Pub. 1 2018-2019 |Issue 4

27 To improve safety, employees need to be given more authority to call for changes when necessary as part of the respon- sibility they hold to protect themselves and other employees. It helps to change people’s perspective about processes and to adapt to process variations. When people become more aware of safety processes within the workplace, they have increased respect for workplace safety professionals. Many companies have found that hiring experts on work- place safety can be extremely helpful. One approach to making the work environment safe is to create jobs for people who are responsible for improv- ing safety. The following job categories would be required: • Safety director: This employee is responsible for creating a safety strategy that meets a company’s needs. “Needs” in this context is about more than safety. It also includes making sure that whatever changes are made can be done within the company’s budget. This employee is responsible for interacting with government regulators and with leaders within the organization to make sure that the manufacturing process is compliant with all safety requirements. • Safety managers: These employees, who work under the direction of the safety director, are responsible for creating safety standards that prevent other employees from being harmed or killed. They also are responsible for looking at the work process in order to identify hazards. • Safety coordinators: These employees work under the direction of the safety managers. They keep records about acci- dents and work-related illnesses and they will naturally develop expertise in ways to prevent accidents. The employees who work as safety coordinators should have a bachelor’s degree and should also have some experience training other people in how to be safer at work. Creating a safe work environment is ob- viously the right thing to do, but it also makes good business sense. Companies that emphasize safety and actively look for ways to improve safety see import- ant benefits: • They are more productive than facilities that don’t concentrate on safety. This occurs because business costs and dis- ruptions are reduced and because the facilities themselves are held to a higher standard. • Employees are happier and feel valued and empowered. • Absenteeism drops. • There are fewer insurance claims, which results in lower WCB rates. • The company is more likely to win and keep business customers because its brand is improved and because fos- tering a safe work environment results in goodwill within and outside the company. 3