A different approach to safety
It is Safe Work Month this month and as part of showing our support in encouraging people to get involved in and concentrate on safety to reduce death, injury and disease. I thought I would continue with the Health & Safety theme and write about – A different approach to safety.
I have recently written about the fact that there is so much more to compliance and just last week about not being rewarded (by regulatory bodies) – Is the deterrent punishment, really? However, it’s important to realise that you can be rewarded in other ways for complying with Workplace Health & Safety Legislation, such as:
- Improved Business Performance
- Increased Productivity
- Minimise costs associated with workplace accidents
- Retention of employees
- Employees feel valued
- Increased attraction of new employees
- Prevention of anxiety & bullying
- Employee satisfaction
- Reduced workplace illness & injury
- Increased success from tendering from business
Health & Safety needs to be viewed with a different approach, a bit like the components of the health aspect of workplace health and safety – Workplace health – safety’s forgotten friend. An approach with all the benefits it brings; not one of complying with legislation because you have to.
Health & Safety needs to become part of what we do rather than compliance. As Christina, our WH&S Specialist points out in Culture or Compliance?, compliance is necessary but it is recognising the benefits of compliance from a different perspective will enable you to value safety and take a different approach. The compliance component of safety is important and has its place but safety needs to be valued.
Health & Safety does make good business sense and let’s not forget that a good health & safety culture is important to staff, clients, contractors, suppliers, business partners and visitors and is part of being an employer of choice.
It is about making health & safety part of processes, considerations, decisions, actions and behaviours, just like any other organisational value – part of the culture! Employees will then proactively look out for potential risks and hazards – not because they have to read & follow a procedure that they probably don’t even bother doing. If there is a valued health and safety culture in the workplace, employees will want to do more than just comply!
Focussing on compliance might only just ensure compliance but encouraging engagement will create a safety culture with benefits beyond those that compliance alone will bring. So will you approach safety differently now – we hope so!
At HR Business Direction we can assist with complying with WH&S Legislation and developing Safety Leadership & Culture. Contact us here.
Leisa Messer BBus(HRM); GradDipIR; CAHRI; IRSQ
HR Strategist
leisa.messer@hrbd.com.au
07 3890 2066
www.hrbd.com.au