Developing a Culture of Safety at Your Property
Every organization has its own culture. That culture is a reflection of the values and beliefs of the people who work there. For example, an organization might have a culture of overwork and high stress, which would affect how people behave in that environment. The same could be said for an organization with a culture of low accountability or no communication.
A culture of safety is about taking care of each other in the workplace and ensuring that everyone feels safe enough to work at their best. While organizations with cultures like these are not necessarily unsafe, they can lead to unsafe behaviors or lack of safety measures in place to be effective while also maintaining compliance standards and OSHA regulations for the benefit of commercial property security. Believe it or not, a culture of safety can be nurtured to protect your business and your employees because it directly affects your business security.
Commercial security and safety are often at the front of our minds, but it is not just physical safety that needs to be appreciated. It is also important to consider how a culture of safety can affect your employees, customers, and other stakeholders.
A culture of safety can be an important measure for ensuring health and well-being in the workplace. This can help to improve productivity and effectiveness while also reducing accidents and injuries on the job site. This is applicable for all industries from retail to warehouse security.
The Role and Importance of Leadership in Developing a Safe Workplace
The need for leaders to develop a safe workplace has never been more important for emergency preparedness and general business security.
Leadership is crucial in developing a safe and healthy workplace. A successful organizational safety plan and security program template need strong leadership that understands the importance of commercial property security and safety in the workplace and is willing to take steps to make it happen.
The attributes of successful leadership include having good communication skills, being patient, staying calm, being decisive, and taking ownership of the initiative. Working with a security partner to create a plan with security services that cater to your specific business security needs is the first step in the right direction. Having an outsourced security team can eliminate the financial and managerial burden of hiring in-house security guards and personnel.
The Role of OSHA in a Culture of Safety
OSHA is a federal agency that is responsible for the safety and health of workers in the United States. Its mission is to prevent injuries, illness, and deaths on the job. Though it has enforcement capabilities for violations of specific laws that regulate workplace safety and security, most of its role is in education. It also offers industry-specific information to employers on how to improve workplace safety through training. OSHA has six major programs: The General Duty Clause, the Hazard Communication Standard, Lead Poisoning Prevention, Recordkeeping, Training and Education, and Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals.
The General Duty Clause was created to protect workers from hazardous chemicals in their work environment. The hazard communication standard (HCS) is a set of requirements that employers must follow when communicating with their employees about hazardous chemicals in their workplace. OSHA also requires that employers provide their employees information about the physical agent or chemical itself as well as its health effects and first-aid measures. OSHA also expects employees to be educated on personal protective equipment (PPE).
Risk Management and Risk Assessment in Developing an Organizational Safety Plan
Organizations need to have an idea about the risks that could lead to workplace accidents. If it is more likely that an accident will happen, the organization should put various measures in place such as using a risk assessment tool to identify the potential risks and then taking preventive actions. Emergency preparedness should be a part of a security program implemented by your security manager for your property security.
How to Implement an Organizational Safety Plan for Your Business
Property security should have an organizational safety plan in place and be aware of the potential risks that can come from your business.
This includes posting signs and displaying information about the workplace, having emergency preparedness procedures, maintaining a well-stocked first aid kit, wearing proper attire and taking precautionary measures before commencing operations.
Here are some things you should keep in mind when developing this safety plan:
- Be aware of the potential risks that can come from your business;
- What are the injuries that you need to cover?
- What kind of injuries do employees need to be aware of?
- What do you want your consequences to be if an accident?
- Which regulations apply to your specific industry?
- How can I continue to improve safety and security procedures?
Safety training is an important part of security awareness. It helps to make employees more aware of safety risks and emergencies and create a safe working environment.
The following are the benefits of safety training:
- It helps to establish a culture of safety in the workplace
- It helps human resources management with recruitment
- It reduces costs for maintenance and emergency preparedness measures
It’s a mandatory requirement for commercial property security