Building a Safety Culture Begins with One Step

Every organization should have a loss prevention manual that outlines safe working practices. If your organization is operating without a formal program, the first step to implementing one is to draft a loss prevention policy statement. The success of a loss prevention program hinges directly on the support, involvement and emphasis of your organization’s C-level management. Building a safety culture must come from the top down, not from the bottom of your organization up. To succeed, a safety program must ensure that all managers, supervisors and employees understand the importance of safety at all levels of the organization.

The cornerstone or first building block of your safety program is a loss prevention policy statement. This is a statement, signed by your company’s top-ranking official, establishing your organization’s safety culture. This statement reflects management’s support of health and safety in the workplace. It also clarifies the expectations and responsibilities for all individuals within the organization. Employees, including supervisors and managers, will participate in safety only with senior management’s emphasis and support. This policy is the first building block that builds a strong, effective loss prevention program.

Development of this statement is not as difficult. While there are many differences in form and content of these statements, the common thread is the message that the health and safety of all employees is paramount to achieving the organization’s mission. How can a company expect to achievement its mission without healthy employees, safe working environments and protection of its assets? This policy statement demonstrates the owner or manager and top executive-level management are committed to ensuring that safety, health and asset protection are organizational objectives.

While the format of the statement may vary, be sure to include these important features.

• The signature of the top official in the organization.
•  State management’s concern for safety of employees and protection of assets, property and the organization’s reputation.
• Express the desire to minimize financial loss to the organization and its personnel, including stakeholders.
• Assign specific responsibilities for loss prevention within the organization.

This policy will help to implement the safety culture of your organization. There are many sample loss prevention policy letters available with a Google search. Here is one from the State of Louisiana https://doa.louisiana.gov/orm/PDF/LP_policystatement.pdf. These samples can be used as a starting point. Or, your insurance agent or broker can to assist with the statement development.

Once drafted, be sure to disseminate this document to all employees. This is the first step to building a safety culture. This policy statement should be the cornerstone of your organization’s safety program.