Safety management systems (SMS) are crucial in any workplace, as they set the standard for how to complete tasks properly to minimize chances of injury.
When your employees get hurt, everyone loses - they miss days of work in order to get treatment and complete rehabilitation, you have to pay worker’s compensation and there’s the potential of losing one of your people for good.
A good employer wants to do everything it can to avoid a situation like this, and safety management systems are a great place to start.
Some unions and insurance companies will even require you to have one, so it’s best to develop one now and keep all parties protected.
StrongArm Tech is here to take you through some of the fundamental practices that will get your company back to business while being safer than ever.
Implementing your SMS will take time, but by following these steps, you can make sure your company is on its way to safety success.
Does your company have a safety management team? If not, it’s time to create one. If you do, it may be time to reevaluate their effectiveness and bring in new members. When you’re revamping your safety system, it’s likely that your current team has plenty of room for improvement. However, making any change can be a big step that not everyone is prepared to take.
For your program to be successful, your leaders need to be excited about these changes and enthusiastic about getting the rest of your employees involved in the process. They should be good communicators and have working relationships with all the sectors in your company. A new SMS can take months to implement and see results, so your team needs to stay dedicated to the cause and be ready to navigate developments as they appear.
How will you know whether your new SMS is succeeding? Establishing key success objectives and tracking metrics allows you to make quantifiable goals and see when you’re reaching them. Some metrics will take longer than others to measure, like worker’s compensation costs, but you should still be able to see if you’re on the right track based on times between incidents and the number of risks reported.
Even if your safety management team is running things perfectly, challenges are bound to arise as everyone in the workplace gets on the same page. Furthermore, some jobs inherently have more risks than others, all of which need to be accounted for and have a plan for maximum safety in place. Get ahead of these by planning for them from the beginning of SMS development, creating profiles about high-hazard spaces, how you can mitigate their risks, and what to do when safety measures fail.
For maximum effectiveness, everyone has to be aware of new procedures and to who they can bring concerns when they arise. Send your safety management team to review new protocols with every shift and department. Make sure all leadership personnel has a copy of the best practices so they can review them and answer questions from their employees.
Safety in the workplace is for everyone, and each employee in your company needs to contribute to preventing incidents. The only way they can do that is if they have easy and unfettered access to your complete SMS with all its guidelines, policies, and contingencies.
Once everyone knows what to expect, every person on shift becomes a vessel of accountability for your system. They can point out when someone is putting themselves or others at risk and react more quickly if something goes awry.
Still, it’s good practice to have designated safety leaders, whose job it is to identify noncompliance, know where safety equipment like fire extinguishers are and how to use them, and run occasional training seminars to ensure long-term retention.
Choosing software for your SMS that covers everything you need is a crucial factor in the long-term success of your program. As you look at your options, don’t let price be the sole factor that makes your decision. Consider other needs such as:
At StrongArm Tech, we know many workplace injuries are preventable with the right training, direction, and guidance. The SafeWork System and our FLEX sensors keep your Industrial Athletes safer and more focused than ever. We designed our wearable technology to be as least constrictive as possible through our X-pack carrier, making it so workers can simply situate it on their backs and begin their days.
Throughout the day, the sensor records information on noise levels, air quality, and body movements, alerting workers through vibration when they’re in an unsafe situation. Managers and other members of leadership can observe results through the SafeWork Dashboard and make adjustments where necessary, enhancing the existing safety system beyond what you thought was possible. If you’re ready to see how our safety management system gives you a return on investment above all others firsthand, contact StrongArm Tech today about starting your pilot period. Our custom data reports show an average of 200% ROI for our clients.
Links:
https://www.osha.gov/safety-management/management-leadership
https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/sms/explained/components
https://www.osha.gov/safety-management/hazard-Identification
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