Improving Workplace Safety

In certain industries, each employer must create a				managers of the company, who are responsible
safety and health program known as ï¿½A				for health and safety at each specific worksite,
Workplace Accident and Injury				will then report any concerns to the safety
Reduction,ï¿½ or AWAIR, program, as				director. S/he will then set up or modify existing
required by Minnesota Statute ï¿½ 182.653				training programs to provide adequate personal
subd. 8. An AWAIR program must be in writing				protection for those concerned workers.
and there are five key points that it must				Each job location is unique and dynamic, so site
address:				supervisors should check worksites daily for
1. How the program will be implemented and then				compliance with the safety program implemented.
maintained by managers, supervisors, and				A Site Safety Checklist is an easy way to do this.
employees.				Because there is a danger of procedures
2. How new or existing hazards, conditions and				becoming routine, and therefore lax, random
operations will be identified, analyzed, and then				inspections and reviews should also be carried out
controlled.				regularly.
3. The method for communicating the plan to all				Accidents are not completely avoidable, however.
employees that might be affected by				Site supervisors should investigate all accidents or
work-related hazards and controls.				near-miss events that occur. Although dangerous,
4. How, in the event of a workplace accident, the				these events will help the supervisor, as well as
incident will be investigated and then what				the safety director, rework the health and safety
corrective action will take place.				program to provide a safer working environment.
5. The type of enforcement that will be used for				Workplace safety should be critically important to
safe work rules and practices.				a company. Employees are one of the most
Since workplace environments are constantly				important parts of a business, so keeping them
changing and new employees are hired, the				safe and informed about potential risks and
AWAIR program must be reviewed and analyzed				consequences should be a primary concern. Not
for effectiveness at least annually. If workplace				only do accidents at work affect human lives, but
safety is a real concern to an employer, this task				also can affect workersï¿½ compensation
will not be difficult. Regardless of the job,				costs, training expenses, productivity, and
employee safety should be reinforced constantly				insurance rates. Violation of health and safety
to keep employees at a high level of				rules should be disciplined, while compliance to the
performance.				rules should be rewarded.
A healthy workplace for all employees should be a				The key to a successful safety program such as
primary concern for any company, and should be				an AWAIR, is a clear set of goals and objectives
supported by company policy. To always reduce				for safety and health at the workplace. These
the number of accidents and injuries at a jobsite				goals should be understandable, informative, and
should always be a goal. A safe work				enforced throughout the company in order to
environment is not an individual job, however. It				prevent accidents and preserve life. Not only will a
requires cooperation between an employee, his				company benefit from preventing these things,
her co-workers, and management. While				but the employees will have a higher level of
employees are the group that is most directly				performance knowing how safe their work
affected by a safety program, the managers and				environment is, and how much the management
supervisors are the ones who are responsible for				is concerned with their safety.
creating and enforcing the program.				The Minnesota twin cities law firm of Schwebel
Many companies will have a safety director who				Goetz and Sieben can provide a construction
is responsible for organizing a program such as				accident attorney or lawyer to Minneapolis MN
AWAIR. Individual employees will report concerns				construction injury victims.
to their supervisors. All the supervisors and

DAN

Improving Workplace Safety