OSHA Safe and Sound Week Coming Soon This June

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”32494″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]June is now here and the United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that the 12th through the 18th of June is “Safe + Sound Week,” a nationwide effort to raise awareness for the importance of workplace safety and health programs.  The National Safety Council, American Industrial Hygiene Association, American Society of Safety Engineers, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health as well as 85 other trade associations, industry groups, and professional organizations are partnering with OSHA for the Safe + Sound Initiative.  This series of nationwide events welcomes companies of all different sizes, verticals, and structures to jump in and approach safety and health provisions from multiple angles.

While our nation has made excellent strides in improving workplace safety in the last 50 years, more than four million workers suffer very serious job-related inquiries or illnesses.  This number has gone down over time, but quite frankly, it’s a daunting figure.  US Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta put it quite simply…”We can do better.”

Why Participate?

Safe workplaces and successful businesses go hand in hand – that’s a fact.  If you and your team spends more time fearing safety hazards and injury risks then getting work done, chances are you don’t have a stable, successful construction operation. Jobsites that install proper site-specific safety programs in place long before any work takes place are inherently safer, more efficient, and more sustainable in the long run.   If you set up a safety program that recognizes the jobsite hazards and implements proactive fixes, you will find yourself leading a more engaged, motivated team.

[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”32493″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]3 Core Items

OSHA’s “Safe + Sound Week” aims to engage, educate, and entrust all levels of construction organizations to make safety improvements, from the perspective of management all the way down to the worker onsite everyday.  The following 3 arms of “Safe + Sound Week” form the core of OSHA’s program:

• Management Leadership – a high level commitment to implementing a plan, motivating the right people to take action, and using it to drive safety and health improvements continually into the future.
• Worker Participation – engaging workers to use their collective expertise, knowledge, and in-the-trenches point of view to find solutions to everyday workplace challenges.
• Find and Fix Hazards – Identify and fix the common sources of injury and illness, reporting on the efficiency of these fixes.

Safety programs containing these three elements have shown to prevent workplace injuries, reduce business costs, increase productivity, while enhancing overall worker satisfaction at the end of the day.

Easier Than You Think

Despite what you’ve heard or experienced, managing workplace safety isn’t as complicated as some construction professionals think it is.  The following step-by-step framework is what OSHA recommends when it comes to plans of attack.

• Health and Safety are always top priorities.
• You must lead by example if you want to foster change.
• Implement a reporting system of potential hazards, accidents, safety measures, and fixes.
• Provide copious amounts of training for your staff on the job.
• Conduct routine, thorough inspections of the jobsite, safety gear, and hazardous materials.
• Collect hazard control and prevention ideas from the local jobsite staff.
• Review these hazard controls and develop a framework to reduce their injury risk.
• Address jobsite emergencies and safety problems with the utmost in speed.

At the end of the day, the most important step in this process is getting started.  Delaying safety and health improvements on the jobsite in the interest of saving money or improving productivity will almost always end in disaster for you or your employees.  If you still need help understanding the ins and outs of workplace safety, then give CSLS a call today – their construction safety experts have you covered!

About CSLS:

CSLS is the largest contractor licensing school in California with over 25 locations throughout the state. We have the highest success rate of any school – 99% of our students pass their exam on the first try, and that’s guaranteed or your money back.

Our teaching process prepares you in a step by step manner for everything you need to know to pass the law, business and trade portion of your exam.  Our programs are designed for convenience. We have online programs, home study, crash-course and in-school options, making it easy and affordable for you to become a licensed contractor.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]