“Be SAFER in Life – Stop, Assess, Formulate, Execute and Review” 

The National SAFER Workplace Day is based on the acronym, S.A.F.E.R., which stands for Stop, Assess, Formulate, Execute, and Review. These five steps are designed to help companies identify and address safety concerns and risks at work. Employees have an expectation of safety in the workplace and employers are required to provide an environment that remains as safe as possible. 

Workplace injuries occur every seven seconds  

Many of these injuries are related to machines. Investing in machine safety measures can help reduce the incidence of injuries and ensure workers’ safety.

Feeling safe is “extremely important”, say 73% of workers

According to an AlertMedia Employee Safety Report, 73% workers say that feeling safe is “extremely important” when at work.

A workplace safety program reduces injuries by 50%

According to the American Society of Safety Engineers, a workplace safety program can reduce injuries by 50%.

About half of serious injuries unreported

According to OSHA about half of serious injuries that occur at workplaces are still going unreported (LDG Law).

Compare businesses injury/illness rates

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offers a free tool called “Injury Tracking Application (ITA)” on their website to produce a report comparing injury/illness to rate of your business to your competitors.

The primary goal associated with S.A.F.E.R. is to achieve a safer workplace. The five letters represent the steps or systematic approach to identifying and correcting workplace risks. 

S stands for STOP:  The idea is one of prevention, as to avoid having to stop production due to a workplace accident or injury. It is important for employers to foster an environment where employees feel comfortable discussing unsafe working conditions to help avoid accidents due to known risks.  

A stands for ASSESS:  After identifying an unsafe condition, the next step is to assess the safety concern to decide the steps that need to be taken to minimize exposure to the hazard. One method to estimate the severity of the concern is by calculating a Hazard Rating Number (HRN), which allows for quantifying a problem and taking a closer look at a machine or process to ensure proper regulations and requirements are being followed.

F stands for FORMULATE:  Once an assessment is completed and the concern has been reviewed by the qualified personnel, the next step is to formulate a plan. If actions need to be taken, this is the time to develop the best solutions. The team creates a solution by taking into consideration the interaction between the human and the machine and devising the most effective, efficient and safe solution.  

E stands for EXECUTE:  After a plan is created, it must be practiced or executed for effectiveness. Testing the plan to ensure its viability should include various departments and personnel to measure the downtime of the machine and determine the required resources needed to implement the proposed safety plan. 

R stands for REVIEW:  Reviewing the plan may reveal a need to redesign the solution. After the successful solution is implemented, the initial safety concern must be revisited to ensure that the solution is effective and confirm that no additional hazard has been identified or created. 

Safety accidents and injuries affect productivity and employee morale. There are many workplace accidents that are avoidable or preventable. Preventing workplace accidents is everyone’s responsibility. A safer workplace is created when every employee is vigilant about his or her own safety by following stated and posted safety protocols, wearing the required personal protective equipment (PPE), reporting incidents immediately to the proper personnel, and not operating tools or machinery without the proper training, just to name a few. 

Working together to create a safe working environment helps to reduce or eliminate workplace accidents and injuries.