Everything You Need to Know About Workplace Safety Programs 

Roots in the Industrial Revolution 

The first move towards what we would recognize today as “workplace safety” began during the Industrial Revolution in Europe. This era saw a massive expansion in industrial and factory-based work in many countries. Before long, workers formed unions to demand better working conditions. Eventually, European governments responded by introducing rudimentary employee safety regulations. 

These first regulations were almost always industry-specific, with little consideration for each other. Some of the most-affected industries at the time were: 

1. Agriculture

Fortunately, advances in science and medicine also introduced new protections, and workers began demanding access to them. For example, our understanding of disease expanded rapidly during this era, leading to better treatments and prevention plans. 

Injuries from farming equipment could be treated with newer, more effective medical techniques. And a better understanding of the dangers posed by agricultural chemicals eventually led to better testing and labeling requirements by the twentieth century. 

2. Mining

Yet another dangerous industry was made even more dangerous by introducing new technology: the steam engine into mining. Child labor had long been used in many industries, including mining. But the introduction of the steam engine allowed mine owners to pump water out of deeper and deeper shafts, driving their workers even further underground. 

Underground engine equipment made deep mines even more dangerous. They introduced vibrations into unstable shafts, spewed poisonous and flammable gases, and dislodged rockslides. 

3. Railroads

Steam engines also led to the invention of rail transport. Early steam engines might have been slower than their modern counterparts, but they were also less stable. As a result, train wrecks and boiler explosions were common causes of injury and death in the early years. 

Despite those early dangers, railroads multiplied in popularity for transporting both people and freight. But eventually, that popularity made rail accidents too common to ignore. So by the end of the nineteenth century, air brakes, automatic couplers, and handholds were nationally-mandated in both the US and the UK. 

4. Manufacturing

The Industrial Revolution moved manufacturing from village workshops onto factory floors. This led to a broad range of safety concerns that were not immediately obvious to workers or factory owners. 

Poor ventilation and close quarters led to the rapid spread of disease among workers. Long hours and cluttered workplaces led to fatigue and many accidents and injuries. Following union strikes, the UK government passed the first manufacturing workplace safety law in 1802—the Health and Morals of Apprentices Act. 

Labor laws appeared around the world 

The organization of labor unions and workplace safety standards picked up after World War 1. The International Labour Organization (ILO) spearheaded this movement for many years. It included representatives from nine countries, including the United States, the UK, Belgium, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, France, Italy, Japan, and Poland. 

The standards pushed by the ILO represented what we would recognize today as the first “modern” labor and safety laws. But by the 1970s, they had become out of date with current health and safety expectations in many western countries. In particular, by the latter half of the twentieth century, it had become evident that industry-by-industry regulation was cumbersome to manage and prone to dangerous inconsistencies. 

Change came quickly in this era, in the US, Canada, and the UK in particular. 

The United States 

The US Federal government formed the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) in 1970, tasked with passing, regulating, and maintaining health and safety business standards for the entire country. Notably, OSHA was tasked with managing workplace safety for all workers, regardless of industry. 

Canada 

In 1978 Canada formed its equivalent Federal agency, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS). The Canadian government tasked it with pushing for “the advancement of safe and healthy workplaces and preventing work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths.” 

The United Kingdom 

In 1974, the UK passed the first act in a series of strong workplace safety legislation—the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA). This Act lays out the responsibilities of employers for ensuring the safety of their employees and the public. It also sets out the duties individual employees have in maintaining their own and others’ safety. 

The 1990s saw two other significant pieces of workplace safety legislation pass in the UK. The first was the Notification and Marking of Sites Regulations (NAMOS) of 1990. This statute requires companies housing hazardous materials to implement emergency planning measures and notify HSWA and local officials of the quantity and types of materials. 

The second was the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations of 1999. These statutes expanded and modernized specific regulations of the HSWA. They also required companies to conduct risk assessments of their workplaces and plan response efforts accordingly. 

So what is Workplace Safety today? 

While the Industrial Revolution is far behind us, today, we’re in the midst of the Digital Revolution, which has brought its own set of safety concerns and solutions. Many more people today work at home, on the road, or in hybrid arrangements. New automated smart technology is now also much more pervasive in the workplace. 

Employees in manufacturing, for example, must work alongside fast-moving robots, use a broad range of smart electronic devices, and often work in cramped or isolated conditions. Workplace safety regulations may not yet have caught up with our modern digital workplace, but fortunately, many technical solutions already have. 

Resources 

• The Occupational Health & Safety Administration (OSHA) in the United States 
• The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) in Canada 
• The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) in the United Kingdom 
• The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA) 
• Dangerous Substances (Notification and Marking of Sites) Regulations 1990 (NAMOS) 
• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (Management Regulations) 

1. Reduce risk 

Let’s start with the obvious: a workplace safety program can help reduce the number of injuries and fatalities your organization will face in a given year. Of course, protecting your employees is your top priority, but reducing injuries will also reduce regulatory penalties and civil suit payments you might face. So a strong culture of safety helps protect both your people and your bottom line. 

2. Reduce costs 

Better employee safety reduces more costs than just penalties. There are also damaged equipment you might need to replace, legal fees, as well as indirect costs. In addition, all of the time your personnel spend managing accident investigations are work hours not spent on revenue-generating activities. 

3. Protect your reputation

Your reputation can suffer if word gets out to customers or the press about an accident in your workplace. Preventing those embarrassing accidents can have significant downstream benefits. Unfortunately, some businesses have to learn this the hard way after suffering through a protracted worker’s compensation claim and the resulting bad PR.

4. Improve productivity 

A better environment boosts morale, provides a better sense of psychological safety in the workplace, and keeps workers on the clock. Less turnover and better attendance will keep your company productive. Over time, that increased productivity will add up, driving the growth of your company. 

5. Improve company culture 

A safety-first mindset lets employees know you care about their welfare. Employees trained to pay attention to small details like safety hazards will start paying attention to other small details too. As a result, you’ll boost individual morale and build a broader culture of safety and engagement throughout your organization. 

Resources

• A Safe Workplace is Sound Business (OSHA) 
• Benefits of Good Health and Safety (HSE) 

1. Coordinate your plan with emergency services 

A workplace safety plan requires coordination among more than just teams at your worksite. If an emergency strikes, you’ll need to ensure you’re working effectively with local emergency services. Include representatives from local medical services, fire departments, and law enforcement in your planning process. 

These representatives will be able to provide input on a broad cross-section of different aspects of your plan. Most importantly, they will likely be able to identify aspects you have overlooked. For example, your evacuation routes might pass near fire hazards. Or your muster points may be too close to your building, endangering staff and interfering with first responders. 

2. Keep your program simple 

Rarely will your staff need to follow safety procedures in a perfectly calm, organized environment. Instead, they’ll likely either need to follow procedures in the middle of a hectic workday, or worst-case scenario, during a full-blown emergency. Focus on your most critical safety priorities. Keep procedures clear and simple so that your staff can still follow them during stressful scenarios. 

Simple doesn’t mean simplistic, though. You still need to make sure your staff carries out every critical task. For example, your evacuation plan might need to include steps to: 

• Contact emergency services 

• Shut down critical infrastructure 

• Evacuate through the safest routes 

• What to do when you assemble at muster points 

3. Include provisions for all individuals 

Your workplace safety plan needs to cover the safety of more than just your employees. It is for everyone that might be in your facilities. That could also mean contractors, visitors, and temporary employees. 

Your plan should include provisions for protecting individuals who need to work alone in isolated or high-risk locations—security professionals refer to this class of individuals as “lone workers.” 

You also need to account for individuals of varying capabilities and those who might need assistance. For example, make sure your procedures can accommodate individuals with disabilities, older individuals, or those in poor health, such as with asthma or injuries that might limit their mobility. 

4. Thoroughly document all of your policies 

Document everything important about your safety plan. Everyone should be on the same page about what needs to happen day-to-day and during emergencies to stay safe. This policy portion of your safety plan should include: 

• Essential roles, like health and safety officer and emergency managers 
• Expectations of employees, supervisors, managers, and executives 
• Expectations of visitors and other external personnel 
• Consequences for breaches of the safety plan 

5. Keep the right tools handy 

You should store personal protective equipment (PPE) close to where staff will use them most often. This can create some administrative challenges, but automated storage systems can assist. 

Keep your PPE storage well-stocked with every type of equipment your personnel might need. Those could include: 

• Boots or shoe covers 
• Gloves 
• Safety glasses 
• Hard hats 
• Ventilators or respirators 
• Chemical hoods or suits 

Resources 

• OSHA Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs (PDF) 
• Health and Safety Programs - Questions and Answers (CCOHS) 
• Developing Effective Safety Management Programs 

Assign emergency managers 

The most essential roles you must assign are your emergency managers. These individuals are responsible for ensuring all procedures in your EAP are carried out in a given area. Emergency managers will report to a senior coordinator during an emergency. This coordinator is usually a security or health and safety professional in your organization. 

Some choose to assign emergency managers team-by-team, others floor-by-floor. How you assign them will depend on the size and layout of your facility. 

Emergency managers will carry out shutdown procedures on critical infrastructure and sweep floors to ensure everyone has evacuated. Then at muster points, they will take roll calls to ensure that everyone is safe and accounted for, provide first aid, and sometimes coordinate with first responders when they show up on site. 

Set evacuation routes and muster points 

Evacuation routes out of your facility must be navigable by people of all physical capabilities. Avoid routes that pass near hazards, such as flammable or poisonous materials, which might become unstable during an emergency and block the route. 

Muster points are where your people will assemble for roll call and first aid after evacuating. These points should be located at a safe distance from your building to protect workers from flying debris and give first responders room to operate. Make sure to assign an emergency manager to each muster point. 

Conduct periodic emergency drills 

We’re calling these “emergency drills” and not evacuation drills because the focus should be on training all aspects of your EAP, not just the evacuation part. Drilling helps emergency managers become familiar with their duties outside of the chaos of an actual emergency. Drills also allow managers to identify any details that your EAP might not have addressed. Employees can practice evacuating, familiarizing themselves with the closest route to their worksite, and identifying any details that might have been overlooked. 

Schedule regular drills at an interval that makes sense for the risk level at your local facility. Use these periodic drills as an opportunity to update your EAP. Ask yourself: 

• Has the local environment changed? 
• Are there any new risks we need to plan for? 
• Has new construction forced us to move muster points? 

Resources 

• Evacuation Plans and Procedures eTool (OSHA) 

To help with your planning process, here is a high-level workplace safety checklist you can adapt to your organization’s needs. This checklist hits the highlights of everything you need to do to develop a world-class workplace safety program. 

• Define specific goals for your safety program 
• Define the metrics you’ll use to measure the success of your program 
• Assign roles and responsibilities for day-to-day employee safety 
• Assign roles for emergency scenarios 
• Produce a written health and safety policy document 
• Give workers access to the document 
• Produce supporting documents, including injury logs, Safety Data Sheets (SDS), medical reports, inspection logs, and incident investigation reports 
• Train workers how to report hazards, illness, and injuries 
• Schedule periodic workplace inspections 
• Schedule periodic injury and incident log analyses 
• Schedule periodic program review meetings among stakeholders to discuss results of the preceding inspections and analyses 

Resources 

• OSHA Safety & Health Program Implementation Checklist 
• Safety Data Sheet Template 
• Employee’s Report of Injury Form (PDF) 
• Workplace Incident Investigation Form 

There are many items you should check when you conduct those periodic workplace inspections. Here is a sample checklist for a general office environment that you can use as the foundation for developing your own. 

• Is all necessary safety signage posted and readable? 
• Is there any loose material, debris, or worn carpeting on the floor? 
• Are exits and evacuation routes clear and unblocked? 
• Are stairways well lit? 
• Do all stairways have the necessary handrails?  
• Is furniture crowded? 
• Are exposed wires secured? 
• Are any chairs in poor condition? 
• Are desks and chairs at the proper height to avoid ergonomic issues? 
• Do any desks or cabinets have exposed sharp edges? 
• Are ladders safe to use? 
• Is all normal lighting functional? 
• Are fire extinguishers present and functional? 
• Is emergency lighting functional? 
• Are all exterior doors functional and in working order? 
• Is the HVAC system free of contaminants? 
• Is humidity within recommended ranges? 
• Are bathrooms cleaned regularly? 
• Are food prep areas cleaned regularly? 
• Are all equipment and consumable materials safely stored? 

Resources 

• Inspection Checklists (CCOHS) 
• Why Do Safety Inspections? 
• HSE Inspections of the Workplace