Companies are only as strong as the people behind them. Yet every day, nearly 11 workers die on the job while another five million are injured annually.
These numbers are not only startling, but completely unacceptable. No one should go to work with the fear of not returning home and safety should never be considered a cost of doing business.
Take the heartbreaking story of Day Davis. Just 90 minutes into his first shift as a temporary worker at a manufacturing plant, he was crushed by a piece of equipment when a simple lock-out-tag-out procedure went wrong. More than 2,000 lb. of material fell on Davis, killing him within seconds. As the numbers show, tragedies like these are not unusual. The more devastating part is they are completely preventable. ?
As a leader in workplace safety for more than 100 years, the National Safety Council is working toward a goal of zero harm. We’ve found that world-class organizations have a strategy based on continuous improvement that calls for committed leadership and engaged employees; sound safety management systems; lowering risk to acceptable levels; and continually measuring and improving performance — what we call the Journey to Safety Excellence.
Last fall, the Council, with support from national founding sponsor Grainger, launched the Journey to Safety Excellence campaign to address the need for a strong focus on safety in the workplace. The largest workplace advocacy effort of its kind, the Journey is a roadmap that provides free online tools to help organizations and their safety teams keep workers free from harm.
Think of the Journey as your partner, here to help you along the way. By joining the Journey to Safety Excellence you are not only making a commitment to yourself, but you are helping keep your workers, clients and community safe.
What are the benefits?
The Journey to Safety Excellence is completely free and easy to use. Sign up online at www.nsc.org/journey to get instant access to:
Journey tools: Compare your safety performance and progress alongside other companies. Get help measuring baselines, identifying and prioritizing areas for improvement, setting realistic goals and monitoring your progress.
Journey guides: Explore more than 100 safety and health topics at your own pace.
Safety talk: Connect with others just like you, pose questions, share best practices and learn from the experts.
Journey news: Stay updated on the latest trends in safety and find out if a safety event is coming to a town near you.
Investing your time in safety makes sense. Employers who care about safety not only improve the morale and productivity of their workers, but they also see lower costs.
Whether they know it or not, all organizations are on the Journey to Safety Excellence– just in different stages. Figuring out where you are now can help you find ways to move forward.
Remember, the Journey is continuous and there always are ways to improve. Your employees are counting on you.
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