The OSHA Act of 1970 defined responsibilities for supervisors since they are considered the “Agents of the Employer”. To have a workplace free of hazards that could result in injury or illness, supervisors must be skilled to:
● Provide employees with a workplace free from recognized hazards.
● Comply with all applicable OSHA standards.
● Help to ensure reporting to OSHA all work-related fatalities within 8 hours and all inpatient hospitalizations, amputations, and losses of an eye within 24 hours.
● Provide required training to employees in a language and vocabulary they understand.
Unfortunately, supervisors are often unaware of unsafe behaviors or non-compliance issues due to their lack of knowledge or experience. Health and safety training and ongoing coaching for supervisors and leaders is a must and will positively impact the bottom line. A supervisor that understands how to identify and remedy hazards can prevent an injury from occurring. Many hazards can be observed simply by walking through the facility and assessing the following:
● Accessibility of emergency equipment
● Blocked exit paths or doors
● Use of machine guards
● Proper chemical labeling
● Hand and power tool use
● Housekeeping
● Proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
If an unplanned event (accident or injury) occurs, a properly-trained supervisor will complete a thorough incident investigation and develop action items that can impact deficiencies. They can also determine similar hazards in other areas within the facility and proactively prevent injuries or accidents from occurring there.
A trained supervisor can provide effective coaching, training, support, and leadership to employees to ensure they understand how to work safely. If a supervisor provides positive and creative feedback to employees, those employees will learn to provide self-corrective actions and ultimately work more safely.
The CMI team is well-versed in supervisor training and coaching techniques and routinely develops comprehensive programs and training.
Contact us to help prepare your supervisors to become skilled coaches and positive leaders.
Written by, Maret Schultz, Manager, Health and Safety Services