Safety management programs are created to minimize health risks and injuries at a workplace In workplace operations, this process is designed by identifying the hazards, assessing and controlling risks.

Instilling a safety culture at every level of an organization has many benefits. It can quickly inform management of where their company stands from a health, safety or environmental point of view at any given time. This improves the bottom line for management, as their liability levels from losses may drop once the multitude of risks are controlled properly.

By building safe work procedures into production, both goals may be achieved without the many costs to human life, the property, materials, equipment and the environment. WCB claims tend to drop and insurance rates become more manageable. Attracting quality personnel is easier when they feel safe in their work environment and can perform within an organized and effective system.

In the news, there have been many corporations that lost huge amounts of profits due to uncontrolled accidents. The years of developing a Corporate Social Responsibility model are lost when bad publicity about blowouts, deaths in mines and offshore rigs fill the front page news.

In Western Canada, companies are anxious to obtain preferred contractor status and obtaining their COR and SECOR designations. Accidents and poor publicity about unsafe personnel could quickly cause them to lose these designations and the Prime Contractors that are willing to hire their trained workers.

Consider developing a Safety Management System by hiring a Safety Consultant to design an effective program today!

Arliss T E Levine, CRSP, CHSC

Certified Health and Safety Auditor