According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), successful safety and health programs can proactively identify and manage workplace hazards before they cause injury or illness, improving sustainability and the bottom line. An organization’s safety culture is ultimately reflected in the way that safety is managed in the workplace, and having a strong safety and health program can help create:

• Fewer accidents, losses, and disruptions by preventing workplace injuries and illnesses.
• Engaged employees and improved morale.
• Increased productivity and enhanced overall business operations.
• Lower workers’ compensation and insurance claims.
• Improved compliance with OSHA regulations.
• Improved reputation to attract new customers and employees and retain existing ones.
• Better brand and shareholder value that tie to social responsibility.

H&S Observations

The National Safety Council (NSC) cites that more than 4,400 preventable workplace deaths and 4.26 million injuries occurred in 2021. Raising public awareness about workplace safety can significantly decrease the number of preventable injuries and deaths. Every June, NSC observes National Safety Month to do just this by encouraging employers and individuals alike to be safety role models.

Much like NSC, OSHA created Safe + Sound Week (August 7-13, 2023) as a year-round campaign to encourage America’s workplaces to commit to workplace safety and health by starting a health and safety program, energizing an existing one, or recognizing health and safety successes.

Taking the Pledge

This year, both NSC and OSHA are encouraging companies to reaffirm their commitments to safety and health by taking a pledge:

Safe + Sound pledge: I pledge to make safety a core workplace value. Everyone has the right to a safe and healthy workplace, and I will work to ensure everyone goes home safe and sound every day. My workplace will be taking action to improve our safety and health program during Safe + Sound Week 2023.

NSC SafeAtWork pledge: I commit to:

• Actively help my employer improve our safety programs.  
• Report hazards promptly and suggest solutions.  
• Be a good safety role model for my friends and family, even off the job.  

Core Elements of Workplace Health and Safety

OSHA reiterates that the core elements of a workplace health and safety program include the following elements:

• Management leadership. Management must provide the leadership, vision, and resources needed to implement an effective safety and health program.
• Worker participation. Engaging workers at all levels in establishing, implementing, evaluating, and improving safety and health in the workplace creates buy-in.
• Systematic approach to finding and fixing hazards. Finding and fixing hazards in the workplace is an ongoing process to better identify and control sources of potential injuries or illnesses.

KTL’s Series on Investing in Safety

Throughout OSHA’s Safe + Sound Week (August 7-13, 2023), KTL will be featuring a series of articles and posts on our blog and social media (i.e., Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter) reinforcing these concepts from OSHA and NSC and discussing why businesses should invest in safety. Topics will include the following:

• Speaking safety
• Lone worker safety
• Heat stress
• Safety Management Systems (SMS)
• Root cause analysis

Watch for these articles! For more information on what your organization can do to participate and promote a strong safety culture, visit the websites for OSHA Safe + Sound Week and NSC National Safety Month.