Participating in OSHA’s Annual Safe and Sound Week

Safe and Sound Week is an annual campaign conducted by OSHA and other safety organizations. It will take place from Aug. 11-17 this year. This event aims to recognize the successes of workplace safety and health programs across the country and provide additional resources to help organizations and their employees kick-start or improve upon occupational safety and health initiatives. Nearly 4,000 organizations of all sizes and sectors register for this event each year.

Why Participation Is Important

According to OSHA, more than 5,000 workers are killed and 3.6 million are seriously injured on the job every year. Considering these findings, it’s crucial for organizations and workers alike to participate in Safe and Sound Week and dedicate this time to bolstering their overall safety awareness. These efforts can aid in reducing potential job hazards and minimizing the likelihood of future occupational injuries and fatalities.

How to Participate

As an employee, there are several steps you can take to make the most of Safe and Sound Week. During this event and beyond, be sure to follow these workplace safety practices:

• Attend workplace safety meetings and training sessions and carefully review related resources (e.g., flyers, manuals and handbooks).
• Uphold all workplace safety policies and procedures and encourage co-workers to do the same. Don’t rush through assignments; your safety is always more important than the task at hand.
• Ensure you understand the risks associated with work tasks before starting them. Wear the required personal protective equipment (PPE) for these assignments.
• Share your safety knowledge with others. Especially if you are a more experienced employee and well-versed in common occupational hazards, providing tips to your shorter-tenured co-workers can help them gain valuable on-the-job insights.
• Communicate openly with your co-workers and management regarding any ongoing safety concerns you may have.
• Report all safety incidents, near-misses or unaddressed hazards to the proper channels immediately.

Reach out to your supervisor for additional workplace safety resources.

Playing Your Part in Workplace Accident Prevention

Accidents can happen at any time in the workplace, often when you least expect them. However, many on-the-job accidents can be avoided by focusing on safe practices and taking necessary precautions.

Causes of accidents can almost always be traced to a dangerous act, an unsafe condition or a combination of the two. In most instances, an accident could have been avoided by following proper safety precautions.

Understanding Key Hazards

In order to avoid accidents, it’s important to understand what can cause them. Countless unsafe acts and conditions can lead to accidents, but some common hazards include:

• Using defective or broken equipment
• Performing tasks without training
• Failing to wear proper PPE
• Handling, storing or disposing of materials incorrectly
• Conducting poor housekeeping
• Engaging in horseplay

Prioritizing Prevention

The first step to keeping yourself and co-workers safe is to stay alert on the job. Do not let routine or familiarity lure you into carelessness. Always observe safety precautions before and during a task, even if those precautions make the task more inconvenient or take longer to complete. Cutting corners may not seem like a big deal, but doing so is a primary cause of accidents.

Next, know your job. The more you know about your job, the safer you’ll be. Know the proper procedures and safety precautions for any task you do, and if any questions arise during your work day, be sure to talk to your supervisor.

Finally, make a personal contribution. A good way to start this is to follow safety rules. Certain rules in the workplace are made for your protection, so follow them. Yet just because an unsafe act is not specifically listed as prohibited doesn’t mean you should do it. Use your common sense when evaluating if an act is safe or not; there may be a very easy way to make it safer if you stop to think it through.

Focusing on Good Habits

It’s human nature to work yourself into habits, and when you break a safety rule, you’ve taken the first and most influential step in forming a bad habit—one that can lead to an injury. Good habits, such as following proper precautions and noticing unsafe conditions, are just as easy to form.

Above all, develop a safe attitude. This is probably one of the most difficult things to recognize because many workers adopt the mistaken notion that it’s always someone else who gets hurt, never themselves. If all parties in the workplace do their share in observing safety rules and staying alert for unsafe conditions, everyone will benefit.

Reach out to your supervisor for more accident prevention guidance.

Article Published By: Zywave, Inc.