Risk-Sharing
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Workplace Safety Training:
Why Do We Need It?
Why is workplace safety so important? There is more to this question than you think. In a day and age where people still get injured on the job, you would think safety would be a banner held high by everyone, but unfortunately it isn’t. Money and apathy seem to be the two leading reasons why safety sometimes takes a back seat. There are two obvious reasons why workplace safety should be a priority: preventing employee injury and death. These two reasons should need no explanation. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 5,190 workers killed on the job in 2016, 31 were from South Dakota. It is estimated that a worker is injured every 7 seconds on-the-job. Improved safety training and awareness can help save lives and reduce injury.
There is also the financial impact of employee injuries and death. It is in the best interest for both employees and entities to put safety first, minimize the risk to life and therefore reduce potential financial loss and property damage. When an entity puts their employees first and implements proper safety training and then enforces it, several positive results happen. These positive results include an increase in worker productivity, the quality of service improves, and your entity’s reputation and public
So why should you want to develop a workplace safety training program or refresh your current program? Because you know that training for safety is the most costeffective way to protect your most precious asset: your employees. Workplace safety training is a process that aims to provide your employees with the knowledge and skills needed to perform their work in a way that is safe for them and their co-workers. In addition, an effective workplace safety plan includes instruction and guidelines to identify hazards, report them, and deal with incidents.
As an employer, it is your legal (and moral) responsibility to instruct your workers how to perform their job duties in a safe and healthy manner before they even start to work. Safety training is an integral part of new employee orientation, but it also requires regular “refresher” courses for compliance and effectiveness. Regularly scheduled safety meetings can help combat complacency which is a danger in every workplace. Additionally, safety protocols change and these meetings can help employees keep up with changes in procedures, equipment, materials and roles within your departments.
Beyond the obvious reasons of preventing employee injuries, there are plenty of advantages to investing more time and thought in a well-planned workplace safety and loss control training program. Here are a few: lower contributions for liability and worker’s compensation coverage, less productivity loss due to injury or illness, increased employee morale, protection from liability lawsuits and future incident prevention. What are some steps that you can take to establish an effective workplace safety training program?
1. Identify the needs of your entity, potential hazards and training objectives. Analyze past
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SOUTH DAKOTA MUNICIPALITIES
