Why is good safety leadership important to small business? Our WHS team provides the answers.
Small business owners have a vital role to play when it comes to safety leadership and promoting a strong safety culture in an organisation. When workers see priority placed on working safely, they are more likely to be motivated to follow safety procedures and raise safety issues.
By supporting and encouraging positive work health and safety practices, a better safety culture will develop.
This will also help avoid costly incidents and injuries, minimise productivity disruptions and reduce overheads.
Leader commitment
Be clear that you are serious about work health and safety through your personal and business practices.
Your commitment to safety can be clearly shown by spending the time, money and resources needed to provide a safe and healthy working environment.
Encourage participation
You can improve the safety culture in your workplace by encouraging others to get on board with your approach towards work health and safety.
This can include the way you speak about safety, respond to safety issues and involve others in thinking about and acting upon safety issues.
Productivity improvements
When employees feel safe and supported, they are more likely to be focused, engaged and efficient in their work. Integrate safety measures into daily operations and workflows.
Regularly assess and improve safety protocols to minimise the risk of accidents and injuries.
WHS Act duties
You have duties under WHS laws to keep people in your workplace safe. Make sure you are familiar with the regulations and keep up to date with the changes.
Other Resources
How can CCIWA help?
CCIWA's work health and safety team can assist with:
- Ensuring a clear safety policy is visible to staff and visitors.
- Including your staff when planning ways to raise the importance of safety in your business.
- Understanding the safety risks in your business and doing something about them.
- Putting systems in place to communicate safety issues, both to and from your workers. Include information about the safety communications system in your business documentation e.g. planning and inductions.
- Formally communicate your focus on safety to everyone involved in your business via email and meetings.
- Making sure supervisors in your business are consulted on safety, and they all apply the same approach when supervising safety practices.
Our qualified workplace health and safety experts provide cost-effective solutions to manage your WHS needs, reduce the risk to your workers and help you meet WA’s WHS laws. Email [email protected] or call (08) 9365 7746.