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How to Integrate Safety into Core Business Processes

How do you fully implement a safety program? In a BLR webinar titled "Injury and Incident Prevention at Work: Good for Employees, Employers, and Your Bottom Line," Wayne Vanderhoof, CSP, and president of RJR Safety outlined some tips on how to integrate safety into your organization's core business processes.

When you have safety and health integration, safety is a core value along with production, sales, customer service and quality. This is most effective when safety and health is balanced with and incorporated into the core business processes. If you have a management system, this allows you a systematic approach to safety and health. This can be implemented similarly to quality and environmental systems. It will go beyond basic compliance to focus on all hazards and should be a formal, documented system.

One standard you can apply, says Vanderhoof, is the ANSI Z10-2005 OHSMS. This is the American National Standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. Regardless of what system you use, you will need to have a process where you plan, implement your plans, train your employees, check on the results, and entice everyone to get involved.

Full Integration

The planning phase may include:

  • Self-inspections/Audits
  • Corrective action plans
  • Allocation of resources(time, money, people, ETC.).

The Implementation and Orientation may include:

  • Establish risk reduction/hazard control process (hierarchy of safety and health controls).
  • Design review and management of the change process.
  • Procurement/purchasing
  • Contractor management
  • Training
  • Communication
  • Safe work procedures

Checking the results includes:

  • Evaluation and corrective action.
  • Management review.

Getting everyone involved includes:

  • Management leadership and employee participation.
  • Establishing and communicating the safety and health policy.
  • Establishing responsibilities and authority.
  • Encouraging employee participation in safety committees and in new work practices.

Ready-Made Checklists

BLR's Safety Audit Checklist provides safety and health checklists on more than 50 essential workplace topics to help you integrate safety and health into core businesses processes and improve overall safety performance.

Each Safety Audit Checklist section contains:

  • A review of applicable OSHA standards.
  • Safety management tips
  • Training requirements
  • At least one comprehensive safety checklist.

Many sections also contain a compliance checklist, which highlights key provisions of OSHA standard. All checklists can be copied and circulated to supervisors and posted for employees, the entire program is updated annually, and the cost averages only about $1 per checklist.