by Veronica Davis
Unsafe working conditions have a multitude of negative impacts on a company. Firstly, when employees do not feel confident in their safety when they come to work, they are less likely to be motivated and productive. Additionally, improper safety practices can lead to injuries, which will cost the company money in worker’s compensation and even possible lawsuits. Following a workplace accident, there can be a serious drop in employee morale, productivity, and the quality of goods or services the company provides.
Due to the importance of safety in a workplace, hiring a safety manager for your office will help keep the company on track financially and legally, as well as set a good precedent for your company’s reputation. Instead of being seen as just a business looking to make money, your company will be viewed as one that is committed to its employees’ well-being.
What is a Safety Manager?
A safety manager is someone who is responsible for ensuring that the safety management system (SMS) runs smoothly in a company. Their overall job is to make sure that the workplace is a safe environment by planning and implementing safety practices, preventative measures, training, and education for the other employees. These safety measures are required by law, but they are also a valuable aspect of any business.
Duties of a safety manager can include the following:
- Promote safety awareness among employees
- Coordinate safety training
- Make suggestions about safety corrections
- Ensure safety is the priority
- Report accidents and near misses
- Follow up on any injuries
- Organize safety meetings
- Assist with safety inspections
In a larger company the safety manager may be an entirely separate role from anything else. This individual will manage a team and only focus on safety precautions within the company. On the other hand, in a small company, this role may be tacked on to another job. For example, they may not have a safety department because the company is not large enough, but a manager will take on the duties of a safety manager on top of their other responsibilities.
Why Do Companies Need a Safety Manager?
Aside from the business and economic benefits of having a safety manager, there are a lot of fundamental reasons that companies benefit from having a full-time safety manager. Ensuring that all employees are healthy and safe when they come to work is a group effort that everyone should take part in, but it is helpful to have one person put all of their focus into it. If everyone was in charge of organizing safety training, implementing new measures, and staying up to date on laws and regulations, it would interfere with the rest of the work or never get done.
Having a person whose sole responsibility is to take care of all of these safety measures will guarantee that these things get done. It helps the company make sure that they are sufficiently focused on keeping everyone healthy and safe from injury because one person is dedicating all of their time to it.
Having a health and safety manager is also a great way to make a visible statement about the importance of safety to your company’s upper management. Anyone that works with your company from customers to business partners is going to want to know that you value your employees and keep them safe. Lastly, people are going to be more likely to want to work at your company for the same reason. You’ll be able to attract more talented employees because they will want to work at a company that is going to keep them safe and value their overall well-being. This increases the quality and success of your company overall.
Veronica Davis is a writer, blogger, and legal assistant operating out of the greater Philadelphia area.
