Promoting Safe Behaviors in the Workplace

Author, Jeremy Hoolihan, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Safety awareness is one of the most important factors in reducing workplace injuries. There are approximately three million workplace injuries, every year. This amounts to roughly 8,000 injuries per day, 350 per hour, or 6 injuries per minute. Many of these injuries are preventable. Unsafe behaviors or decisions are usually the most common contributing factors. If employees are unaware of hazards or not motivated to follow safety protocol, their behavior will expose them even more.

Promoting safe behavior in the workplace can be one of the most impactful ways of reducing injuries. I encourage business owners to go above and beyond the required controls and measures such as engineering, administrative, and personal protective equipment (PPE) and promote safe behaviors and a safe work environment. Below are examples of ways ownership and management can promote safe behaviors.

• Conduct frequent safety meetings with employees and encourage participation. Discuss previous injuries or near misses with your employees to identify the root cause and any corrective actions that are necessary. Be aware that not all corrective actions are readily accepted by employees, especially those seasoned employees that are set in their ways. It is important to listen to their concerns, analyze and modify the procedure or task so that the employee will buy into the changes and not be tempted to break the rules and work unsafely.

• Give recognition to employees who are performing tasks safely and demonstrate proper behaviors. A little bit of recognition amongst your peers can be extremely influential and can further promote safety in the workplace.

• Involve the employees in identifying and correcting hazards in the workplace. This can promote self-worth in an employee. Your employees are your eyes and ears in the field and they may identify an overlooked workplace hazard. It is especially impactful when the corrective action was a hazard they identified on their own.  

• Perform safety observations to encourage safe behaviors. While supervisory observations are important, business owners should also consider peer to peer safety observations. By collaborating with employees and involving them in the safety program, it will help them buy into any changes that are necessary further promoting workplace safety. 

• Having ownership and management consistently express their concerns for their employees well-being and safety is another way to promote safe behaviors. As a business owner, communicating to your employees that your main concern is their safety can drastically change the culture of a business. Reminding your employees that you want them to go home safely each day, goes a long way.  

Promoting safe behaviors in the workplace starts with ownership and management, but is executed daily by the workforce. Providing sound policies and procedures relating to safety, along with a strong collaboration between ownership, management, and staff can drastically improve safety in the workplace and promote a safety culture.

Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc. is a strong advocate for workplace safety. We like to take a risk management approach with our clients and prospects to develop a program that fits their needs. Please feel free to reach out to me, Jeremy Hoolihan, at (619) 937-0174 to see how Rancho Mesa can improve your risk profile.

7 Tips for Managing Risk at Nonprofit Special Events

Author, Sam Brown, Vice President, Human Services, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Nonprofit organizations often conduct special events throughout the year. These events can successfully increase awareness of the nonprofit’s mission, generate important unrestricted revenue, and offer all stakeholders a nice opportunity to have fun. Unfortunately, important risk management steps are often overlooked before the day of the event. Let’s look at a few that can limit exposure to risk.

1. Documenting Risk Management Activities
In addition to helping train and supervise personnel, a written plan can help to ensure important actions take place. Documenting activities also helps an organization defend its actions if an accident occurs. 

2. Safety Officer
Consider assigning risk management oversight specifically to one person. The “safety officer” should receive the proper training and resources to safeguard the event, the organization, the participants, and others.

3. Crisis Response Team
To prevent a crisis from draining valuable resources, develop a crisis response team of three to five people. This team should handle any emergency quickly and effectively while working with all stakeholders.

4. Pre-Event Inspections
This important step helps you identify and correct unsafe conditions before an event as well as identify pre-existing damage to the property. During the inspection, note any damages prior to the event and give a copy to the facility manager. It is also a good idea to inspect the premises during and after the event. 

5. Emergency Plans
A host of things can go wrong at a special event, so an organization must know how to address these when they occur. Consider the following: evacuations, medical emergencies, crowd control, and limiting alcohol consumption.

6. Volunteers
Ensuring that your “day of” volunteers are properly trained and supervised is a very important risk management challenge. Without such precautions, great harm can come to the organization. Allow time to screen and select the best candidates.

7. Food and Beverages
Will your organization provide and serve food, or, is a vendor performing these functions? You can transfer risk to vendors in most situations, but if your organization is providing food and beverage then consider the following:

• Facilities: Is there adequate preparation, storage, and refrigeration facilities for the type of food?

• Health Regulations: Do you need a health department permit? What other health department regulations should you consider?

• Food Spoilage and Contamination: Do your food handlers have the proper training for handling the food being served?

These are only a few of the very important risk management practices a nonprofit organization should consider before a special event. Ignoring these exposures in the planning phase can turn a fun day into a costly event.  For a full risk assessment of your special event and other activities, please contact Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.s at (619) 937-1064.

Sources: The Nonprofit Risk Management Center’s “My Assessment“ module (www.nonprofitrisk.org).