Accident prevention means more than posting a few signs and hoping that employees follow safety rules. It means having policies in place that will prevent injuries and accidents through education and awareness. It means involving employees from all levels of an organizational chart. It means encouraging employees to look out for each other. It means holding all employees, including management, accountable for following safety rules and procedures. After all, the person most responsible for your safety is you.

 

The core elements of accident prevention include management leadership, employee participation, hazard identification and assessment, hazard prevention and control, information and training, investigating accidents no matter their size to prevent them from recurring, and evaluating program effectiveness.

 

Management needs to provide the resources for program implementation and maintenance, including a sufficient budget, technical information, assigned responsibility, adequate expertise and authority, line accountability, and program evaluation procedures. Employees need to follow safety rules, look out for one another, and report hazards or unsafe acts so they can be taken care of as soon as possible.

Hofman Safety and Industrial Hygiene Consulting, Inc.

Accident Prevention and Safe Behaviors