EH&S Blog: 4 Ways to Keep Safety on Employees' Brains

lab-safety-prep-posterYou’ve trained the employees and set the goals, now what? Have the behaviors of your employees really become safety-focused for good? 

There are hundreds of methodologies and ideas out there for creating a safety culture at the workplace. Some specialists recommend a hands-off approach while others encourage rigorous training upon induction. There’s a wide-range of suggestions for implementing a successful safety culture in your workplace. 

One important facet of encouraging a safety culture in your workplace is having ongoing training throughout your facility. Here are some strategies you can use to hit this safety culture target.

Signage

Hang up signs where needed around your facilities. This will help remind employees of some of the safety practices that they might forget. For an example, check out our lab safety preparedness poster which you can download here. Hang eye-catching reminders like this one to keep safety practices on the brain. 

News Updates

Keep an eye on daily safety-related news. If something pertaining to your employees’ daily safety regiment pops up send it out in a brief email. This not only helps keep safety on the brain of your employees, but also sets a good example. By showing that you’re passionate about safety and consistently keeping track, your employees are more likely to follow your lead.

Recognition

This doesn’t have to be an email that you’re forcing on all your other employees to read and enjoy. It could be more game-ified than that. Give employees who are doing a great job the best parking spot or some other privilege (think safety- focused employee of the month). Things like this will create positive buzz about safety around your facility.

Lesson of the Week

Send out a friendly lesson of the week email based on your own safety experiences at your facility. Better yet, encourage other people to submit their own lessons and you can select one each week. Some people make the argument that no one reads this kind of regular email. Truth be told, they may not, depending on your audience and how interesting the email is their may or may not be a need for this. Consider the readership and what you’ll get before writing one. If it puts the thought of safety even into a few employees’ heads, it might be worth it.

Interaction

Employee interaction is key. Encourage employees to give their opinions about safety regulations. You can do this by holding regular meetings, forming a  safety council or simply putting a suggestion box in a high traffic area.