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What to Focus on During National Safety Month Part 1 featured image

What to Focus on During National Safety Month Part 1

Although safety is always an immediate concern on the jobsite, contractors and construction firms should commit even more time to promoting safety in the workplace during the month of June, which doubles as National Safety Month. In this two-part article, OSHA lawyers will discuss a variety of safety topics related to National Safety Month 2019.

Observing National Safety Month

The National Safety Council (NSC) is committed to safety. As it states on the organization’s website, “The National Safety Council eliminates preventable deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy.” NCS wants employers to get the word out this June through several training and education initiatives focused on reducing injuries and fatalities in the workplace.

For a full list of ways you can “share the safety message in June,” please visit the National Safety Month section of NSC.org. Some tips for employers to engage with employees includes:

  • Share Safety Resources: Whether it’s downloading free safety materials from NSC or from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), contractors should always have plenty of available resources on hand to offer employees access to educational and training materials. The more your employees are educated, the less of a chance a serious accident occurs at your jobsite.
  • Create a Thought Leadership Channel: Many employers will share a newsletter, blog, or social media posts as a way to spread the word related to valuable safety information. Another creative way to promote a safe workplace is to host trivia contests rewarding employees that have done their homework. There are a variety of creative ways you can promote safety in the workplace aside from just dishing out safety manuals.   
  • Risk Assessment and Hazard Identification: Contractors need to make safety practices second nature to their workforce. Along with offering on-the-job training, construction firms should also make identifying hazards an ongoing activity for all of their projects. As we will discuss more in this article, this is a vital topic related to workplace safety.

The Four Weeks of National Safety Month

National Safety Month focuses on an important safety topic each week. In 2019, NSC is committed to covering the following topics on a weekly basis:

  • Week 1: Hazard Recognition
  • Week 2: Slips, Trips, and Falls
  • Week 3: Fatigue
  • Week 4: Impairment

For more information on each of these topics, please read part two.

If you would like to speak with an OSHA lawyer, please contact us today.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.