“You can’t really pull an off-the-shelf safety program, but
certainly there are elements that need to be in every safety program,”
Bernstein says. “It includes training, communication, recognizing hazards and
evaluating them, and labeling hazards. But it starts with sitting down with the
folks who are out there on a regular basis and outlining a program that fits
the realities of the workplace.
“There has to be accountability and measurable results. You
start by setting objectives that are meaningful because vague objectives and
standards are hard to measure. Ideally you designate one or a group of people
to carry out those objectives, and you hold them accountable if you fail to get
there.”
The best lessons you can learn from are the lessons learned
from actual incidents. As you are putting together a safety plan, carefully
study incidents that have happened at other companies, preferably in your
industry. Review how the leadership of those companies responded and take the
lessons they learned into account when formulating your own plan.
“A crisis reaction plan is an important part of any program,”
Bernstein says. “You start by closely examining disasters or incidents that
have occurred in other businesses in your industry and using that as a model to
try to frame a scenario that most of your work force would relate to, and you
can drill them on it.
“There is a lot of scenario planning that can go into this,
but it needs to be real for these employees, so it should take into account
true life incidents that have occurred.
There are outside firms that can help you construct a plan,
but I’d caution against relying too heavily on outside help because chances are
they’re not going to know your business as well as you do.”
How to reach: Fisher & Phillips
LLP, (813) 769-7500 or www.laborlawyers.com