Workplace Safety – Finding Root Causes

Have issues with workplace safety like accidents and injuries?

Can’t figure how how to deploy effective workplace safety strategies?

Is the cost of workers’ compensation skyrocketing due to workplace injuries?

Hi, I’m Gordon Coyle – I’m an insurance broker that has focused on workers’ compensation insurance for decades and worked with clients that face these challenging issues.

If you do as well, take a look at this video and post and see if it resonates with you.

Also, if I don’t entirely answer the question that’s on your mind that made you click on this video, or if you’ve got other concerns or issues and you want to talk to someone about it –

PLEASE, contact me. email, phone, book a call, whatever works for you.

I’m here to help you unravel some of the headaches associated with worker injury risk and workers’ compensation insurance.

Alright, if you’re challenged by workplace injuries and you’re trying to do the right thing by preventing them but often stymied by why these accidents happen and how to control them I want to share with you an idea that may be helpful.

This is certainly not the only idea or solution, but one of many that I’ve deployed over the years to help employers get on the right track and I hope it helps you too.

Often business leaders will see this huge problem –

1. workers are getting injured, there’s a drop in productivity,
2. they’re feeling pressure from the workforce that the workplace needs to improve safety,
3. there are increasing workers’ compensation insurance premiums,
4. there may be lawsuits or other external threats like OSHA has been called in
5. and the whole situation is overwhelming.

You may have tried to have safety meetings.

Your insurance company may have tried to offer assistance with loss control.

But there’s an overall complacency with workers and managers when it comes to safety.

And all of this is happening while you’re trying to run a company, make a product, make a profit, and keep everyone from customers to workers happy.

It’s not easy.

On top of all of that, you as the leader of the company never got training on how to install a culture of safety, or how to make safety a priority.

They don’t teach these types of things in an MBA program.

So, how do you begin to unravel this problem and fix the safety issues your company may be experiencing?

I think it starts with conversations.

But not necessarily in the board room or among leadership.

I think it starts at ground level – your workers on the front line.

These are the people who are seeing the injuries and accidents happen. They have feelings and emotions around these incidents, and you want to tap into that.

It requires empathy. Lots of empathy.

It also requires that those conversations take place in a safe environment so that workers can speak their minds with the goal of finding solutions, not blame.

Workplace injuries don’t just affect your bottom line, they really impact your employee’s and their family’s bottom line.

Not just financially, but emotionally and physically as well.

So fixing the problem needs to come from a place of preventing unnecessary human suffering.

And that’s how I start these conversations.

When we tap into and understand this human perspective, we all win, and it opens the door to more productive conversations which can lead to solutions.

I’ve been amazed at the ideas and suggestions that come from these discussions.

Are they all great ideas that can be implemented?

No, of course not.

But they may spark some processes, procedures, and workflows you as the boss never thought of.

Finally, I think you’ve got to give credit where credit is due and that means acknowledging the team members who contributed to a safer work environment.

It could mean monetary acknowledgment, but in most cases, public acknowledgment goes a lot further.

Have other questions on creating a safer work environment with the goal of ZERO worker injuries?

Let me know, I’d love to hear from you in the comments box below, or by email.

If you need help on controlling workers’ compensation claims give me a call and let’s chat.

Thanks