The Safety Squad

The purpose of a safety team or the “Safety Squad” is to assist management in providing a safe workplace. The safety team should include supervisors, managers, and workers. It’s ideal to have a diverse representation from the company’s entire workforce. Employees should be encouraged to participate because they are directly involved in the job tasks and can bring a unique perspective with ideas for making the work environment a safe place.

Discussion Points:
• Encourage employee participation
• Assess, identify, and correct hazards in the workplace
• Develop safety rules, policies, and procedures that meet OSHA safety regulations
• Discuss information that supports the company’s goals
• Safety is a continuous process

Discussion:
Safety should be a priority. It’s the responsibility of the safety team members to bring awareness of safe work practices to management and co-workers. Team members should receive proper training in various areas relevant to a safe work environment. Training should be a continuous process and can be accomplished by arranging specialists from the community to attend meetings to discuss information specific to the company’s industry. All “Safety Squad” members should attend all meetings and participate by contributing to conversations and all activities. The team should focus on identifying and correcting hazards that pose a risk to workers. Information to discuss includes developing, implementing, and managing safety procedures, policies, and rules; assessing, monitoring, and updating hazards; reviewing workplace incidents and accidents that result in injury; and planning employee orientation and training sessions for new and current employees. The information discussed in the meetings should support the company’s goals and meet OSHA safety regulations. The safety team should have a written plan for what they intend to accomplish, which should include following company objectives. Then, they can share information with co-workers through regularly scheduled safety meetings.

As always, stay safe out there!