In any business, there’s often discussion of creating a positive safety culture. How can you create an environment where employees want to work safely, rather than just going through the motions? A positive safety culture starts with a commitment to safety. Let’s explore why that commitment to safety is so important to your company’s safety culture and the success of your business as a whole.
What Does It Mean to be Committed to Safety?
Being committed to safety means more than putting out a statement to your team. Being committed to safety means:
- Everyone in your organization is involved. From the leadership team to the employees on the shop floor, everyone in your business is involved in safety conversations and feels empowered to speak up about safety concerns.
- Safety training is accessible to every employee. Safety training is provided to help employees recognize hazards and develop solutions, and everyone prioritizes completing safety training courses.
Safety is a priority 24/7. It’s part of everything you do. From the office to the warehouse, your entire team is invested in staying safe 24/7. - There’s no on/off switch on safety. When the safety practices your team implements at work show value, habits will be formed not only at work but at home. Employees who find value in wearing hearing protection at work may start wearing hearing protection while mowing their own lawn. Your team appreciates the value and takes a proactive approach to safety.
- Everyone is empowered to speak up and make changes. Your entire team is actively looking for and recognizing risks and hazards. What’s more, your entire team knows that if they make a suggestion or a safety request, leadership will back them up and praise their initiative to make the workplace safer and more efficient.
- You talk about safety every day. Safety is present in your workplace conversations. It’s a part of your start-of-the-day and end-of-the-day meetings and even regular workplace conversation outside of meetings.
When your business is committed to safety, your entire team values safety practices and concepts because they allow them to work and live better. Safety is important not because employees are being supervised, or because they have to follow safety protocol for their job, but because employees truly understand the personal benefit those safety practices deliver them.
How Does a Commitment to Safety Positively Affect Your Business?
On average, employee turnover costs employers over $1 trillion yearly. Employers who make an effort to create a culture of health see an 11% lower turnover rate than employers who do not. Here’s how a commitment to safety can help foster a positive safety culture, keep employees engaged, and benefits your business:
- Morale goes up. When employees have an active part in your safety culture, they know their opinions are heard and considered. Morale goes up when they know leadership will take action based on their concerns. If measurement is important to your company, you can track and monitor the improvement in employee morale with a safety culture survey.
- Absenteeism goes down. Safer practices at work and at home mean fewer injuries, fewer workers’ compensation claims, and a healthier staff overall.
- Turnover goes down. Cultivating a safe work environment shows employees they are valued and encourages them to stay at your company. Employees who feel heard are excited to keep pushing your company forward.
- A safety culture that builds on itself. A commitment to safety is the foundation of a positive safety culture that continues to build on itself. That forward momentum, once put in motion, will contribute to a better work environment all around.
By fostering a commitment to safety, you can build a positive safety culture that will ultimately help strengthen and potentially grow your business. With satisfied employees who feel they’re a part of a company that values their health and safety, your team will work together to keep themselves and each other safe.
eSafety believes training is an integral part of a company’s commitment to safety, and an important way to show safety is a valued and continuous practice. If you’re looking for training to promote a positive safety culture, we recommend eSafety’s Commitment to Safety course. Check out our full course library or contact our team to learn more about how our online training can fit into your workplace’s safety culture.