Workplace safety is a critical element for any successful business. It is imperative to ensure the safety of your employees so they can remain productive. Did you know that there are nearly 3 million non-fatal workplace injuries each year? For every 100 full-time workers, there are 3 injuries or illnesses on the job.
The good news is that these figures represent a decline from the year prior. There were nearly 46,000 fewer injuries this year. One reason for the decrease is adherence to safety compliance policies. Read on to learn how often your company should review safety policies.
Why Should Your Company Review Safety Compliance Policies?
Before determining the time interval, it is important to understand why your company should conduct a policy review. The most pressing concern is obviously your employees’ safety.
Also, your company can be held financially liable if safety policies are outdated. Failure to enforce company policy leaves your company vulnerable to a civil lawsuit as well.
While outdated and unenforced policies are problematic, your business also is legally vulnerable for the policies it does not have. The best course of action is to periodically review all policies and ensure they are being enforced.
What Are Other Factors To Consider?
Some business models require a more aggressive approach to safety than others. For example, a manufacturing plant with heavy-duty equipment requires more attention to safety. That being said, even small businesses like daycares have safety concerns. Every business should work to identify all work hazards.
The next step is to assess the risk posed by each hazard. By identifying hazards and assessing the risks, you are ready for the final step. This involves mitigating the risk to promote safety for your customers and employees alike. Safety regulations are designed to mitigate risk and require inspection and quality assurance.
How Often Should You Review Safety Policies?
According to safety experts, your company should hold annual reviews of safety compliance policies. A yearly interval is considered the minimum and certain industries require monthly or quarterly reviews. The reason is that both minor and major updates are routinely made to government regulations.
Take the NFPA 70 electric code as a perfect example. According to c3controls.com, the most recent revision to this code included updates to nearly 900 pages. Without periodic reviews, how can your company keep up with changes like these?
How Can Your Company Verify Compliance?
Reviewing and updating compliance policy is just one step in the game. Next, your business needs to execute changes and enforce them.
This step boils down to rigorous inspection and quality assurance. Some industries require full-time safety personnel to verify the workforce is complying with safety protocol.
A Recap of Workplace Safety and Policies
Many business owners only think of the bottom line. However, this approach is problematic when an employee or customer gets hurt in the workplace.
Now, your company is vulnerable to a civil lawsuit and will lose money. If you enjoyed this article about safety compliance policies, check out our business blog for more great content.
