Why Do You Need a Safety Program?
A safety and health program is a systematic, organized approach to reducing the human and financial costs of incidents. Some reasons why every company should develop and implement a safety program are:
- Reduction of Injury, illnesses, incidents and exposures
- To meet legal requirements
- Demonstrates employers commitment to leadership and to protecting the health and safety of their employees
- Provides both and internal and external motivation to continuously improve
- Sets out clear responsibilities within your organizations safety and health system
- Increases moral, which in turn increases production & productivity in all areas.
- Can dramatically reduce costs from - (harm to people and damage to property, insurance costs, fines & legal costs, lost or delayed production, retraining and replacement costs)
- Meets responsibilities under “Due Diligence” principals
In addition, an effective program can lead to a reduction of Workers' Compensation assessments and insurance premiums.
Research shows that an effective safety and health program does not cost — it pays.
Part 7.4(1) of the Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Act states;
An employer shall establish a written workplace safety and health
program for each workplace where 20 or more workers of that employer
are regularly employed.
How do I conduct a Job Hazard Analysis?
How do I create Safe Work Procedures?
Where do I find resources for a Health and Safety Committee?
Management Commitment
Senior management must recognize that a safety program is an essential part of their operation. Although everyone has a responsibility for safety, senior management is ultimately accountable for safety in their operations. It is the senior management who must lead any safety effort and involve the entire organization in that effort. A safety program will succeed only when senior management is committed to the program, demonstrating sincerity through their positive actions.
What is Due Diligence? – Due diligence is the level of judgment, care, prudence, determination, and activity that a person would reasonably be expected to do under particular circumstances.
Due diligence is the most important defense available to any person or corporation charged with an infraction of the Canada Labour Code and Regulations, or the Workplace Safety and Health Act and its regulations. When an officer conducts an accident investigation to determine whether there were violations of the regulatory provisions which contributed to the accident, the investigation will also focus on whether due diligence was practiced. The officer may require the organization to conduct its own investigation, and to file the accident investigation report with the Department or Division.
A “due diligence defense” requires proof that a safety program has been implemented, and that people know and discharge their duties and responsibilities. To prove due diligence, an organization must be able to prove that it had:
Due Diligence Checklist
- Do you know and understand your safety and health responsibilities?
- Do you have definite procedures in place to identify and control hazards?
- Have you integrated safety into all aspects of your work?
- Do you set objectives for safety and health just as you do for quality, production and sales?
- Have you committed appropriate resources to safety and health?
- Have you explained safety and health responsibilities of all employees and made sure that they understand it?
- Have employees been trained to work safety and use proper protective equipment?
- Is there a hazard reporting procedure in place that encourages employees to report all unsafe conditions and unsafe practices to their supervisor?
- Are managers, supervisors, and workers held accountable for safety and health just as they are accountable for quality?
- Is safety a factor when acquiring new equipment or changing process?
- Do you keep records of your program activities and improvements?
- Do you keep records of the training each employee has received?
- Do your records show that you take disciplinary action when an employee violates safety procedures?
- Do you review your safety program at least once a year and make improvements as needed?
Given that human error can contribute to an accident, the employer must demonstrate that steps were taken to reduce the possibility of human error.
It is extremely important that employers document their due diligence efforts. Management should ensure that training activities, safety audits, discipline, safety and health meetings, and all other safety-related documentation is retained.
For more detailed information on Due Diligence Click Here
The specific contents of a safety and health manual will vary from company to company. However, there are standard types of information or elements which go into any manual. They may appear in different formats or combinations, but all are present. This tool kit will help you get started on your company’s safety manual.
These elements are common to all safety and health manuals.
- Write a policy that demonstrates commitment
- Identify and control hazards and emergencies
- Identify people and resources required to deal with emergencies
- Prepare a statement of responsibilities
- Schedule inspections
- Develop plans to control chemical and biological hazards
- Develop a plan to safeguard contracted employer(s) or self-employed person
- Develop a training plan for supervisors and workers
- Develop a procedure to investigate incidents, dangerous occurrences, and refusals to work
- Develop a strategy to involve workers
- Regularly evaluate and revise your program
elements of a Safety and Health program
No matter how high the level of commitment or how complete and appropriate the safety and health manual, a safety and health program cannot have a positive impact if the policies and procedures are mot implemented in every area of operation and then constantly monitored to ensure compliance.
For more details on the contents and developing a safety and health Program see: 7.4(5) section of the Manitoba Workplace Safety and Health Act and click link for a downloadable program guide of the safety & Health program