Most people think of safety management as a cost to business, when, in fact, it can actually save you money. Every week, in every state, two people die from work related accidents (stats are an average: 5200 workers died on the job in 2008). This alone is a very high cost to businesses. Work related injuries are ten times that amount. Establishing a safety manual and orientation training, as a minimum, will cost your business less than one minor work related injury. Developing a safety-conscientiousness in the workplace will go a long way toward reducing or elimination accidents, injuries and fatalities.
If OSHA were to walk into your business today and ask to see your safety program, including your hazard communication policy, fall protection and scaffold use practices, hazard assessments on tasks performed, PPE policy and training and any other such policies and practices, would you give them the deer-in-the-headlights look? or would you be able to produce the documents and stave off some severe penalties and fines?
More important than that: Are you able to demonstrate to your employees that you care about their safety? Do you exhibit a safety-conscientiousness to your clients and the community?
We recently completed a large project for Extreme Industrial Coatings of Spokane, Washington, helping them qualify for a contract with Agrium, Inc, working at one of their mine locations. We completed the project on time, meeting all the requirements of Agrium, Inc and ISNET. Extreme Industrial Coatings (EIC) now has an “A” rating at ISNET, which qualifies them to work at major mining and piping locations. More importantly, EIC has instilled an attitude of safety among their employees and it shows in the way they work and look out for each other.
This is the start of our conversation. In days, weeks, months and years to come, we will be talking about practical things you can do to create a safety attitude in your workplace. This will be useful for business owners and employees, too.
Large or small, Cougar Gulch Group, LLC can help you develop a safety management program that is cost effective and will save injury, time loss and even lives. Call Dean at 208-699-6877 for your free consultation.
