Workplace safety is not just a list of rules. It’s a process. It takes commitment and effort, and ultimately it is something that is achievable.

There is always opportunity for improvement. Keep the following in mind as you review your current process to let safety drive your business success:

• Keep it simple and take one step at a time.
• Lead your business with safety, placing a focus on preventing injuries and losses.
• If you do not react to an injury or loss, that is a missed opportunity for the future.
• Workplace safety should be done because it is the right thing to do.

Here are seven best practices to focus on as you design your safety and health program, or enhance what is already in place as you evaluate your current process:

• Establish safety and health as a core value: Communicate to all workers your No. 1 goal is to keep your employees safe.
• Lead by example: Demonstrate safe behavior in everything you do and make it a priority in your daily interactions with workers.
• Implement a reporting system: Establish a system for workers to report all injuries, illnesses, near misses and safety concerns.
• Provide training: Train workers on the safe methods for performing their job, as well as how to identify and report unsafe conditions.
• Conduct inspections: Inspect the workplace on a regular basis – using a checklist to guide workers through the process – and assure that unsafe conditions and behavior are corrected.
• Address emergencies: Plan for identified emergency situations, including communicating the instructions to all workers, and periodically conduct a drill to test the plan.
• Make improvements: Take time to discuss safety and health issues with your workers. Seek input on workplace changes and implement hazard controls to improve overall safety.

While OSHA can be a four-letter word for some, here is a link to helpful resources to improve your safety process: https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/download-recommendedpractices.html.