Workplace Stress

Good Morning Team,

I wanted to say that it was really great to have seen and spoken to many of you last week during our 5th annual Leadership Conference. We were presented with some very inspirational stories as well as true gems of knowledge in what it means to be a leader. I trust that you, like me, feel motivated and are ready to apply what was learned into our normal routines and daily business interactions. I would like to thank all of those who worked so hard to put it together.

We have been talking about safety for a while now and I want to make sure that we are all receiving the same message and are on the same page. In that regard, I thought we might look at the definition of the word itself first. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “Safety” in a number of ways. In football, there is a situation where points can be scored as well as a player position known as a safety. In billiards a player taking a shot without intending to score is called a safety. A rifle or pistol has a safety to prevent accidental firing and some machines use safeties to prevent accidental operation, but the definition that we are concerned with states: “the condition of being safe from undergoing or causing hurt, injury, or loss.” For me, this really simplifies what we are trying to accomplish, but at the same time makes it clear that this does not and cannot fall totally upon a single entity to achieve.

So just who is responsible for workplace safety?

There have been multiple laws passed through the years regarding safety and we could spend many hours going over them all, but when boiled down they mostly state that employers are primarily responsible for health and safety management. The employer has the duty to protect the health, safety and welfare or their employees and other people who might be affected by their business and they must do whatever is reasonably practical to accomplish this. They must provide a workplace that is free from serious recognized hazards and comply with the standards, rules and regulations issued by OSHA. Employees have a responsibility to take reasonable care of themselves and others who may be affected by what they do or do not do and they must fully cooperate with the employer on health and safety matters by participating in and adhering to their employer’s safety programs.

What can we do that will help to keep us safe in the workplace?

As employers, we can provide our team members a safe work environment by continuously monitoring our work places and providing controls, guards or processes to prevent injury or accident. We can continue to train our employees in safe work practices and provide the appropriate PPE needed to keep them safe. We must be thorough when investigating near misses or any actual workplace accident or injures to better understand and mitigate the potential for reoccurrence and we must monitor our associates compliance with our safety rules and provide them with further training in them when required.

As employees, we can fully participate in all training programs offered, follow all of our employers safety rules and always wear the appropriate PPE. Should a near miss, or in cases of actual accident or injury occur, we must be honest and forthright during the investigation process relating the details that led up to it. We also need to bring any safety concerns we might have to the attention of our managers and supervisors before they become a near miss or accident. Sometimes, we may be the only ones that know when something is unsafe.

In summary, to be safe from undergoing or causing hurt, injury, or loss everyone in the company must be of the same mind-set. It’s too important to our own health and well-being to allow it to become someone else’s problem. I am proud that I work for a company that cares about safety as they do. I hope that this weekly email reminds you to be ever vigilant and continue to do your part.

Have a great week!

Sincerely, Raymond D. Moore