Improving the Health and Safety of Your Small Business
Improving the Health and Safety of Your Small Business
“Safety and health professionals have not done a good job in demonstrating to small businesses why safety and health is good for business,” said Del Sandfort, manager of the Occupational Health and Safety Consultation (OHSC) in Fort Collins, CO, that’s funded by the U.S. Department of Labor with consultation services provided by Colorado State University.
Sandfort, who has 26 years of industry experience, maintains that safety professionals have tried to cram safety and health down business owners’ throats, by saying that “it’s the law” and “it’s the right thing to do.”
“Business owners don’t go into business to enforce health and safety laws,” he said. “We are just now recognizing that there truly is a positive business aspect to health and safety management. We are learning how to help small businesses manage their health and safety situations and incorporate that into their management plans.”
It’s no mystery to Jim Smith why small businesses can’t seem to get their health and safety act together. As managing director of Southeast region risk control services for Arthur Gallagher Risk Management Services in Boca Raton, FL, he noted that small businesses don’t provide the training and don’t have professional staff available to work on these areas.
“Unless you have a good owner who’s running the safety program who has workplace protection, it’s generally going to fall by the wayside,” said Smith, a 23-year risk industry veteran.
Yet many small businesses don’t have formal safety procedures and practices in place on the job. These companies rely heavily on the owner to set the pace in terms of safety because it’s not a high priority area so if the owner gives it the short shrift the workers and the business will suffer.
A tough nut to crack
“The tragedy is if it’s done right [health and safety procedures], you can incorporate it into your business practice,” he said. “If you’re bidding jobs or services you can build it into your pricing structure.”
One key reason why small business owners haven’t fully embraced the merits of a quality health and safety program is because they haven’t learned how to manage these issues the way they manage business issues.
“Before they learn how to manage health and safety issues they need to know why it’s important,” OHSC’s Sandfort said. “We’re still kind of treading water getting the message across. It’s a tough nut to crack. Most people don’t understand why safety and health is a good thing for their business.”
Arthur Gallagher’s Smith believes the way to stem this tide with small business owners is to implement aggressive outreach programs.
“I don’t think regulatory issues are the answer,” he said. “We’ve got to change the mindset of the small business owner and give them really good, effective tools to use to be able to be successful. We’ve got to be able to share the success and tragic stories with them.”
Having been on agencies with regulatory developers, Smith knows it’s tough to write a standard that applies to everybody across the board.
“Either you miss something or you create something so burdensome,” he said. “Programs such as OSHA’s outreach, those are the things we’ve got to really stress.”
At Colorado State, Sandfort says experts preach the health and safety gospel before trade associations, public forums, local safety conferences and small business meetings. When a particular group cites its success, it can really start the ball rolling.
Slow road to progress
“A trade association where one business has been successful demonstrates that success is really a valuable tool and that it can work for them,” he said.
What’s ironic about small business health and safety issues is that having a lack of resources or staff is not a valid excuse since there are programs and websites available such as www.osha.org and www.safetyonline.com that offer free help and information to help companies foster improvement.
Small business owners should contact the consultation program in their state to ask for assistance which usually comes in three forms. First, the employer can ask for a hazard identification visit to learn what violations they might have. Next, a business can request a review of its safety and health management system where consultants review their safety and health hazards. Lastly is implementing training in these areas.
Fiducial franchisee Sam Smith of Middletown, MD, indicated that several of his large construction clients were flagged for safety violations so they brought in OSHA approved experts to conduct training seminars for their workers. These sessions could prove to be life-savers especially since companies doing large-scale commercial projects often take on risky tasks such as caulking between sections of glass in high-rise buildings some 50 stories up.
OHSC’s Sandfort finds it gratifying to see the progress made by some small businesses after assessments were made on their health and safety environment. Nothing is more satisfying for him than to visit with clients then follow up with them a year or two later and find that their business was directly affected by positive improvements made in their operations without spending money on injury and illness.
“Our whole program is about helping business,” he said. “Our service costs nothing, it’s absolutely free. It makes sense to me.”
Safety impacts the bottom line
Dale Ellery, district manager of Fiducial’s Detroit, MI, region, doubts whether most small business owners are actually doing enough for the health and safety of their employees.
“We never think anything can go wrong but it does,” said Ellery. “You should have proper lighting because it’s getting dark earlier these days.” You also need to have proper security systems in case somebody breaks in.”
Ellery speaks from experience because early on in his career, his business was broken into which taught him a valuable lesson.
“As soon as that happened I knew we had better get a security system,” he said. “Now we have lots of lighting, tall lamps and a security system. We have panic buttons in four locations in the building to call the police. The building also has television monitors to see who’s at the front and back doors.”
Fiducial’s Smith ensures the well-being of his business with a security system that includes motion detectors in his office building. Going paperless also helped improve the safety environment for his employees.
“We don’t have to worry about any large file cabinets tipping over and there are no heavy files to be lifted,” said Smith.
Having a safer working environment can also pay off as far as the bottom line is concerned.
Some businesses have found they could save as much as $50,000 to $100,000 by eliminating hazards from their workplace. OSHA nationally recognizes those businesses that have excelled through its Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP).
“We clearly have shown that by reducing injury, illness and hazards, compensation costs go down so the business saves money which they can reinvest in their operation,” Sandfort said. “It’s a slow road but we’re making progress.”
Improving the Health and Safety of Your Small Business - To learn more about this author, visit Stephen Parezo's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
Despite workplace fatalities and injuries now at an all-time low, health and safety experts contend that the majority of small businesses still face significant problems in these areas. Industry officials admit they shoulder some of the blame for the current state of affairs.
“Safety and health professionals have not done a good job in demonstrating to small businesses why safety and health is good for business,” said Del Sandfort, manager of the Occupational Health and Safety Consultation (OHSC) in Fort Collins, CO, that’s funded by the U.S. Department of Labor with consultation services provided by Colorado State University.
Sandfort, who has 26 years of industry experience, maintains that safety professionals have tried to cram safety and health down business owners’ throats, by saying that “it’s the law” and “it’s the right thing to do.”
“Business owners don’t go into business to enforce health and safety laws,” he said. “We are just now recognizing that there truly is a positive business aspect to health and safety management. We are learning how to help small businesses manage their health and safety situations and incorporate that into their management plans.”
It’s no mystery to Jim Smith why small businesses can’t seem to get their health and safety act together. As managing director of Southeast region risk control services for Arthur Gallagher Risk Management Services in Boca Raton, FL, he noted that small businesses don’t provide the training and don’t have professional staff available to work on these areas.
“Unless you have a good owner who’s running the safety program who has workplace protection, it’s generally going to fall by the wayside,” said Smith, a 23-year risk industry veteran.
Yet many small businesses don’t have formal safety procedures and practices in place on the job. These companies rely heavily on the owner to set the pace in terms of safety because it’s not a high priority area so if the owner gives it the short shrift the workers and the business will suffer.
A tough nut to crack
“The tragedy is if it’s done right [health and safety procedures], you can incorporate it into your business practice,” he said. “If you’re bidding jobs or services you can build it into your pricing structure.”
One key reason why small business owners haven’t fully embraced the merits of a quality health and safety program is because they haven’t learned how to manage these issues the way they manage business issues.
“Before they learn how to manage health and safety issues they need to know why it’s important,” OHSC’s Sandfort said. “We’re still kind of treading water getting the message across. It’s a tough nut to crack. Most people don’t understand why safety and health is a good thing for their business.”
Arthur Gallagher’s Smith believes the way to stem this tide with small business owners is to implement aggressive outreach programs.
“I don’t think regulatory issues are the answer,” he said. “We’ve got to change the mindset of the small business owner and give them really good, effective tools to use to be able to be successful. We’ve got to be able to share the success and tragic stories with them.”
Having been on agencies with regulatory developers, Smith knows it’s tough to write a standard that applies to everybody across the board.
“Either you miss something or you create something so burdensome,” he said. “Programs such as OSHA’s outreach, those are the things we’ve got to really stress.”
At Colorado State, Sandfort says experts preach the health and safety gospel before trade associations, public forums, local safety conferences and small business meetings. When a particular group cites its success, it can really start the ball rolling.
Slow road to progress
“A trade association where one business has been successful demonstrates that success is really a valuable tool and that it can work for them,” he said.
What’s ironic about small business health and safety issues is that having a lack of resources or staff is not a valid excuse since there are programs and websites available such as www.osha.org and www.safetyonline.com that offer free help and information to help companies foster improvement.
Small business owners should contact the consultation program in their state to ask for assistance which usually comes in three forms. First, the employer can ask for a hazard identification visit to learn what violations they might have. Next, a business can request a review of its safety and health management system where consultants review their safety and health hazards. Lastly is implementing training in these areas.
Fiducial franchisee Sam Smith of Middletown, MD, indicated that several of his large construction clients were flagged for safety violations so they brought in OSHA approved experts to conduct training seminars for their workers. These sessions could prove to be life-savers especially since companies doing large-scale commercial projects often take on risky tasks such as caulking between sections of glass in high-rise buildings some 50 stories up.
OHSC’s Sandfort finds it gratifying to see the progress made by some small businesses after assessments were made on their health and safety environment. Nothing is more satisfying for him than to visit with clients then follow up with them a year or two later and find that their business was directly affected by positive improvements made in their operations without spending money on injury and illness.
“Our whole program is about helping business,” he said. “Our service costs nothing, it’s absolutely free. It makes sense to me.”
Safety impacts the bottom line
Dale Ellery, district manager of Fiducial’s Detroit, MI, region, doubts whether most small business owners are actually doing enough for the health and safety of their employees.
“We never think anything can go wrong but it does,” said Ellery. “You should have proper lighting because it’s getting dark earlier these days.” You also need to have proper security systems in case somebody breaks in.”
Ellery speaks from experience because early on in his career, his business was broken into which taught him a valuable lesson.
“As soon as that happened I knew we had better get a security system,” he said. “Now we have lots of lighting, tall lamps and a security system. We have panic buttons in four locations in the building to call the police. The building also has television monitors to see who’s at the front and back doors.”
Fiducial’s Smith ensures the well-being of his business with a security system that includes motion detectors in his office building. Going paperless also helped improve the safety environment for his employees.
“We don’t have to worry about any large file cabinets tipping over and there are no heavy files to be lifted,” said Smith.
Having a safer working environment can also pay off as far as the bottom line is concerned.
Some businesses have found they could save as much as $50,000 to $100,000 by eliminating hazards from their workplace. OSHA nationally recognizes those businesses that have excelled through its Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP).
“We clearly have shown that by reducing injury, illness and hazards, compensation costs go down so the business saves money which they can reinvest in their operation,” Sandfort said. “It’s a slow road but we’re making progress.”
Improving the Health and Safety of Your Small Business - To learn more about this author, visit Stephen Parezo's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
| |||
 |
No article feedback found. | ||
|
Leave Your Feedback | ||
|
|||
 Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide Act 2008
| |||
| Are you aware that the new Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide Act came into force in the UK on 6th April 2008? |
|||
|
5.10 Social protection: Working Out of Poverty
| |||
| The impact of poor health, particularly HIV/AIDS, on employment
and incomes and the policy priorities. |
|||
|
Improving the Health and Safety of Your Small Business
| |||
| Despite workplace fatalities and injuries now at an all-time low, health and safety experts contend that the majority of small businesses still face significant problems in these areas. |
|||
|
1.13 Working safely out of poverty: Working Out of Poverty
| |||
| The poorest workers are the least protected. More often than not, prevention
of occupational accidents and diseases is missing from the agenda
where they work. Hazardous work takes its toll on the health of worker... |
|||
|
5.12 Social dialogue: Working Out of Poverty
| |||
| Promotion of tripartite mechanisms to strengthen the decent work dimensions
of national economic and social development policies aimed
at poverty reduction. |
|||
| |||
Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
|||
David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
|||
Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
|||
Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
|||
Casey GollanCasey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website |
|||
Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
|||
Bernard ReberBack in late 1992, MS Access hit the streets. About that time the company I managed needed new software to handle their growing client base and I decided to try this new product. I had little difficulty writing and adapting a database to suit us and discovered a hidden talent for programming. A business was born. With business studies and 25 years of management experience in three different countries under my belt, I could offer a unique combination of skills and my customers agreed. From these humble beginnings my software 'invoiceit' emerged in 1999 and has since been taken to 49 states (hello Wyoming, won't you join us?), all across Canada and more than 70 other countries. From the very beginning the program included cashbook accounting, the simplest form of keeping financial business records. The Dictionary.com defines 'cashbook' as "A 'book' in which to record money received and paid out". For 'book' substitute 'simple software' and that's what I'm about. Now I have published Simple Accounting, an inexpensive spreadsheet solution which even you can master. For just $14.95 it costs less than a takeout meal! More at http://www.scrambled-card.com/simple_accounting_main.htm - Visit Bernard Reber's Website |
|||
Dr. John OdaJohn Oda Ph.D NLP is a business peak performance expert, an author, and speaker frequently called upon to provide corporate training, workshops and seminars for many companies in the United States. He is an expert in coaching sales and business professionals in overcoming the behaviors and obstacles that may impede their sales results and affect their bottom line. Since 1995, John has created a speaking bureau such topics, which include: time management, sales training, human diversity, leadership programs and etc. He provides companies with a strategic plan to increase their bottom line by over 25 percent yearly. - Visit Dr. John Oda's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
 | |
 Stephen Parezo (Visit Stephen's Website) Stephen Parezo is the Media Manager for www.fiducial.com , a leading small business portal that offers "nuts and bolts" resources and advice for today's entrepreneur. Now in his 29th year as a professional journalist, Stephen has been covering the small business sector for decades and has demonstrated a flair for taking complicated subjects and making them easy for entrepreneurs to understand.
|  |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
 |
 | ||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
|
| ||
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 |
 PIPS Power Book Website Planning Your Life Your Legacy ACES Research Report Make Attitude Your Ally |
|
 | ||
 |
Top 50 Blogs For Startups
Top Blogs To Watch In 2008 | |
 |
Top Social Business Blogs
Top Social Entrepreneur Blogs | |
| ||
 |
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
||||||||||||
