Workers’ Compensation: Getting School Employees Involved in Safety
Last month in our blog, Indiana Workers’ Compensation: Managing School Employee Safety, we covered the need to make school safety for employees a priority and offered several steps institutions can take to help put workplace safety at the top of their list. Part of what needs to be done is getting employees involved and boosting their participation in safety efforts to create a safe environment. Employees are a key source of information on workplace hazards and can help identify and solve problems.
Here are some suggestions on help administrators to get school employees involved in the safety process:
- Ask for safety suggestions and concerns
- Have workers identify and report safety problems
- Ask for input regarding equipment, work practices, procedures and training
- Make sure all injuries are reported immediately to their supervisor
- Include them in safety committees
- Take advantage of their specialized knowledge and encourage them to buy into the safety program by having them make inspections, conduct safety training or investigate accidents
Of course, school administrators have to do their part to ensure a safety program works. This involves developing clear safety goals, discussing objectives for safety and health with all employees, getting personally involved in the activities that comprise the safety program and setting a good example. Additionally, administrators must set clear assignments of responsibility for every part of the safety program and ensure that everyone understands them. Be sure that those with safety and health responsibilities have the resources, training and authority to carry out their jobs. Recognize and reward those who do well and correct those that don’t.
Moreover, school administrators need to review their accomplishments at least once a year to determine whether revisions to the program are needed and whether objectives must be re-evaluated.
Safety in the workplace is paramount in preventing on-the-job injuries and accidents. Unfortunately, many educational institutions and other organizations don’t always emphasize employee safety the way it should be. Not only is it important to keep a healthy staff but it also can have a significant impact on a school’s Workers’ Compensation program. A safe work environment can result in a reduction in insurance costs as well as minimize indirect costs when employees do get injured, including lost productivity, reduced efficiency, reduced employee morale and reduced profit margins.
Caitlin Morgan specializes in providing Workers’ Compensation solutions including to educational institutions. For more information about our programs and the various structures we can set up, please contact us at 877.226.1027.