Bring Safety To Small or Medium Sized Business

Bringing Safety Information, To Small and Medium Sized Businesses.

In this post, I am going to discuss how to bring safety programs to small to medium sized businesses. We will walk through the very basics and then grow with our readers, to include more sophisticated materials and resources.

Business Operational Policies and Safety Program Policy normally will be on opposite sides of the proverbial Coin. Seemingly a contradiction of terms with each other. However, they can co-exist as equals, when placed in a "Fluid" setting. To do this, we must look at employing not only the employees of a business, but also the management personnel.

Without Management participation, a newly implimented program will fall to the way-side. Seeing the importance of enabled managers to form policies, to protect employees is in the best benefit of the company as a whole. The problem arrives, when ownership of the company become trapped into a negotiation for a contract or a new customer. That owner will sometimes "short sell" his delivery of goods or services, then force the managers to disregard policies, in order to fullfill the terms of his errant forecasts.

Now with that being said, let us discuss the same scenario when a project manager, or site manager, forces underlings to compromise safety guidelines to accomplish goals, which will allow that site manager to appear he is capable of handling his employees, thus in his/her striving nature, seeks favor towards a promotion.

We can see that when it benefits the individual, he/she will compromise safe work environment, in a matter of seconds, without thought. How do we over-come this? Good question. In the estimation of this writer, the answer lies within the character of the owenr, the site manager and ultimately the decision of the employee to allow him/herself to be compromised for such actions. Unfortunately, This can be costly to the employee.

On the reverse side of this, should the employee consider the lose of a job, over being disabled for a term, or for the rest of thier lives. Yet, there are some employees that are so financially over-burdened, that they would risk skipping one or two steps designed for safety, over loses of a job. They fail to understand or consider, doing this will place not only their job security at risk should damages, or injury occur, they are placing their families security at risk.

To the employees, I strive to open their eyes and let them know this: It is true you may lose your job, if you skip safety policy. You might successfully work through one or two assigned tasks free of injury and damages, which you will be held accountable. However, by discounting safety policy you become a number, that can be changed without a second thought. To clearify my statement;

Should you decide to allow yourself to be forced, into performing tasks, which are not safe, you may be replaced by someone who will. How do you think that someone whom was laid off or fired because they refused, what you are willing to do. You can be replaced easily, your life and health can not.

Starting and becoming involved with a safety program, and even a safety committee at work, is the best chance you have, to make a significant difference in your friends, family and even co-worker's lives. That change is not only being pro-active in solving issues that harms others, but also in finding a safer way to accomplish a quality product or service, by reducing risks of harming others.