Studies tell us that 95% or more of the time an accident is caused by an unsafe behavior. The reason the accident happened was that somebody did something or failed to do something.  Thinking about the last car accident I had, it was simply a result of me failing to pay attention to the car in front of me as we were merging onto a road.  Predictably, I hit the rear of the car when it stopped.

Here are three things we can do to promote and reinforce safe behaviors in our workplaces.

1.. Develop clear policies, procedures and rules that provide clear expectations to your work force and then enforce them through consistent disciplinary practices.

2.  Provide effective training to instruct employees how to follow the rules.  We cannot expect an employee to properly lockout a piece of equipment if he/she hasn’t been properly trained to perform lockout/tagout.

3.  Acknowledge and reinforce safe work behaviors by catching employees doing the right thing and letting them know you appreciate them for working safely.  Public praise goes a long way toward creating a workplace where all are doing the right things consistently.  It is especially significant to an employee when a top manager shows this appreciation.

Promote, reinforce and gain consistently safe behaviors in your workplaces. The result will be fewer injuries.