Many organizations believe the coverage and advice provided by their insurance company is adequate to cover the safety of their employees. This is true in that insuring an organization and its employees are necessary parts of doing business and that the coverage provided can help a company after an incident has occurred. But an insurance company cannot take the place of guidance from a safety management company or the protection provided by a culture of safety in the workplace.
Risk Mitigation vs Safety Management
Insurance company advice falls into the realm of risk mitigation. These companies can offer direction about the general risk involved with a specific safety issue or incident when consulted. This results in advice that is generally binary — either the issue is a safety hazard or it is not. But these companies fall short of being able to offer specific solutions for how to update processes to prevent future injuries.
An insurance company’s scope is limited when it comes to safety management because they lack the expertise and knowledge provided by a company specializing in the subject. A safety management company works with employers to full understand the process and procedures they use to get their work done.
The safety management company understands the nuance of safety regulations, proper safety education, and the influence of culture on safety habits. They are able to analyze a company’s workflow on site to produce a comprehensive view of a company’s safety performance and provide holistic, actionable insights for each individual organization. This leads to proactive solutions the organization can adopt to prevent injuries before they happen.
Proactivity to Protect Employees
Safety management actively reduces overall injuries whereas reactive measures from risk mitigation addresses injuries or incidents once they occur. Which is why a culture of safety is so important. A safety management company provides the tools to build a strong culture of safety. This culture encourages teams to continually improve safety measures, complete operational tasks more efficiently and cost effectively, and creates less downtime from safety issues.
A safety management company shows employers how to create functioning safety programs with equal buy-in to the commitment of safety and continuous improvement. Embracing a proactive safety program commits the team to success through actionable safety goals and in-depth safety education that creates a better functioning organization overall.
The Power of Working Together
It’s always better to strive to be proactive and preventative with safety solutions. Which is why it’s important to utilize both the coverage of an insurance company and the safety expertise of a safety management company.
Using both establishes a culture of safety through proper safety education and workshops for proactive safety support while also covering employees and the company should a worst case scenario happen. Because employees at every level of an organization deserve the peace of mind knowing that they are prepared before and after a safety incident.
Optimum Safety Management provides the information and services to help companies develop safety leaders and improve overall safety performance. For more information on how Optimum Safety Management can assist with your businesses’ safety needs, contact an expert today, or reach out via phone at 630-759-9908.
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