1. How the program will be implemented and then maintained by managers, supervisors, and employees.
2. How new or existing hazards, conditions and operations will be identified, analyzed, and then controlled.
3. The method for communicating the plan to all employees that might be affected by work-related hazards and controls.
4. How, in the event of a workplace accident, the incident will be investigated and then what corrective action will take place.
5. The type of enforcement that will be used for safe work rules and practices.
Since workplace environments are constantly changing and new employees are hired, the AWAIR program must be reviewed and analyzed for effectiveness at least annually. If workplace safety is a real concern to an employer, this task will not be difficult. Regardless of the job, employee safety should be reinforced constantly to keep employees at a high level of performance.
A healthy workplace for all employees should be a primary concern for any company, and should be supported by company policy. To always reduce the number of accidents and injuries at a jobsite should always be a goal. A safe work environment is not an individual job, however. It requires cooperation between an employee, his/her co-workers, and management. While employees are the group that is most directly affected by a safety program, the managers and supervisors are the ones who are responsible for creating and enforcing the program.
Many companies will have a safety director who is responsible for organizing a program such as AWAIR. Individual employees will report concerns to their supervisors. All the supervisors and managers of the company, who are responsible for health and safety at each specific worksite, will then report any concerns to the safety director. S/he will then set up or modify existing training programs to provide adequate personal protection for those concerned workers.
Each job location is unique and dynamic, so site supervisors should check worksites daily for compliance with the safety program implemented. A Site Safety Checklist is an easy way to do this. Because there is a danger of procedures becoming routine, and therefore lax, random inspections and reviews should also be carried out regularly.
Accidents are not completely avoidable, however. Site supervisors should investigate all accidents or near-miss events that occur. Although dangerous, these events will help the supervisor, as well as the safety director, rework the health and safety program to provide a safer working environment.
Workplace safety should be critically important to a company. Employees are one of the most important parts of a business, so keeping them safe and informed about potential risks and consequences should be a primary concern. Not only do accidents at work affect human lives, but also can affect workers? compensation costs, training expenses, productivity, and insurance rates. Violation of health and safety rules should be disciplined, while compliance to the rules should be rewarded.
The key to a successful safety program such as an AWAIR, is a clear set of goals and objectives for safety and health at the workplace. These goals should be understandable, informative, and enforced throughout the company in order to prevent accidents and preserve life. Not only will a company benefit from preventing these things, but the employees will have a higher level of performance knowing how safe their work environment is, and how much the management is concerned with their safety.
Some alarming workplace facts Did you know that everyday more than 12 U.S. workers on an average lose their lives through workplace accidents? Yet another 10,000 are hurt so badly, they end up losing sizeable work time or are placed on restricted duty? Startling? These are the facts as reported by OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Typical accidents encountered at workplaces People have fallen from elevations, got caught in explosions, body parts have been crushed in machinery, men have been electrocuted by defective electrical equipment, and trenches and walls have caved in on workmen?this list is by no means complete and only illustrative of the hazards many workers are exposed to.
What can be done to reduce the accident rate Reducing workplace related accidents is a fight that needs to be fought on many levels, a few measures that should be taken are:
Imparting safety information and training Basic safety training is inadequate or non-existent in many workplaces. Safety gear is not worn and safety procedures are not followed. Simple safety training courses could take care of this shortcoming.
Not ignoring inspection routines Before an employee uses a potentially risky piece of equipment or machinery, it must be inspected rigorously and regularly. If defective, a safety tag should be put up as a warning flag and employees should be informed. Training in inspection procedures must also be imparted.
For long drawn processes, a written safety manual or guide must be in place Safety procedures if put down in writing serve as ready reference to employees and also help train them to watch out for accident triggers and take care of them right away.
An easy way to minimize accidents? Safety training and inspection routines, though imperative, take time to implement. One of the simple ways to start minimizing accidents is to use safety and caution tags in the workplace. These are also convenient to use since they are commonly available and simple to attach.
Types of Safety Tags?
Safety Tags are the hallmark of a safe, working environment Safety and caution tags can make a huge difference in safety levels at any workplace. Safety tags come in many forms - fire extinguisher safety tags, gas cylinder safety tags, OK to Use safety tags, Defective Do Not Use safety tags, Inspection tags and Repair Tags etc. Safety tags serve as warning and information devices especially in potentially hazardous situations. For example, imagine the plight of a worker getting his arm caught in machinery just because the machinery was defective and there was no safety tag to notify the hapless user.
Other situations may not be quite so serious but could prove serious time wasters, like people getting stuck in improperly functioning elevators, loss of data through malfunctioning computers etc. where just a simple safety tag could have apprised users of the situation.
Fire Extinguisher Tags and Gas Cylinder safety tags Some tags serve as records or status notifications. For example, Fire extinguisher tags show you an inspection record of when the equipment was checked ? this could be a monthly record, annual record, or yearly record. Gas cylinder safety tags tell you the status of the gas cylinder whether full or empty. Commonly available gas cylinder tags are Full Cylinder tags, Empty Cylinder tags, DOT warning labels, Danger signs and labels, Hot Work permit tags and more. Such tags go a long way in upholding safety norms in a workplace.
Lockout Tags Some widely used safety tags are the lockout tags. These are high quality safety tags that can be used over long periods. Lockout Tags are used to indicate equipment or machinery that is not operating at safe or desired levels. Various lock out safety tags include Do Not Operate Tags, Defective Material Tags, and Custom Lockout Tags etc.
Repair Tags There is a class of tags that also serves as customer tickets when an item is given for repairing. A retailer can simply hand over the stub to the customer as receipt after accepting the equipment to be repaired. Repair tags for maintenance of heavy machinery serve the same purpose but are generally tougher and are also available in fluorescent colors.
Handling of Safety Tags Some rules must be observed while using safety tags to make their use more effective: ?Only an authorized person must add or remove tags from equipment ?Safety tags must be safe to handle, with rounded corners and no sharp edges or projections. ?They must have the main signal word like ?Caution?, ?Danger? etc visible even at 5 feet of distance ?Safety tags should be replaced once they start to fade or people will not be able to read them. ?The safety tags must be fixed as close to the equipment as possible and where they are clearly visible. ?Organizations must make sure employees know about these tags and understand their purpose.
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Both Jim Schwebel & Blair Brewster are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Jim Schwebel has sinced written about articles on various topics from Online Security. The Minnesota twin cities law firm of Schwebel Goetz and Sieben can provide a to. Jim Schwebel's top article generates over 6600 views. to your Favourites.
Blair Brewster has sinced written about articles on various topics from Sales and Negotiation, Online Security. Blair Brewster is the founder of a leading name in asset tags and labels manufacturing. Xpress Tags specializes in custom printed tags, inventory tags, lock-ou. Blair Brewster's top article generates over 6600 views. to your Favourites.