Would you know what to do if you or one of your coworkers got hurt on the job? If you own your own business, are you confident that you and all of your employees are equipped to handle a job site injury? Too often, the answer is no. Even if the company you work for (or own) does offer workplace injury prevention training, it’s very easy for attendees to forget their training. When an injury occurs, adrenaline is running high and it’s easier than ever to forget a training from months or years ago. It’s important for all businesses to offer initial and ongoing trainings for job site injury prevention and proper safety products use, in some industries it’s even required by law.
OSHA provides guidance on these types of trainings to help employers identify and address hazards before an injury occurs. Studies have found that employers who adopt these trainings enjoy a “dramatic decrease” in job site injuries, but there’s also a transformation of the workplace culture. Trainings lead to more productivity, a higher quality output, minimized costs, better employee satisfaction, and a smaller turnover rate. Today, 34 states either require or promote employers to have such training programs, and at the heart of all of these programs are six key facets: worker participation, hazard identification, management leadership, hazard prevention, training and education, and program evaluation.
What Can these Injury Prevention Programs Do for You?
According to OSHA, injury prevention training programs change for the better how hazards are identified and addressed. This leads to a safer environment and better “workplace health.” Workers are understandably injured less and there are fewer illnesses and fatalities associated with the job site. Plus, employers better their compliance with current regulations and enjoy a financial benefit of a safer, healthier job site. Numerous reports and studies have backed up these claims.
Since OSHA’s injury prevention training recommendations were adopted 40 years ago, the US has reported a significant decrease in workplace deaths and injuries. In fact, there has been a 60 percent drop. However, there are still work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths. Most of them are preventable. In fact, every day 12+ people die on the job, totaling over 4,500 deaths per year. Annually, over 4.1 million workers have a “serious” job-related illness or injury.
Getting on Board with Safety Training
In order to further decrease these numbers, employers need to focus on prevention. This requires a training that’s continuous, effective, flexible, and makes sense. These programs help employers to identify the hazards before an injury (or worse) occurs. Trainings also help employers to abide by OSHA standards based on their industry and state. OSHA’s aim is to help employers “furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.”
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for every business. Your company is unique, and it deserves a unique injury prevention program. Contact Shield-Safety to learn about various programs that can be customized to suit your needs.