June is National Safety Month, so as we kick off the new month and the summer season, it seems like a great time to put some fun contests and training sessions in place for employees to help promote workplace safety. Here are a few quick and easy ways to make workplace safety a priority at your company this June, and how to continue it throughout the year.
- Fit Employees for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)- This is a great time to set up fitting stations, and make new equipment available to employees as employees sizes may have changed, or equipment has worn out. National Safety Month is a timely reminder to emphasize safety and raise awareness to make workplace safety top of mind for the whole organization.
- Teach Emergency Response- National Safety Month is an appropriate time to prioritize emergency preparedness. Too often employers assume that their workforce is aware of emergency response protocol and often employees are not prepared. Refreshing evacuation protocol, first-aid techniques and how to call for help during an emergency can be a matter of survival in an emergency situation. Reviewing this protocol demonstrates that the organization prioritizes everyone's safety and preparedness for an emergency.
- Have a Safety Contest- Safety contests can be carried out in both a long and short term way. Short term contests could include a trivia day where employees are presented with situations and they have to identify safety violations or determine that the situation follows protocol. Presenting a series of challenges and rewarding employees who complete the challenges successfully with small gifts is a great way to ensure the information stays top of mind. Using small denomination gift cards to popular retailers such as The Cheesecake Factory, AutoZone, or CVS/Pharmacy is a great way to create a positive association with safety. A great long term strategy could be to see how long the organization or individual teams can maintain a clean safety record, rewarding employees for reaching milestones like 30 days, 60, 90, etc. Combining both strategies can ensure that your employees keep safety in mind, and are aware that their safety is a top organizational priority.
