together to favorably apply a safety plan. In order for this to happen, the roles and accountabilities must be clear. Employee representatives and committees have a clear role that will assist to execute the safety plan, and assess the plan for essential changes to make it highly useful for the organization safety and health.
Implementation of Workplace Safety Plan
Implementation of workplace safety plan involves a host of things like educating employees and managers, and making every stakeholder of the company feel responsible for ensuring that all the safety norms and policies are being rightly followed.
Select a health and safety manager
There should be special position for a health and safety managers in the company to look after, especially the proper implementation of safety policies. This person should have required qualification, experience and ability to enforce health and safety policies. He/she can be someone already working in the company or a new pick.
Educate every stakeholder about the safety program
There is a need to explain the managers and the employees regarding the compulsory following of safety policies. There should also be provisions for penalties in case of non-compliance of the policies. The management must be bought into implementing the workplace safety programs. It will motivate the employees to abide by the policies.
Periodical Training for all concerned
Periodical like monthly training with the employees is necessary for effective implementation of the safety policies. The employees could be refreshed about the proper ways to work safely and the consequences of not working safely. A critical aspect of training involves ‘new employee orientation’.
Written workplace safety program for the employees
Each employee should be provided with a written copy of workplace safety program and any updates to the program if there is any change.
Select an employee representative
Employee representatives may also be a Union health and safety representative, if your company works with unions. They may escort the company inspectors. Employers do not select employee representatives. The safety committee or other employees selects the representative.
Identify roles
Safety plans needs employees to take on different roles. Safety committees are not utilized in all organizations, but they can be involved and active in executing safety plans. They assist to teach both the employers and employees about safety. Safety committees are significant to growing a safe culture, and they carry out other functions.
Assign Responsibility
The common responsibilities of employers and employees have been directed in the safety plan, but problems need individuals to take accountability. For example, an inspection that develops in a report that needs action should define who the trustworthy party is.
Managers and committee members have a great deal of responsibility, and everyday works, such as training, may be allocated to trusted employees who are capable of managing the task.
Follow through with the plan
Having a plan in place is not sufficient. You need to follow through with the plan. Analyze your health and safety plan on daily basis to make sure that the essential changes have been made, and they are implemented successfully. An action plan will help you follow through with your new safety plan.
After execution of the workplace safety plan, problems come to the surface. The management accordingly reshapes and updates the existing safety plan. Training is arranged to bring home the changes for the employees. The safety managers continue to maintain and change the plan to stay up-to-date with current regulations and thus, become able to establish a safe and healthy work environment for everyone in the organization.
To conclude, workplace safety is cardinal to the survival and running of an organization. No organization, whether small or large, can overlook the vital factors related to safety management. The present Tutorials ‘Safety in Workplace’ is best designed to concisely describe the tidbits of the topic in an intelligible format.
