Employee Safety Extends Beyond the Job

Most Employers emphasize safety in the work place not just because it is required, but also because an injured worker can be costly. Once injured, an employee is usually less productive and will most likely negatively affect insurance costs. However, it is not only injuries on the job that can be costly to employers.

More and more people today are becoming do-it-yourselfers. While this is not necessarily bad, it creates more potential for injury to employees when they are not at work. Almost everyone I know has either injured themselves working on personal projects, or knows someone who has. The absence of safety rules and regulations when working at home or for a friend usually means that we do not abide by the proper safety standards. Although these injuries do not occur on the job, they can still be costly for the employer in lost time and productivity.

What can you as an employer do to help ensure
your employees are safe on and off of the job?

Give a brief safety talk once a week. Have every employee attend and have them sign an attendance sheet. These brief discussions can cover many topics including being aware of personal safety habits, always being observant of possible dangers in the surrounding area, extending safe practices to cover activities that are done outside of work, discuss the importance of personal protective equipment, cover the proper use and care of safety equipment, and stress the importance of always using it on the job and off.

There can be many benefits of these safety talks.

• Safety will be thought of more often on and off the job.
• Employees will be better educated about using safe equipment and procedures.
• Employers will have a written training record in the event of an on the job injury.
• Done properly, these discussions can help improve communication and respect within the work place.