Washington — OSHA, NIOSH and a number of safety organizations – including the National Safety Council – are encouraging managers to commit to a safety pledge as part of the Safe + Sound campaign, a national initiative intended to promote awareness and understanding of workplace safety and health programs.
The coalition provides a template featuring numerous recommended pledge promises, including:
- Make worker safety and health a core value by discussing existing safety and health measures, ways they can be improved, and ways safety has personally impacted workers.
- Work to continuously improve workplace safety by identifying and eliminating hazards using a systematic approach.
- Communicate with workers about safety programs by detailing safety and health initiatives in weekly employee newsletters and posting program updates in break rooms.
- Demonstrate a visible presence in the workplace by conducting regular safety walkarounds in different areas to observe what’s happening, talk directly with workers, and gather feedback for potential safety and health improvements in the organization.
“When management leadership is sincere and is supported by actions, workers know that safety and health are important to business success,” the Department of Labor says. “A safety pledge is one way to demonstrate your commitment to workplace safety and health.”
The coalition invites managers to sign and date pledge sheets and share them via social media using the hashtag #SafeAndSoundAtWork.
