Employers work tirelessly to make sure their business is using the most beneficial business tactics and practices. Employers know that this includes not only making sure marketing, manufacturing, and customer satisfaction is properly attended to, but also the safety of the employees. If an employee sustains a work-related injury, he or she can file for benefits through the workers’ compensation system. This is a no-fault system, meaning neither the employee nor the employer will be required to demonstrate who was at fault for the accident. Although the workers’ compensation is a system that benefits both employee and employer, the optimal situation is actually to reduce the chance of employee injury as much as possible. Forming a safety committee at your business can be one way to help reduce the incidences of workplace injuries.
A safety committee is a group of comprised of employees, typically from across different departments, and will include members of the workforce and members of management. Properly executed and overseen, a safety committee can be one of the most effective ways to help cut down on workplace injuries at your business. A safety committee will serve many purposes. One purpose will be to make sure that employees are more away of the proper safety procedures in place. The safety committee can organize more frequent safety briefings and help amend corporate safety handbooks. The safety committee can also serve as a place where other employees can bring safety concerns to the attention of management. Safety committees can help facilitate communication to ensure management is aware of the nature and frequency of certain risks or violations happening in the workplace. The safety committee can also help construct an action plan to improve workplace safety, as well as develop goals and incentive programs to encourage employees to work more safely.
There are particular traits of employees you may want to focus on when deciding who would be best suited to serve on a safety committee. You want to look for employees who are respected by their co-workers, as these types of employees are more likely to get results. Committee members need to be familiar with the processes of their departments, as well as receptive to new ideas as to how to improve conditions.
If you have questions about how your business can protect itself from workers’ compensation claims, call us today. We can talk about your business and what can be done to protect its future.