Your school strong safety program will not be complete without employee participation. Employees operate the equipment, use the tools, and do the tasks that expose them to hazards so they need to be involved in the effort to keep your workplace safe. The more involvement, the more ownership. When employees believe they own it, they will value it. Superintendents, principals, and supervisors need to create opportunities to discuss injury prevention with employees. This should include providing and receiving feedback on what works and what could be improved. These discussions can be both formal and informal, but they need to be purposeful.

Employees can participate by:

  • Suggesting safety policies, safety-training topics, and ways to allocate safety resources.
  • Suggesting ways to prevent and control hazards.
  • Supporting the district’s safety and health goals and objectives.
  • Showing coworkers how to work safely.
  • Helping evaluate the safety and health program.
  • Participating in safety training and safety meetings.
  • Reporting incidents, hazards and near misses.
  • Assisting in safety inspections.
  • Studying and following all safe practices that apply to their work.
  • Applying the principles of accident prevention in their daily work and using proper safety devices and protective equipment.
  • Taking good care of all personal protective equipment (PPE).
  • Reporting promptly to their supervisor every industrial injury or occupational illness.
  • Not removing, displacing, damaging, or destroying any safeguard, notice, or warning provided to make the workplace safe.
  • Not interfering with the use of any work practice designed to protect them from injuries.