Safety Makes Cents

Preventing workplace injuries and disease makes good business sense. An employer who places priority on health and safety within the company will realize direct human and financial benefits when their workplace injuries decline. Companies who pay attention to workplace health and safety will not only become much more competitive, but can spare the pain and suffering to workers and their loved ones that come with serious injury or a fatality. Take the Supervisor Q&A! Do you know your rights and responsibilities as a supervisor?

Supervising Health and Safety

If you’re a new supervisor — or even an experienced one — you may not realize how much responsibility you have in the workplace. Supervisors are legally required to ensure the health and safety of all workers under their supervision. Even if you’re not called a supervisor, if you instruct, direct, and oversee workers as they perform their duties, then you are responsible for their safety on the job. If a worker under your supervision is seriously injured or killed, you could be held responsible. And if the findings of an investigation indicate criminal negligence, the penalty could be very serious.

Watch Out For Young Workers

Statistics show that workers aged 15 to 24, particularly young men, are more likely to get hurt on the job than anyone else. Most young worker injuries occur during the worker’s first six months on the job. Serious accidents — even amputation or death — can happen in a heartbeat. Spend extra time with your young and new workers to make sure they’re ready to work on their own. Young workers look to their supervisors as role models, and will likely expect you to provide the necessary training and supervision so they can do their jobs safely. Young workers usually don’t have the experience to be able to recognize and avoid hazards. Many won’t ask questions for fear of looking incompetent among their peers. It’s important not to assign jobs to young or inexperienced workers unless they are properly trained.

Do Your Due Diligence

It’s up to you as the supervisor to do your due diligence. This means that you need to do everything within reason to ensure the safety of your workers. You can prove your due diligence by keeping written records of training and supervisory duties. In an accident investigation, WorkSafeBC officers may ask for proof of what you did to prevent workers from getting injured.

Take Responsibility

As a supervisor, you are responsible for the following:

• Make sure that you have the authority and ability to carry out your responsibilities.
• Make sure that your employer provides you with the information, instruction, training, and supervision you need to ensure the health and safety of your workers.
• Know, comply with, and enforce workplace health and safety regulations that apply to your workplace and the specific jobs you are supervising.
• Evaluate equipment to ensure that it is safe for use, and make sure workers operate it safely.
• Know the hazards associated with the jobs you are supervising, and ensure that your workers are aware of all known or reasonably foreseeable hazards in the area.
• Consult and co-operate with your joint health and safety committee (or worker health and safety representative).
• Know your rights, and ensure that your workers know their rights.

Tips For Supervising Safely

• Make sure everyone under your supervision knows and uses safe work procedures.
• Make sure only authorized, trained workers operate tools and equipment, or use hazardous chemicals.
• Don’t allow shortcuts, carelessness, or recklessness.
• Correct unsafe acts and conditions. Identify workers with problems that could affect safety at the worksite.
• Foster positive worker attitudes toward safety. Be a role model and lead by example.
• Plan for safety instead of reacting to accidents.

Resources

You can find publications and videos at WorkSafeBC.com (click “Publications”).

Excerpted from WorkSafeBC Magazine, March/April 2007, Vol. 7, No. 2.