In British Columbia, besides being compliant with WorkSafe BC regulations, Safety meetings are essential to the workplace. Safety is the key to keeping your company, workers and customers safe and free of any dangerous hazards, especially if your workplace requires employees to work around dangerous equipment or chemicals.
As an employer, you need to make sure that your employees are well trained and informed about any risks in their work environment and the necessary steps to avoid any dangerous situations and avoid injury to themselves.
Safety meetings must be conducted monthly by the JOH&S Committee or assigned safety officer. Routine and repetitive work tasks often lead to decreased in attention, and workers will start to pay less attention to the hazards around them. By cutting into the routine with planned safety meetings, you remind your employees to pay attention to any, and report any hazards and unsafe work.
“A well-trained individual should be responsible for leading the monthly safety meetings; they must know and explain the safety procedures and how to prevent any accidents from happening in the workplace.”
Organizations with fewer injuries tend to be more productive, building a stronger team, mentally and physically. Employees are more trusting towards their co-workers and their employer; they know they can depend on each other to keep everyone safe at their workplace.
Every company must have specific policies and procedures in place to promote safety. Every worker must be trained and should know what to do and where to go in the case of an emergency; better yet, they know how to prevent the emergency in the first place. A well-trained individual should be responsible for leading the monthly safety meetings; they must know and explain the safety procedures and how to prevent any accidents from happening in the workplace.
“Employers can influence the safety cultures, keeping their employees informed, educated, and leading by example.”
Many workplaces are too lenient with their safety procedures. By implementing a Health and Safety program and conducting safety meetings, employers can influence the safety cultures, keeping their employees informed, educated, and leading by example.
Also, it’s important for employer and management to assign a group of people who have learned to collaborate and communicate effectively and who can address appropriate issues and take corrective actions. Management implements the committee’s recommendations by updating organization wide policies and procedures and training employees on any new information.
These are two important questions to ask yourself: Is your company aware of the health and safety legislation and regulations in your province? And does your company have a proper Health and Safety Program in place?