OSHA was created and established by congress in 1974. In the 1960s work-related accidents and injuries increased 20%. It was time for OSHA to be established. House Representative William A. Steiger worked very hard to get the bill passed that would create OSHA. December 29, 1970, President Richard M. Nixon signed The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Three organizations where born Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Their job would be to make and enforce workplace safety, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) who would conduct experiments pretending to work-place safety, and the last was the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC).



The first month that OSHA was open was April of 1971. They covered 56 million workers at 3.5 million different businesses. OSHA‘s first chore was to put together a staff. After getting a staff together, it established standards at such institutions as the National Fire Protection Organization, American National Standards Institution, and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienist. Congress gave OSHA two years to get all its basic standards put into action. Any other Standards put into motion would come about by standard rule making. On May 29, 1971 OSHA had started its first standards.
In 1972 the first states to come up with plans under OSHA were Montana, South Carolina, and Oregon. Over the years OSHA has grown to the point that now there are twenty four states and two territories that all cover local, state, and private sector employees. New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey only have plans that cover public employees. Many States have started their own OSHA programs that provide health training, safety, and education.

In the mid-1970s, OSHA created its first training program in Chicago. The purpose of the training program was to teach its inspectors, and give employees and employers training on safety standards. In 1975 OSHA had state authorities give free onsite consolation programs. In the 1980’s OSHA began to focus more on medical and exposure records. In the 80’s OSHA really started to target groups that dealt with hazardous materials. In 1986 OSHA started posing harsh penalties on companies who where in constant violation of their hazardous material codes. Twenty five stated during the 80s started their own OSHA programs that meet the OSHA standards.

In the 90’s OSHA went back over all its rules and regulations and tried to find better ways to redefine its standards. This time they started to focus more on the companies that had the worse track records with employee injury and illness. The biggest change was they really started to get a move on it when they received employee complaints and really tried to do away with a lot of the red tape.

In 2000 OSHA decided to take on the next phase and started to really focus on educating employers and employees. The website started to become a lot more popular with companies providing information for people. OSHA also developed a poster that gave people the ability to report all misdoings not just ones that were life treating.

The road for OSHA has been long and hard. They have fought and one many battles for the people. Since the company started back in 1974 they have worked very hard on constantly trying to improve OSHA’s standards and providing a much better work environment for people across the United States. I hope this has helped answer your questions about when OSHA was established and the various aspects of how it has come to be created today.

OHSA takes it standard setting very seriously. Everyone is allowed to give input on what they believe should be standards. People can have petitions draw up. Employers and employees can make suggestions along with state and local governments. Also the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) also have a lot to do with the standard settings dealing with OSHA. Many Different committees can be called on to help draw up plans for the standards. The two that are called on the most are National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health and the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health.

NIOSH is the main organization that gives recommendations for standard setting. They do all kinds of different research for OSHA and they also provide technical help for OSHA. NIOSH goes to different businesses and conducts their own investigations. Employers must report to them if their employees have been exposed to hazardous materials. They can also request for the employees of a certain company to take medical exams to better understand work related illnesses, which is paid for by NIOSH. If need be, the right is given to them to collect testimony from employers and employees.


OSHA Standards


All plans and denials of proposed standards must be published in the Federal Register. The proposals must either be published under, “Notice of Proposed Rule Making” or under “Advanced Proposal of Rule Making.” The advance notice often helps them to come up with more information on the proposed standard. Before any rule can be finalized, it must be approved by the OMB. All information from everyone involved is considered before the final decision is made. Any ruling can be appealed by any person directly affected at the U.S. Courts of Appeals.


Any small business that will be affected by the new rule can state their opinion on the subject. If a public hearing is not being held, anyone who will be directly affected may send in a written argument to try and have a hearing scheduled. OSHA must post the hearing date and time in the Federal Register if one is decidedly going to be held.
OSHA also has the right to set up an Emergency Temporary Standard until the permanent rule can go through. The employees at a company must be in great danger in order for it to pass. The emergency temporary standard must be posted in the federal register as, “Considered Proposal.” OSHA must make a decision within six months to have it finalized.


There are few different variances that employers can try and receive. If the employer is unable to comply with the new standard by the date set, they can ask for a variance. They must be able to prove the safety of their employees and that what they are doing is just as effective as the new rule. A temporary variance can be granted if employer is unable to meet the standard by the date that is allotted. They must prove employee safety and prove they are coming up with a plan for the new rule. The temporary variance is good for up to a year and must be renewed every six months. The temporary variance will not be granted if the employer can simply not afford the chances. A permanent variance will be given if an employer can prove that their methods are just as valid as the new standard.

OSHA Standards Settings


  • osha office standards and regulatipons for chairs

  • osha standard involving laboratory type workwplace safety, possible specific concerns would be the safety glasses standard.

  • Dental OSHA Standards and follow proper procedure to stay in line with osha dentist guidelines is a popular issue.

  • Burn Standards: The OSHA Burn Standards apply to a wide range of business models or pehaps federal or state job situations.

  • Construction Standards which can be complex, and greatly involved depending upon the type of construction safety you need to be concerned with with, and how to avoid citations

  • OSHA Hazard Communication Standard are another important issue to many businesses.

  • The concern of biological safety and disease prevention is always another important one, the osha bloodborne pathogen standard

  • Varying types of osha sanitation standards exist for obvious reasons.

  • interesting topics :
  • What special concerns to look out for if you are in the coast guard and responsible for maintaining osha standards

What is an OSHA safety seminar? A OSHA seminar is a place to learn about OSHA testing requirements, OSHA Hazard Standards, Communication Standards and more. Learn where OSHA inspectors are likely to look so you can ready ahead of time and obtain recent information on OSHA’s latest changes and updates. Discover more beneficial and economical solutions to safety. Avoid unnecessary fines and prevent common safety hazards that result in OSHA violations or other disaster, before they happen. Follow OSHA’s strict record keeping guidelines and save a step or two in the process.

At these training classes and seminars you can find out how to avoid hefty fines, citations, or worse. You can read about Cal/OSHA’s new, harsher penalty system.
How to stop employees from taking the shortcuts that could cost time, money, and possibly someone’s well being. Unfold the latest and the top mistakes, how to make them and how to avoid them. Get ahead of citations prior to having problems and learn what to do in order to appease the OSHA inspectors. Recent OSHA Seminars of note were the OSHA Half-Day Safety Seminars Fall 2007, OSHA seminar. Friday, January 18th, 2008 located on the Crowne Plaza Hotel seminar, and soon to come is the 2009 seminar which it should be interesting to pay attention to attendance this year what with the governmental policy changes on the rise.

OSHA Seminars and Resources for Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Seminars

    OSHA Seminar Descriptions:

  • What you should expect to be taught at a workplace safety seminar or training class.
  • Learn Annual OSHA Training and Compliance Regulations
  • Stay Inspection Ready
  • Ensure not only management but all employees are up to date with the lastest OSHA rules and regulations to maintain an educated level of safety

Things you should expect to find when sizing up OSHA Seminar Program Information, Class Schedules, or Safety Program Class details. All applicable CAL/OSHA regs should be made available to you or your employees.

Who Should Attend These OSHA Seminars?

Generally speaking these safety seminars are geared toward training safety managers, supervisors or anyone who would like to advance their practical experience staying in compliance with Cal/OSHA’s regulations and the ways to best keep employees safe from workplace hazards in best efforts of avoiding expensive violations.

Learn what it takes to be confident in your safety procedures and techniques, while keeping yourself prepared and inspection ready. Safety problem guides and fact sheets are often created for these seminars and these can be valuable tools to help safety inspectors, managers, or employees put into focus what they are taught about safety. Various methods and approaches to building a better safety policy and training program for your employees. How to keep your employees prepared and knowledgeable about safety and what inspires and encourages them to continue learning new ways to stay alert, alive and safe. How to meet current OSHA Standards and stay prepared for the next time. One of the best tools offered by many training classes are their step-by-step guide to taking a citation through the Cal/OSHA appeals process and what to do exactly.

            OSHA inspections are at the discretion of the Area Director or the Compliance Safety Health Director.  Inspections are usually held annually, unless there is reason for the inspectors to come more frequently such as hazardous materials in use. Inspections are to happen within normal working business hours and are not to disrupt the work habits of the employees. Surprise visits from the inspectors are allowed if the company is more prone to accidents, illnesses, or injuries. Follow up visits do not have to be announced.

When the Area Director or the Compliance Safety and Health Officer arrive, they are to show their credentials immediately upon entering the building. They also must explain the meaning behind their visit.  The inspectors that are sent will be certified to work with the materials and machines that particular business operates. They are allowed to use any instruments at their disposal that is related to their inspection. Pictures and environmental samples are allowed to be taken. The equipment that they use is not to damage any of the machinery. If the flash from a camera is harmful to something; they are not to use it. Just as everyone within the business, the inspectors must wear the appropriate gear for whatever they may be handling. At the end of the inspection all findings from the inspector must be reporter to the employer.

OSHA Inspection

An OSHA inspection cam be brought on by many different things, if OSHA receives complaints, reports of imminent danger, allegations that someone has been harmed by the company but was never reported, or a written, signed complaint from an employee or their representative. Other reasons an inspection can occur are as followed, a complaint about a company covered by OASH, no response from an employer who received a complaint against them, if a company receives a complaint within three years of past OSHA citations, whistleblowers, and a complaint against a business that is already scheduled for an inspection. If an inspection is imposed in such a way the investigation may require testimony from any witnesses. If a witness is called forth they will be paid as if they were a witness within the court system.

An employer must keep records of all exposure to hazardous materials their employees are exposed too and any kind of illness or injury that is in some way work-related. If an employer believes that they were treated unfairly by an OSHA inspector then they need to immediately contact the Secretary of Health and Human services. An investigation will follow in the work of the OASH investigator.

 There are a great deal of additional inspection worries that some must face over others.  Special attention and inspection of fire doors, filling out any prerequisite forms, cords and other tripping hazard inspection, forklifts are always of special note, but as long as you follow any and all OSHA safety guidelines you, your business, and any employee should be compliant with your OSHA inspection.  Remember, you want things to be safe too, this is all to benefit everyone involved and training is always something to be sought.

Work-Related Injury Forms
*OSHA Form 300
Form for Recording Work-Related Injury or Illness
This form helps OSHA to understand the severity of an injury or illness. At the end of every year the employer should post the report so all employees can review it.
*OSHA Form 300A
Summary of Work-Related Injury and Illness
This form must be filled out by every employer even if no accidents occurred that year.
*OSHA Form 301
Injury Illness and Incident Report
Form 301 must be filled out first right after the incident happens.
All three of these forms give OSHA an idea on all the accidents that occurred within the work place and the severity of those accidents
Inspection OSHA Forms
*1903.19 AppA
Sample Abatement Certification Letter (Not Mandatory)
*1903.19
Sample Abatement Plan or Progress Report (Not Mandatory)
General Industry Forms
*Appendix C to 1910.134
OSHA Respirator Medical Evaluation Questionnaire (Mandatory)
1910.134 must be filled out by anyone who needs a respirator at work.
*Appendix D-1 to 1910.146
Confined Space Permit
D-1 is needed by anyone working in a confined space.
*Appendix D-2 to 1910.146
Entry Permit to Confined Space
*Appendix A to 1910.146
Typical Minimal Lockout Procedure
A is needed for lockout of energy isolating devices when maintenance is being done on any kind of machinery.
*Appendix D to 1910.1001
Medical Questionnaire (Mandatory)
D is needed whenever a person is exposed to asbestos above the allowed exposure limit.
*Appendix D to 1910.1027
Occupational Health Interview with Reference to Cadmium Exposure
D must be filled out by everyone who works with cadmium.
*Appendix B-1 to 1910.1043
Respiratory Questionnaire
B-1 must be filled out by employees who develop respiratory problems at work.
*Appendix B-3 to 1910.1043
Abbreviated Respiratory Questionnaire
*Appendix D to 1910.108
Medical Disease Questionnaire (Non Mandatory)
*Appendix F to 1910.1051
Medical Questionnaire (Non Mandatory)
F is for work, medical history and health concerns.
*Appendix B to 1910.10502
Questionnaire for Methylene Choride Exposure
Construction Industry
*Appendix D to 1926.1101
Medical Questionnaire (Mandatory)
D is for exposure to asbestos above exposure limit.
*Appendix D to 1926.1101
Medical Questionnaire (Mandatory)

Note : There are a large number of varying types of additional OSHA Forms.

As office safety tips go, first on the list is that safety in the office must always be taken seriously. It is everyone’s responsibility to make sure all safety procedures are being followed to protect themselves and others. When accidents’ in the office occur everyone suffers. People are physically hurt and can also lose money from time off of work. People who aren’t involved in the accident directly suffer because work place accidents’ can cause insurance cost to go up. Many things that cause office related accidents can easily be prevented. Here are some safety tips that will help to keep your office accident free.

If you are an employer, have a meeting with your office staff to discuss coming up with a safety program. Make sure to get feedback from all your employees. They may have valuable ideas on safety that you may have over looked. If you are an employee suggest to your manager or supervisor the importance of coming up with a safety program and offer to help get the program under way. After the program is developed it is necessary to post signs visible to everyone stating the safety procedures. Have them posted in a highly visible area such as the break room or other common areas.

Every office should set up a no trip zone. What this means is any place that people generally walk needs to be keep clear of clutter. Excess paper, personal items, electrical cords should all be put in the appropriate places. Nothing should be sticking off or hanging off anyone’s desk. Make sure the computer, the printer, sharp objects, and anything else a person could be hurt on is pushed back far enough that no one runs into it when they are walking by. People often look straight ahead when they are walking not down at their feet. When a person leaves there area they need to make sure that all cabinets and drawers are shut at their desk. This is a very common trip hazard. It is everyone’s responsibility to make sure all spills are cleaned up quickly and accurately so no one slips including themselves. If everyone keeps their own area clean and tidy this is a sure fire way to prevent office related accidents.

Tips For Employee Office Safety

It is also very important for each employee to protect themselves from office accidents. The correct use of office tools is crucial. A person who tries to open a box with a paper cutter stands a real chance of being severely injured. The correct tool would be a box opener, and it’s a very good idea for offices to supply safety razors so, so there is no chance of a blade being left out and someone getting cut. Jewelry, hair and anything else that can be caught in office machinery should be taken care of properly. Long hair needs to be tied back. Loose articles of clothing and jewelry need to be paid close attention to so they don’t get stuck in anything. When lifting an item everyone must remember to bend at the knees. If something is too heavy to lift, then they must ask for help. Appropriate behavior must always be executed at the office, absolutely no horseplay. If an employee is found doing this then it is up to the employer to take immediate corrective action.
Some other great tips for office safety are make sure all book shelves are fasten correctly to the walls. A person could be severely injured if a book shelf fell on them. Another necessary must have for any office is a first aid kit. A simple cut could become infected and cause a lot more damage in the long run, but could have been prevented with a simple band aid.

Additional Office Safety Tips

Another substantial safety hazard is electrical systems. Everyone must always check for broken and frayed electrical cords and report them at once. A person could easily be electrocuted or worse a fire could start. All liquids must be keep away from anything electric, once again this is a huge fire hazard. Any door to an electrical room should always be keep free of destructions in case of an emergency.

Fire safety is always one of the most important topics that must be covered. It is a good idea for everyone to sit down and have a meeting just about fire safety alone. Fire exits should be clearly labeled and absolutely no destructions blocking any exit. In case of fire a evacuation plan should be clearly drawn up. Everyone should know to stay calm and what exit route to take. Once a fire route is set into action signs should be posted stating where everyone should go. A meeting place should be set up outside the building, where everyone can meet and be accounted for. It is also crucial that all employees learn how to operate a fire extinguisher and where the extinguishers are located. It might also be of value for the employer to invest in CPR classes for the office.

As anyone can see office related accidents are very easily avoided, with the knowledge of a few simple office safety tips. Communication is very important between employer and employee. A safety plan should be thought of and put into action. An office no trip zone can help to prevent slips, trips, and falls. It’s up to each employee to look after themselves and others. Electrical systems must be closely paid attention to. Fire safety most always be set as a top priority. With these few safety tips any office can prevent accidents.

   OSHA Safety and Health Program Rule :
    

The purpose of the OSHA Safety and health program rule is to reduce fatalities, illnesses, and injuries within the work place. All employers must provide workplace safety and health programs. The only employers exempt from this regulation are employers who work in construction or agriculture. All programs must be appropriate to the work place.

Everyone at the work place must be involved with the program including all management, supervisors, and employees. A training program must be set up by the employer. The manager, a supervisor, or an employee must be put in charge of this program. Their main duties would be to make sure that all rules and regulations are being enforced and that all training of workforce and all new hires is taking care of.  Any new hire must be trained in the program before they can begin working for the company.  All information, training, and resources must be available to everyone when needed. Employees must be given the opportunity to take part in all forms of training. The main focus of training program must focus on hazard identification, assessment, hazard prevention, and control.

      

OSHA Workplace Safety Programs

    

All employees have the right to report any fatalities, illnesses, or injuries. Employers in no way are to discourage in any form an employee from reporting such mishaps. It is the employer’s responsibility to make sure that a prompt response is given to any accident that is reported.

Employers must conduct inspections to make sure that all aspects of the program are running smoothly. Safety information must be constantly reviewed with management, supervisors, and employees. Any new equipment, materials, new processes must be carefully evaluated for safely and if need be the program reorganized to fit the new items. The assessment process must be carried out initially and after that every two years. The assessment process also must be done if new hazardous products are added.

     

The employer’s main obligation when dealing with the OSHA workplace safety and health program is to make sure that the program runs smoothly. They are to make sure all the appropriate training is being provided to everyone.  The employer is also to make sure that the employee reports all accidents and immediate response is being giving to the employee.

Prior to getting started with your safety programs, safety meetings, signs and other training materials it might be a smart idea to check out some common office safety checklists. You can run down the list and ask yourself these questions before you get started or you could turn these office safety checklists into a safety poster to be used around your office.  Copy the checklist into Microsoft word, then choose a background and print style for your safety checklist, print that out and you have yourself a safety poster you can use in your office to remind employees what they should keep on their minds regarding safety practices in the office.

Okay, so this is all fine and dandy but what the heck is an office safety checklist and where can you get one?  Well office safety checklists are not always the same.  Sometimes you may find that you wish to create your own checklist with all the safety topics and procedures that are most common in your business structure.  Another good place to get in touch with safety is of course the mother of safety themselves, OSHA safety checklist.  What could be better than going directly to the horse’s mouth for safety instructions. Here is an example of a safety form in use in Nevada and you can view this office safety checklist online anytime.

When it comes to safety, the plethora of dilemmas that we must overcome can seem endless, perhaps even overwhelming.  When it comes to picking the right safety program to follow at our place of work, choosing careful the matters and safety concerns that face your office tip the scales with regard to the importance of each workplace safety topic you cover prior to ’laying down the law’ so to speak. 

Here I will list the resources available that can help you prepare for one type of safety.  Learn how to keep your office safe with these office tips specifically geared at maintaining safety in an office setting as oppose to the myriad of other workplace settings from which there are to choose. Learn what is and what is not safe to use at the office. You may also wish to spend a few hours ahead of time reading up on any handy office safety tips that you may be able to find, or perhaps have a look through the OSHA guidelines to safety that deal directly with your business and employees. Preparing for the worst is often the best way to discover what you will and won’t need to be ready for in the future. Find out what some common safety issues in the office and what you can do to nip these problems in the bud ahead of time. And most importantly, learn why you should and how to promote safety in the workplace or office.

Communicating, with your fellow employees is certainly a high priority as well as a mandatory first step toward safety.  Though this may sound like a bad cliche, communication in the workplace is key.  Conflicts or miscommunication often leads not only vital mistakes being made with your business but also server to shift attention away from safety and toward office grudges.

Though communication and safety may not seem to go hand in hand, I think that we all are probably well informed that office communication as well as communicating one’s thoughts in general is certainly the best approach. 

Managers must communcitate with employees under their supervision and delegate responsibility in a calm and efficient manor.  When explaining safety protocols to other members of ‘the team’ it is important to remember just that fact, this is a team.  Should there be conflict on the workplace, there will be much harder to maintain a smoothly functioning ’safety wheel’.

As always, remember that developing company motto’s and slogans often serve to bolster spirits in the office and encourage communication in the workplace.

Are you safe at work?  What is Not safe for work?

Okay, so what we are going to cover here is some stage work. We are going to set up to prepare our new business for safety!

We know we need to be concerned with this safety thing, but how to get the job done might be new to us.  So here are some tips for starting up your safety procedures.  Everyone is familiar with safety signs, everyone has seen them even if it’s just the “how’s my driving sticker” on the back of some truck driving down the street.

So when starting out with your safety procedures, let’s decide what we don’t want the employees to have.  This may not be the first thing that comes to mind when running a business, and especially when just getting one started up.  Maybe you have had a job where you weren’t allowed to bring in your cell phone to work, maybe not.  Either way many companies set forth guidelines as to what employees may or may not bring on the premises.

??? NOT SAFE FOR WORK

Sample 'Not Safe For Work' Poster

Get yourself a funny workplace safety poster online or where ever you can.  You can place up these first posters in staff areas of your office.  Make this a list of “Not Safe For Work!” and list the items that you feel would be the most disruptive to your office.  This let’s your employees know right off the bat what is simply not acceptable as well as not safe for the working environment.  The workplace is not for fun and games, it is to get the job done.  Often measures employed in an effort to avert too casual a work atmosphere lend itself to workplace safety.  These posters let employees know what is not safe for work and not only help prevent accidents at work but also help to keep employees focused which in turn keeps them more aware and already you are on the right road to safety from day one!

What workplace safety topics are appropriate for your office’s safety meetings?

Whether you are conducting weekly safety meetings and need to be at a constant vigil for new safety topics to discuss at the meeting, or your meetings are help more sporadically over longer durations of time you are faced with some of the same dilemmas.  You must consider time, attentions spans, ability, and what are the most important matters that need be covered this meeting.  Prior to your meeting, gather your materials and prepare your presentation with care as you fashion each topic to be discussed at the meeting.  A search for free safety meeting topics may provide an easy foundation to build on as beginners are oft time discouraged by the monotony of creating new and interesting discussions for those to whom they are responsible for explaining these safety topics.

I will take some time here to guide you through a sample meeting and what common safety topics you might cover through the course of a normal office safety meeting or discussion group.

Okay so as we previously stated we are going to prepare our safety materials.  Search out some interesting topics that we might be able to use for our specific type of safety precaution and procedures.  Then we are going to decide which topics we need to go into detail with explanations and which topics we can briefly touch on and regardless of whether our employees absorb the information or not we will still be satisfied.  Do not prepare a lecture that takes longer to read than the Bible!  Let’s say our weekly safety meeting is an hour long, we are going to break this meeting down into 3 topics.  We are going to do our explaining of each topics one at a time and then field questions.  So the plan is to break up the session into 6 parts, 3 repetitions of 2.  We will first present the topic, explain the topic in detail and do any ’show and tell’, meaning we will present any safety pictures, safety signs, safety slogans or perhaps some original safety quotes that we have created ahead of time. 

After explaining our first topic, let’s say for a restaurant now we will be explaining floor safety.  We will discuss what this means to the employees, what we are talking about when we say ‘floor safety’.  We will explain to them this means not only accidents that can happen to due spills or wet floors but also accidents that can occur due to cluttered paths.  We will show them how to keep their workspace clean and to avoid tripping hazards.  We will explain how when travelling through the kitchen area, how kitchen safety and keeping routes through the kitchen clear for those carrying trays avoids burns, cut, fire, or worse.  Then we will demonstrate the new use of safety cones recently purchased that will be used by the expediters in their off time when cleaning the floors, they will set up their new cones which have small images of people slipping and falling.  We will be placing our new safety poster on doors leading into and out of the dining area warning waitresses to be careful when carrying trays entering and exiting the kitchen area.  And of course our original safety quote that all the employees can laugh at, ‘Just chill, look both ways before you spill.’  This may actually sound like a joke, but this is actually one of the best pieces of advice you can find.  Go ahead and make that quote up yourself, you may find your employees remember the quote better because it brings a smile to their face, albeit at your expense, but you are getting the message through!

At the end of the 10 minute discussion on the first of the safety meeting topics you will take the next ten minutes to field questions from your staff.  Once you are satisfied everyone is up to speed on the safety topics you put forward you will move to the next 10 minute safety discussion and then proceed to the questions and answers follow up again.  For our scenario we cover 3 topics per meeting, through perhaps we run a bit over the time limit for often than not ;)

Workplace safety facts, why should we know them and why should we care?

Safety Fact Report Graph Pic

Safety Fact Report Graph

Assuming you made it here, you probably are already familiar with a common safety quotation, “Safety First”. So perhaps the reasons are obvious as to why safety facts are important to you.  Convincing your employees, manager, or someone else is not always an easy task.  More and more companies are provide with things like slide-show presentations of cost - benefit - analysis of workplace safety and the facts that support these findings.  These can explain to corporate types in a language they are more familiar with just how important educating employees in safety can be.   Once you have made the decision to take the first step toward preparing your team with the safety facts your next priority become : What facts?!

Now, deciding on what office or workplace safety facts you need to share with your co-workers can be the hard part.  There are such a myriad of safety guides, recommendations, proposals, suggestions, signs, quotes, slogans and more.  Where should you begin the battle against the unsafe?

There is no one right answer to a question like that, however there are those with years of experience on the topic that you may find who are willing to share some insights that can only be gleaned through these years of experience. 

The opinion of this author is this :  When arming your team with the workplace safety facts they need, consider the type of job at hand.  You can find safety slogans, safety signs, safety quotes, safety calenders, and more that fit your genre.  This is important.  Not just any old safety quote will do, you can just spew forth some nonsensical or non-topical information about safety in the workplace and call it a day.  Safety is something where you get out what you put in, the more time spent educating yourself with relevant safety facts the more you will be able to share with others.  As you learn which safety facts deal with your business you will no doubt find that some of these facts were easier to learn and remember than others.  This can be your first guide to what you should use with your employees. Take some time to discover why these safety facts resonated with you so much.  Were the quotes used especially catchy? Do you find yourself able to repeat the slogans without hesitation.  Where the safety signs amusing or funny?  Maybe they were clear and to the point.  These trivial parts of the learning experience become a vital part of teaching your staff in much the same way you would strive for the best method of teaching your own child.

Here you can find many useful office safety tips in a wide array of categories. Depending upon what type of office you run, safety concerns can be different. Basic secretarial offices have significantly less safety concerns than say a popular electrical company employing 25 electricians. Electrical safety is a particularly difficult thing to manage as will require your efforts to be that much greater than the example of your run of the mill office building.

Do not be fooled into thinking that office safety does not have to concern you if your circumstances are the secretary position.

Office Safety Tips

There are many general safety guidelines that all office or workplaces should employ to keep their employees, customers, and selves safe from disaster and some expensive insurance claims.  Briefly I’ll cover some areas of the office where you may have overlooked simple office safety tips that can be implemented anywhere to help maintain good safety practices.

When dealing with storage areas or devices, such as book shelves, filing cabinets, boxes, or large stacks of paper remember to not only store these things in the proper areas of your office building but also to secure things in place.  A simple nightmare that can be avoided is a book shelf toppling down on some poor unsuspecting soul while they tried to add another file to the shelf. 

Electrical Safety In The Office :

Keep in the forefront of your mind some simple best safety practices to avoid electrical fires or disaster in your office.  Keeping a double socket-ed plug littered with 6 plug after 6 plug connected through extension cords longer than your intestines is probably not the best plan when dealing with these electrical concerns.  Another thing to be on the lookout for is faulty wiring, loose wiring, or just poor electrical wiring in your building.  These things can lead to fires that you may not notice in time to stop before the damage has been done. 

Similarly to the electrical safety concerns of faulty wiring is the possibility of other damage leading to problems with your electrical systems.  For example roof damage could cause leaking to begin through the insulation in the roof.  Many times water finds its way to places you would never have thought.  Usually wood is not the best method to contain water and as such if you have a small leak somewhere you could find that water from your most recent heavy rain has made its way to a sensitive spot near electrical wiring and could possibly cause sockets to short out, breakers to turn off or worst of all, the possibility of an electrical fire in your office.

Fire safety is surely one of the highest safety concerns for most insurance companies as well as flooding should you live in an area conducive to water damage.  Insurance companies go so far as to insure these safety concerns in multiple policies and separate policies for fire safety.  Why would these massively large companies do this if it wasn’t a top priority in their minds, meaning their millions of dollars in research.  Considering the importance they place on such matters it is certainly relevant to you to consider this safety tips when preparing your office.

Being Prepared For Disaster : Office Safety Tips

As with most office safety the best way to avoid danger is to be ready in advance and thwart safety problems that crop up before they have a chance to strike.  Something no office should be without is a safety kit, commonly referred to as a first aid kit.   Being prepared in case of emergency is by far the most important office safety tip I can offer.  The last thing you ever want to have happen is an injury where you are ill equipped to help the person in need.

What are catchy safety slogans and what important role do they play in safeguarding your workplace.  Why would one be concerned with which safety slogans are catchy and which are not. Winning safety slogans are one of the most relevant and simplest forms of a safety campaign that you can run among your employees.  With safety signs, quotes, slogans, games and everything else that has a safety slogan plastered across it, it is hard to know which slogans, quotes and the like will be an effective solution to your business and safety practices.  What better way to promote safety than in a way in which everyone can remember.  Now, like always it is imperative to point out that taking the subtle nuances into account when devising your strategy for safety is a crucial first step in understanding what must be done to make it easy to remember and perhaps even fun for those involved in safety management and those under their supervision.  In the past we covered games and what benefits games can bring to the work environment regarding the promotion of safety facts with employees, managers or whichever level of office you are dealing with, it is by the same safety methods that it is important to choose catchy slogans to use so that these safety sayings become second nature and most of all fun for those remembering the facts about safety. 

Catchy Slogans Relevant To Your Office :

  • Do no just select a slogan from a hat and call it a day!
  • All safety slogans were not created equal.
  • All workplace safety games were not created equal.
  • Choose your safety motto’s carefully.

Like when dealing with any large group of people it is important to consider the impact of your decisions.  Millions of dollars is poured into market research each your by companies far and wide all in an effort to yield some very plain and straight forward results that may seem easy to some.  The reason behind this research is to develop methods and best practices to convince the masses to do something they may not otherwise have an interest in, take a trip to an exotic new vacation destination, gambling on a riverboat, or as mundane as it may seem to you even workplace safety can be made entertaining with the right tools. 

Keep these thoughts in mind when it comes time for you to decide how important each aspect of your safety plan will be.