Did you know that there were 30,540 injuries resulting in more than a week away from work that occurred from May 2019 to April 2020?
If you've seen an uptick in injuries in your workplace, you should look into improving your safety culture and your safety strategy. But, what's the difference between safety culture vs. safety strategy? Improving your employee's safety habits around your workplace is difficult, but it's essential to keep your employees safe.
We're here to break down everything you need to know about the differences between these two safety-related topics in this guide. Keep reading to learn more!
what is a safety culture?
Safety culture is the behaviours and attitudes that shape the entire company's Safety Systems and practices. A negative safety culture will cause workers to dismiss safety rules and safe work procedures to meet production goals or other related deadlines.
In a safety culture, there are four main characteristics that a workplace should focus on. This includes positive, negative, reactive, and proactive indicators.
A positive safety culture will demonstrate its effectiveness in the workplace. If there are many incidents within your workplace, it may be a sign that you have a negative safety culture.
A reactive safety culture Is commonly found with a reactive safety system, which will begin to fill the supposed to protect employees. A proactive safety culture will work with a proactive safety system and avoid consequences that are commonly seen with a reactive safety culture.
what is a safety strategy?
A safety strategy is a type of high-level plan that is designed to keep employees safe. And that this plan, there will be an outline of how workers can consistently meet one or several safety goals related to the workplace.
Individual workplaces or a company can work together to develop a safety strategy. There are specific goals outline in a safety strategy. However, there aren't specific policies that are implemented to achieve these safety goals in a safety strategy.
Implementing a safety strategy will define the targeted goals of a specific safety plan. One example of a safety strategy is to improve the safety culture within a company.
benefits of a safety culture and safety strategy
There are many benefits to establishing a safety culture and a safety strategy. Not only will it help to create a better place for your employees to work, but it also develops a common goal that all employees can work towards to develop a sense of accomplishment.
Let's get a closer look at the benefits of a safety culture and safety strategy:
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Improved TPA Claims
Developing a safety culture and a safety strategy will improve the ease of a TPA claim. This is because, as an employer, you'll be able to provide your employees with an outline of what safety practices they need to be following.
If your employees do get hurt and file a claim against your company, a Third-Party Administrator can analyse your safety practices. The TPA will take a close look at your safety culture and strategy, to see if any practices need to be better aligned with your strategy.
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Employee Engagement
Another benefit of improving your safety culture and your safety strategy will be to increase your employee engagement. For any safety program to work, your employees need to active and participating.
Developing a safety strategy alongside a safety culture will encourage your employees to realise that safety is a big part of their jobs. This will help your employees to take the first step towards taking personal responsibility for their own safety practices. Plus, it'll help them realise that there isn't any reason to take unnecessary shortcuts or put themselves at risk.
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Company-wide Motivation
Many companies tend to forget that offering a safety culture and safety strategies also boosts motivation levels among employees. Gifts and other instant gratification motivators will be the primary motivation for some of your employees. However, finding ways to encourage your employees' behaviours to work towards a common goal can be implemented through a safety strategy.
Work with your employees to discover what type of rewards and awards they would be interested in receiving. This will allow you to gather information from your employees about what methods can be used to make them feel appreciated for accomplishing certain safety-related goals.
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Credibility
Not all companies keep up-to-date with the latest training and guidelines. There are also some companies that don't enforce using PPE. Some companies even tend to blame workers for when there is an increase in injuries.
Developing a safety strategy in a safety culture demonstrate credibility within the workplace. This credibility will develop when management begins to meet safety basics to establish an attitude that demonstrates safety as a priority. Management will also need to encourage safety goals by announcing them publicly and keeping them visible for all employees to look at drop the day.
safety culture vs safety strategy: why you need both
By understanding the differences between safety culture vs. safety strategy, you can develop both within your company. Developing a safety culture and a safety strategy within your organisation well-developed tangible results to reduce workplace injuries and accidents. Plus, this will help your company to save money on costs associated with poor workplace safety practices.
Are you interested in learning more about how to develop risk control within your company? We're here to help you. Click here to learn more today!
Disclaimer: The advice and guidelines recommended in this article may change in the future as more and new information becomes available.
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