October is National Safe Work Month. However, safety should be the number one priority for employers and employees, not just in October, but every single day of the year. It’s a responsibility shared by everyone, and by working together, we can make the workplace a safe and positive environment.
National Safe Work Month 2022
The theme for National Safe Work Month 2022 is Know safety, work safely - encouraging everyone to make health and safety a priority in the workplace. We encourage you to do just that. Let’s all commit to raising awareness on the importance of safety at work. And, use this time to consciously and intentionally focus on building a safe and healthy environment.
A safe work culture is instigated by management and has a flow on effect across the entire company. A positive workplace culture improves teamwork, raises the morale, increases productivity, and enhances workforce retention. Strong leadership from management around a safe work culture is so important for setting standards and increasing safety awareness across every level of the business.
Ideas to implement into your workplace this October
We’ve put together a simple list of ideas for National Safe Work Month that you can easily implement into your business.
Host a morning tea with a focus on safety. Safe Work Australia has put together a comprehensive and engaging campaign plan that aligns with this year's theme. It contains free downloadable and customisable resources to assist with raising awareness. Click HERE to access the campaign kit.
Launch a new health and wellbeing initiative for your employees. It could be as simple as a quick meditation session once a week, encouraging stretch breaks, or introducing a step count competition within your team.
Conduct a survey. Don’t be afraid to ask your employees about their understanding on safety policies and procedures. It will help you identify gaps in their knowledge that you can address.
Set proactive safety goals and reward your team when these goals are met. This means the entire workforce will be striving for better safety outcomes together. Rewards are a simple and easy way to encourage safety at work and keep employees positively engaged and motivated.
Host an interactive safety workshop that involves your team and reinforces key safety messages, policies, and procedures. Read more about the importance of implementing regular safety talks in the workplace.
Offer ongoing safety training and support. There is no such thing as being too safe and businesses should always strive for continuous improvement. Make sure workers have access to – and complete – comprehensive safety training for their role.
Don’t underestimate the importance of keeping a clean environment free from hazards. Promote a culture where everyone tidies and cleans their workspace and equipment after use. A cluttered or dirty work area may lead to avoidable accidents and injury.
Have an open-door policy when it comes to safety. Make sure it’s easy for employees to come to you with safety concerns or questions. Workers should always feel comfortable when truthfully reporting a safety incident or near miss. Always keep an open dialogue and encourage communication and discussion around safety related topics. Communication is essential for confronting safety issues head on, and prevention is always better than treatment. Read more about the importance of incident reporting for both accidents and near misses.
Awareness is the foundation of a very successful health and safety system in any organisation. National Safe Work Month presents a great opportunity to refocus your business’ attention on the importance of safety.
At Labour Solutions Australia we operate under a zero-harm strategy and believe everyone has the right to return home safely and unharmed. Visit the safety section of our website for more information about how we ingrain this into our culture, leadership, and actions.