June is National Safety Month; the perfect time to step back, take a fresh look at your business’s current practices, and find new ways to reduce risks across the board. But be warned—not all efforts are as effective as they may seem on paper.
Trainings, for example, while essential parts of any worthwhile safety program, easily run the risk of becoming repetitive and forgettable. When it comes to protecting employees, that doesn’t cut it. To make sure a safety program and its trainings stick, it’s important to find new ways to keep people engaged and encourage them to make safety less of a box to tick and more of a means to building a healthier, happier, and more future-facing workplace. At Reworld™, we take this to heart and ensure that safety is part of everything we do. As a result, we’re one of the safest companies to work for, and we see how it benefits our teams, as well as nearly every other area of our business.
While every situation is unique and there is no singular way to strengthen safety within your own business, there are a few best practices that we feel are universal (and have worked for us and those we serve).
1. Encourage Honest and Open Feedback
One of the best ways to kick off a powerful safety program is by opening the floor to feedback. Employees are a part of everyday operations and see things that leadership might miss. Creating regular opportunities for safety discussions, whether it's once a week or once a month, encourages employees to be candid with their experiences, identify blind spots, and bring new risk management ideas to the table that they can own. Take the time to acknowledge any issues that occurred that quarter and chat with employees about what can be done to prevent this from happening again. You can also offer an anonymous safety form so that everyone feels comfortable voicing their opinion on even difficult-to-address subjects.
2. Provide Clear and Concise Messaging
Refreshing how you communicate your safety messaging can also make a big difference in safety performance. Over time, safety signage can fade into the background—sometimes literally if it has been there long enough! Take a moment this month to walk through your site and identify any outdated, damaged or unclear signs.
Additionally, it’s important to note if your facility has any employees or regular stakeholders who are non-English or English as a second language (ESL) speakers. Including signage in the second most popular language can be helpful if it’s not already legally required in your region or line of work. You can also take advantage of digital screens. These will allow you to regularly rotate safety reminders, share updates and even feature field-tested tips from employees. Maintaining clear and succinct communications will help keep safety topics top of mind and reinforce your commitment.
3. Ensure Trainings Are Short and Engaging
Another way to build a safer workplace is by making sure everyone from the newest hire to the most experienced supervisor has access to some form of training that is quick and engaging.
Without being overly complex, difficult or timely to access, safety trainings become less intimidating and burdensome to begin—they also become much easier to remember once they conclude. Try swapping out long lectures for short videos, interactive quizzes or dynamic presentations that highlight key points. Group activities do wonders too and can build teamwork and collaboration amongst employees who may not normally interact day-to-day. Just ensure that trainings are recurring rather than a one-and-done scenario. Like learning anything, repetition is key, especially it your goal is to make safety second-nature and a genuine part of your work culture.
4. Integrate Personal Stories
Finally, a great way to personalize safety programs and really ingrain them within your company’s identity is by inviting employees to share real life experiences that connect back to safety. Whether it is a near miss at home or a lesson learned on the job, these personal stories help remind us that safety does not stop at the end of the workday and that safety best practices exist for a very real reason.
Consider making safety a regular part of meetings by introducing safety contacts. This is a Reworld™ tradition that brings a personal touch to company gatherings—and it’s a great icebreaker. Before kicking off a presentation or town hall, someone shares a quick safety tip along with a personal story that reinforces why it matters. Hearing firsthand from colleagues helps make safety real and relatable. It also sets the tone that no matter what is on the agenda, safety always comes first.
Getting Started
As you move forward with bolstering your business’s safety efforts, it’s important to remember that safety is a shared responsibility. When we take the time to communicate and collaborate with that in mind, we in turn create a stronger, safer workplace for everyone that continues to build on itself and improve.
This National Safety Month let’s recommit to keeping safety top of mind, not just for compliance, but because we owe it to our coworkers, our families, and ourselves—because it’s the right thing to do.
To get a better sense of how you can make your workplace and business safer and more resilient through sustainability efforts, speak to one of our experts. We're happy to share tips and discuss how we can help!
