Don't wait

It's a sad story, made worse by how often it happens.

A company doesn't have a safety system in place. They haven't done much to figure out what the risks are in their company and they don't have a robust training program. But they've been fine, probably for years. No one's been seriously injured or worse.

And then something does happen. There's a severe injury or fatality. Everyone scrambles to finally take this safety stuff seriously.

But it's too late.

We've been preaching on the value of creating a safety system in your company that is sustainable, can adapt to change, and that promotes transparency within all levels of your organization.

But maybe that message is too fast, too soon -- especially for newer businesses or smaller organizations. It can be tough to carve out the resources for safety when you're small or just beginning. And if you've been following our messaging, maybe it's too sudden a change and feels overwhelming.

Here's a word to the wise, though: Don't wait.

It might seem like the task is too big and you've got other issues that feel more immediate on your plate.

But don't wait.

If you haven't had a chance to sit down for risk assessment, lurking in your day-to-day operations are risks of all kinds -- some minor, but some probably much less so.

While you might go long periods of time without an incident -- years, even -- that doesn't mean you're necessarily doing things well or have captured your risk profile. It might just mean those risks have remained undiscovered or uncontrolled. And if they're major, it's only a statistical matter of time before something goes terribly wrong.

Consider these few simple, low-cost steps if you are at the very beginning stages of creating your safety program.

1.  Ask employees what the risks are. Ask them: What is the next incident going to be? They will probably know. Find ways for them to respond in a non-pressured way. Have a suggestion box. Or a great idea from another safety manager: have employees write down their prediction of the next incident on a post-it note and stick it on their supervisor's or HR manager's door. That takes the pressure off of talking during a meeting, or of having their name attached to a specific hazard.

2. If you don't get much response on this, (and you might not), don't give up! Take some baby steps to create engagement with employees. Find strategies to get to know them and build up that trust. Your frontline employees are your greatest resource on what the hazards are and where things can go terribly wrong.

3. Unless there's an immediate severe hazard, before you jump into a solution (new PPE, new policy, new anything), discuss with stakeholders, including frontline employees and their supervisor(s). Roll out solutions on a trial basis. Do field tests with a couple different solutions.

4. If a control you've put in place doesn't quite fit the bill as promised, don't give up. Consider creative solutions: Can you combine controls? Tweak your current set up? Have you considered refining your processes? So many times safety is conceptualized as the enemy of productivity, but time after time, we see that it can actually enhance productivity and streamline processes with a little creative problem solving.

Taking those first baby steps to a safety program does not require masters-level education on safety compliance. It doesn't mean you should stop there, either. But don't become paralyzed with options and information about safety regulations. Act now! Don't wait.