service and hospitality safety association of saskatchewan inc.

Working To Zero

ZERO injuries are achievable  

It makes good business sense to work safely and to do this, you need a plan. An employer committed to ZERO injuries is simply working to prevent injury for as long a period as they possibly can. They insist upon a continuous and consistent focus toward ZERO injuries. 

The “ZERO-injury concept” simply tells all employees that “ZERO” is exactly what is expected. With ZERO as management and worker commitment, no one can then be harbouring even the subtle thought that an injury, if it occurred, would somehow be viewed as an acceptable event. Safety is everyone’s business. With this in mind, all employees can use their combined skill and industry knowledge to work extended periods of time without a lost time accident or even an incident. 

Achieving Safety Results  

Successful employers benefit from having a safety culture. It is essential that every person in your organization understand the concept of maintaining a safety oriented, incident-free workplace. Senior management sets the tone and expectations of an organization. Without their commitment and support, safety and disability management programs will have limited effect. 

Once you have established your business’ current status in terms of occupational health and safety performance, you can establish the scope of your health and safety management system. It is important to define the scope of your management system. In order to design it, you need a clear understanding of what you are going to manage. 

A commitment to safety includes hazard identification and elimination as a key plank in a successful safety program. Employers who make deliberate, planned efforts to build and sustain a safety culture can achieve ZERO. They set the tone by: 

  • Directing employee behaviours through orientation, training, and setting safety performance expectations.
  • Influencing attitudes by demonstrating safety leadership, sustaining realistic safety programs, and encouraging participation from employees at all levels in the organization.
  • Enhancing regulatory awareness by communicating legislative changes to employees on an ongoing basis.
  • Fortifying the determination and resolve of supervisors to manage according to the safety management program in the organization.
  • Building effective disability management into the company’s business plan and clearly communicate corporate disability management policies to employees.

Best Practices Highlights  

Employers who have a plan and manage safety, in the same way they manage cash flow, revenue and other issues see a positive impact on the bottom line with lower WCB assessment premiums, less need for overtime and more efficient production. It also improves the workplace for all levels of staff by demonstrating the organization’s commitment to protecting its workers. 

These common practices help ensure their organizations maintain a continuing focus on safety: 

  • Senior Management Commitment must be visibly committed to, and supportive of, safety and disability management initiatives.
  • Communication about safety and disability management are regular, ongoing, effective and targeted to every person in the organization.
  • Education and training around safety and disability management are mandatory and continuous for all employees.
  • Workplace Safety & Health Committees
    • Formal OH&S committees with representation from both management and workers are established and supported by senior executives.
  • Safety Leadership
    • A safety and health ‘leader’ is designated and supported by management in order to help understand the organization’s health and safety needs and fulfill its safety goals. 
  • Incident Investigation 
    • Internal incident investigations are conducted immediately when accidents or near misses occur to identify obvious and underlying causes and to prevent future incidents from occurring. 
  • Accident Analysis and Trend Recognition 
    • Accidents and near misses are analyzed, trends are identified and corrective actions are taken on an ongoing basis.  
  • Risk & Hazard Control 
    • Processes are developed to help control risk of accidents on an ongoing basis and address safety issues when they occur.  
  • Disability Management and Modified Work Plans 
    • Processes must be in place to reduce the impact of workplace incidents and effectively assist injured employees back to work as quickly as medically possible. 

Call the Service & Hospitality Safety Association to assist you in developing a safety strategy and plan for your organization. 

  

The information presented in this website is intended for general use and may not apply to every circumstance. It is not a definitive guide to government regulations and does not relieve persons using this website from their responsibilities under applicable legislation. SHSA disclaims any liability or responsibility for loss or damages from the use of information contained in this website, or for the violation of any law or regulation with which any of the information in this website may conflict.