Health

Creating a Health & Safety Culture in the Workplace

Talking to workers about health and safety makes them feel heard, builds trust, and creates a safer workplace for all.

By Jessica Kirby / November 7, 2022

BCBusiness + WorkSafeBC

Credit: WorkSafeBC

Talking to workers about health and safety makes them feel heard, builds trust, and creates a safer workplace for all.

Promoting a positive health and safety culture can start with a single voice. Once every worker understands they have something to contribute and to gain, momentum builds.

According to WorkSafeBC, a positive health and safety culture in the workplace comprises shared practices, attitudes and perceptions that influence behaviour. That culture has many influences, including leadership, peer perceptions and workplace conditions, but one thing is clear: the stronger and healthier the workplace safety culture, the stronger, safer and healthier the team.

According to the UK report “The impact of health and safety management on organizations and their staff,” organizations with a proactive approach to health and safety management tend to perform better in terms of profit margins, number of accidents and days lost because of accidents.

The research team also found that workers with positive perceptions of health and safety in the workplace reported better general health, greater job satisfaction and greater appreciation of risk. Additionally, better mental health was linked with higher job satisfaction, higher retention rates and an increased likelihood that workers would follow safe work practices and contribute to a supportive work environment.

WorkSafeBCSmall actions can lead to big results when it comes to health and safety.

Employers can work with their teams to collectively identify health and safety risks. Workers have great insights into the demands of their job and can help assess risk factors and potential controls for mitigating risks. Developing a risk-management plan and implementing controls, such as machine safeguarding or anti-slip floor treatments, demonstrates to workers that injury prevention is a priority.

Holding regular health and safety meetings, having conversations that encourage input and correcting any safety challenges that arise will all help your team feel heard.

Each of these actions can ripple outward, supporting both workers and employers in committing to being healthy and safe. A culture that prioritizes health and safety is everyone’s job—and it creates a safer workplace for all.

Start today.