Engage Employees During National Safety Month

National Safety Month provides an annual opportunity for companies to educate employees and reinforce job site practices that promote safe behaviors, helping businesses reduce injuries and even deaths. 

Did you know that the total cost of work-related injuries in 2019 was $171.0 billion? The National Security Council also reported that a total of 105 million workdays were lost in conjunction with those injuries.

Here are four ways your company can put a new twist on a familiar focus with actionable activities for maximum employee involvement.

Maximize Involvement with Incentives and Rewards

Incentivizing engagement is a great way to get your staff on board when it comes to introducing and practicing safety policies and procedures necessary in keeping the workplace environment safe for all. Whether you are requesting your staff to review safety protocol updates or read new standards of procedure, get them involved in all aspects of preparedness, prevention, and wellness by rewarding participation with points that can be exchanged for paid time off, company gear, or gift certificates.

Recognition programs are also a great way to celebrate teams and divisions who’ve remained incidence-free and continue to stay up-to-date on reviewing all safety materials.

Showcase Your Company’s Safety Team

Introduce your safety officer and all support staff––include in each introduction the team member’s role in maintaining safety and how they serve as a point of contact for various safety concerns and questions. The introductions can be as simple as including staff bios in your company’s newsletter or make the introductions more memorable with an in-person snack and greet or create digital clips that can be repurposed for new employee orientation. This is also a great opportunity to highlight Human Resource’s role in safety management.

Host a National Safety Month Event or Digital Campaign

Community outreach ideas during National Safety Month could include hosting a fundraiser or a 5k to benefit a local organization that focuses on caring for the more vulnerable members of your community, such as older adults and children.

You could also create safety campaigns for your business’s social media platforms (LinkedIn, Twitter) and pair the campaign with an employee challenge, encouraging staff members to share and engage in conversation on campaign posts. For both company safety events and campaigns, consider focusing on one safety topic for the entire month.

Brainstorm Events to Discuss On-going Concerns

From mental health to workplace sanitation to COVID-19 precautions, employees are looking to your management for assurance that their health and safety are front and center. What better way to make sure your workforce feels heard when it comes to expressing their safety concerns than to let them share at brainstorming sessions or round-table discussions.

Not only is this a great way for teams to collaborate on workplace safety, but it can also serve as a platform from which your personnel shares safety practices with their families and in their communities.

Safety as an On-going Collective Effort

Fostering a culture of safety in your company doesn’t have to be boring. With a little bit of creativity, highlighting safety issues during National Safety Month can translate into a year-round effort towards preventing injuries and saving lives. For more tips on promoting a safe workplace, check out our website blog!