SAFETY IN THE

WORKPLACE
BY SABRIA REUSS
Refers to a condition in which people’s physical well-being is protected
 WHY IS SAFETY SO IMPORTANT?
• PREVENTS WORK-RELATED INJURIES AND ACCIDENTS

• EMPLOYERS MUST COMPLY WITH FEDERAL AND STATE LAWS WHEN

DEVELOPING AND MAINTAINING HEALTHY, SAFE, AND SECURE WORK
ENVIROMENTS
 • WORKERS COMPENSATION LEGISLATION
• THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
LEGAL • CHILD LABOR LAWS
CONCERNS • CIVIL RIGHTS NONDISCRIMINATION
PROVISIONS
• COLLECTIVE BARGAINING LAWS
THE OCCUPATIONAL AND SAFETY HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
THAT’S GOT FINE WRITTEN ALL OVER
 OSHA CITATIONS AND VIOLATIONS
• IMMINENT DANGER CITATION – issued when there is reasonable certainty that the condition will cause death or serious
physical harm if not corrected immediately, if not OSHA can obtain a federal injunction to close the worksite until the issue is resolved

• SERIOUS – a serious citation with possible fines up to $7,000 per violation for conditions that could probably cause death or serious
physical harm

• OTHER THAN SERIOUS – a possible fine up to $7,000 for a condition that could impact an employee’s health and safety but would
probably not cause serious harm or death

• DE MINIMIS – a condition that is mentioned as a concern but is not directly and immediately related to employees’ safety or health

• WILLFUL AND REPEATED – previously cited violations to employers who are aware of but have not corrected the problem
ranging between $5,000 - $70,000
OSHAAAT UP, NO WAY?!
 APPROACHES TO WORKPLACE SAFETY
Organizational
• Designing safe jobs.
• Develop and implement safety policies.
• Use safety committees.
• Coordinate accident investigations.
• Create a safety culture.
• Establish reward and recognition programs.
Engineering Individual
• Design appropriate work settings and • Reinforce safety motivation and attitudes.
equipment.
• Provide employee safety training.
• Utilize proper guarding and alert systems.
• Rewarding safety through incentive programs.
• Evaluate and use equipment and assistive
devices. • Discussing safety in meetings and at worksites.
• Apply ergonomic principles.
• Implement safety procedures in the workplace.
WORKPLACE
SAFETY
STANDARDS
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT TO SAFETY
• A COMPREHENSIVE SAFETY EFFORT
COORDINATED BY TOP LEVEL MANAGEMENT

• INCLUDES ALL MEMBERS OF AN

ORGANIZATION

• A CULTURE WHICH EMPHASIZES SAFETY AS

THE HIGHEST PRIORITY

• RECOGNIZING THAT SAFE OPERATOINS

RESULT IN HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY AND
BETTER ORGANIZATIONAL OUTCOMES
SAFETY POLICIES, DISCIPLINE, AND RECORDKEEPING

• FREQUENT REINFORCEMENT OF SAFE BEHAVIOR AND

FEEDBACK ON POSITIVE SAFETY PRACTICES HELPS
IMPROVE WORKER SAFETY

• EFFORTS MUST INVOLVE EMPLOYEES, SUPERVISORS,

MANAGERS, SAFETY SPECIALISTS, AND HR PERSONNEL

• EFFECTIVENESS OF SAFETY POLICIES RELY ON GOOD

RECORDKEEPING OF ACCIDENTS, CAUSES, AND OTHER
DETAILS
SAFETY TRAINING AND COMMUNICATION
• HR STAFF MEMBERS COORDINATE REGULAR
SAFETY TRAININGS WITH SUPERVISORS,
MANAGERS, AND EMPLOYEES

• TRAINING APPROACHES INCLUDE ROLE-

PLAYING, ACTIVE PRACTICE EXERCISES,
BEHAVIORAL EXAMPLES AND EXTENSIVE
DISCUSSION

• CONTINUOUS COMMUNICATION ABOUT SAFETY

PROCEDURES, REASONS ACCIDENTS
OCCURRED, AND WHAT TO DO IN AN
EMERGENCY DELVEOPS SAFETY
CONSCIOUSNESS
 EFFECTIVE SAFETY COMMITTEES

Safety committees consist of up to 12 members of an organization who meet regularly to conduct

safety reviews, identify risks, review the necessary changes needed to avoid future accidents

• LEADERSHIP INVOLVEMENT – Senior leaders, middle managers, and front-line supervisors must
actively support safety committee efforts and address concerns
• COMMITTEE SELECTION - composed of employees from a variety of levels and departments who are
assigned as safety advocates
• COMMITTEE STRUCTURE – a balance between managers and employees to represent the committee
for the organization
INSPECTION INVESTIGATION AND EVALUATION
• REGULAR INSPECTIONS SHOULD
BE PERFORMED BY A SAFETY
COMMITTEE OR A SAFTEY
COORDINATOR WHICH CAN
REDUCE THE NUMBER OF ON-SITE
OSHA VISITS
• PROBLEM AREAS TO BE
ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY TO
PREVENT ACCIDENTS AND KEEP
PRODUCTIVITY AT THE HIGHEST
LEVEL
ACCIDENT REDUCTION USING ERGONOMICS

• THE STUDY AND DESIGN OF THE

WORK ENVIROMENT TO ADDRESS
PHYSICAL DEMANDS PLACED ON
INDIVIDUALS AS THEY PERFORM
THEIR JOBS
• ERGONOMICS ANALYSIS INCLUDES
REVIEWING PHYSICAL,
ENVIROMENTAL, AND
PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESSORS TO
REDUCE THEIR IMPACT ON
WORKERS
 CITATION

• Mathis, R. L., Jackson, J. H., Valentine, S. R., & Meglich, P. A. (2017). Human
Resource Management: Fifteenth Edition. 2014 Cengage Learning.