Required safety training and how-to posters hung up in the breakroom can only go so far in creating a workplace culture that makes employees feel both safe and productive. To improve safety programs and convince leadership to shift organizational priorities, aspiring safety professionals must go beyond learning about potential hazards at a job site or the ins and outs of industrial hygiene. They must master the basics of organizational psychology and communication.
As part of Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s (SOSU) online Bachelor of Science in Occupational Safety & Health program, students explore the principles of organizational management and learn how to strategically integrate safety training into the daily culture of their companies. The program prepares graduates to implement real-time workplace solutions to prevent accidents and build trust among colleagues.
The Role of Compliance in Workplace Safety
Every company must ensure their organization meets all federal, state and local workplace compliance requirements. As Envoy points out, those requirements may vary across industries and sectors, but most involve mandates for workplace security, data security and privacy. If a business does not follow the proper procedures, it could face financial penalties from regulators. Worse, such negligence could result in employee injury or death.
While compliance with regulations is key to every organization’s success, Kee Safety warns against creating a compliance-driven approach when it comes to workplace safety. If a company solely focuses on meeting standard regulations, it is often overlooking risks that are unique to its specific facility or industry. In a compliance-driven environment, hazards are often addressed after an incident or inspection, potentially leaving many issues unresolved until they become more serious challenges. In addition, employees can be left out of the safety conversation when companies focus solely on compliance, leading workers to disengage and participate in unsafe behaviors.
Workplace safety communication also suffers under the compliance-only mindset. After a safety incident, teams often find that everyone did not know exactly how to respond despite completing required safety training, according to Appspace. For protocols to be followed, employees need safety to be consistently embedded into meetings and decision-making processes. Rather than only being mentioned in the context of incident reports or training sessions, safety metrics should be incorporated into daily conversations — just like other metrics of company progress.
The Impact of Leadership on Compliance Adherence
Kee Safety recommends safety professionals of all stripes, including facilities managers, occupational safety and health managers, and first line supervisors, work toward establishing a safety-first culture. That culture can be defined by a few characteristics:
- A commitment from leadership to model safe behavior
- Investment in resources that promote safety
- Prioritization of safety practices as decisions are made about the company’s future
- Regular review of training and policies to ensure they reflect new risks and are updated to incorporate the latest technology.
Under safety first leadership, employees are also encouraged to report hazards and suggest solutions that could improve safety for all, even if doing so impedes business operations. Leaders must prioritize building a sense of trust and clear boundaries so employees feel psychologically safe in the workplace, according to Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson, author of The Fearless Organization. Edmondson points to research that shows team members who feel safe expressing their ideas, take risks and learn from failures without fear of punishment not only perform better, but are more innovative and better prepared to respond to unexpected challenges.
Become a Workplace Safety Specialist with an Online B.S. From SOSU
The comprehensive coursework in SOSU’s online B.S. in Occupational Safety & Health program equips students with the skills and knowledge needed to excel as a workplace safety specialist. The Safety Program Management course delves into how to design and implement workplace safety programs. The Fundamentals of Safety Engineering and Human Factors course teaches students core concepts related to material handling, workplace exposures and protection, and production operations. Students can also elect to take the Management and Organizational Behavior course to learn how human behavior influences organizations and how to effectively manage that behavior in dynamic environments.
Upon graduation, rising professionals understand what it takes to create a safety-first culture — and how to translate that knowledge into results for their employers. Beyond ensuring companies achieve regulatory compliance, graduates make an impact by creating solutions that protect workers from hazards and prevent on-the-job incidents.
Learn more about SOSU’s online Bachelor of Science in Occupational Safety & Health program.