Establishing a Safety-Friendly Corporate Culture - Essay Example

Running Head: ESTABLISHING A SAFETY-FRIENDLY CORPORATE CULTURE Establishing a Safety-Friendly Corporate Culture Lecturer: of Presentation: Abstract Occupational health and safety is one of the critical issues that organizations strive to accomplish in the efforts towards maintaining competitiveness. Establishing a safety-friendly corporate culture is the cornerstone towards achievement of organizational goals. In the contemporary operating environment, organizations are faced with the challenge of coping with stiff competition in the market. A strong corporate culture enhances the achievement of brand equity. This paper addresses the significance of establishing a safety-friendly corporate culture. It highlights some of the important factors such as employee satisfaction, avoidance of injury, brand equity and maintenance of skilled employees in the workforce, which can be accomplished through a strong corporate culture. The signs of a safety-friendly corporate culture have been highlighted, as well as the steps involved in accomplishing it. OSHA guidelines have been presented as important success factors. Introduction Corporate culture includes the shared values, beliefs, customs as well as the expectations of members of a particular organization. It helps in creating a harmonious working environment by defining how the organization conducts its activities, thus maintaining cohesion among employees at all levels, consumers and other stakeholders. Creating a healthy organizational culture is important in promoting success in a business organization. As such it is necessary for leaders to establish a safety-friendly corporate culture to accomplish organizational goals. Importance of a Safety-Friendly Corporate Culture The relationship that exists between employees and their leaders is a key foundation to the success of a business organization. As such, the management needs to ensure that a favorable working environment is maintained, which motivates employees to put extra efforts in their activities. Safety in the workplace is the cornerstone to the accomplishment organizational goals. Injured employees can not perform well. Employee satisfaction significant and can be accomplished through maintaining good working conditions and allowing employees the freedom of airing their grievances. Companies earn a good image in the public and are able to acquire a large market share when they maintain work safety principles (William, 2010). Moreover, an organization may incur unwarranted expenditures to treat injured employees, which is avoided through adherence to safety guidelines. A safety friendly corporate culture extends to the consumers. Brand equity is accomplished through building consumer confidence in the product quality. Without the necessary safety measures, consumers can not be guaranteed of their safety and will prefer products from organizations that take their safety in to consideration (Visser et al. 2008). Safety-friendly corporate culture attracts skilled employees from the labor market. In essence, the ever increasing competition in the market among various organizations calls for innovative practices that leads to the development of unique products thereby increasing competitiveness. This can only be accomplished through encouraging experienced workers through a strong corporate culture that appreciates the well-being of the workforce (Laura & Stephen, 2008). Signs of a Safety-Friendly Corporate Culture The organization’s strategic plan integrates safe and healthy working practices in its mission. The leaders ensure that the decisions regarding the day to day operations take in to consideration the safety requirements and the well-being of employees. Staff, consumers and other stakeholders are made aware of the safety measures that need to be observed, with emphasis being in the avoidance of health hazards. Training of staff regarding coping with accidents is also a significant aspect of safety friendly culture. It demonstrates an organization’s willingness to protect its human resources from potential unavoidable harm. Safety working environment needs to be entrenched as one of the organization’s key success factors, which promotes adherence to the laid out guidelines for safety (William, 2010). In performance and reward management within the organization, safe working behavior needs to be recognized to enhance competence as regards workplace safety. Rewards encourage employees to observe safety rules, which apart from maintaining a healthy workforce also reduce time wasting and shortage of staff due to injuries as well as healthcare expenses. The organization’s workforce maintains strong customer focus. Consumer safety is regarded as the backbone towards a competitive advantage and therefore complains on safety matters are dealt with promptly and with caution. Customer care is always open for consumers to air views as well as present complaints (Visser et al. 2008). How to establish a Safety-Friendly Corporate Culture The management needs to promote a strong consumer focus whereby all staff members maintain awareness regarding product safety. The product utility should remain a critical factor towards consumer satisfaction. Regular inspection of the process and products should be emphasized to ensure that safety procedures are adhered to. It is also important to ensure effective communication within the organization. The health and safety guidelines should be developed and communicated to all employees. They should understand the code of conduct regarding safe working practices. The values entrenched in the strategic plan should be clearly understood by all members of staff. A successful internal network allows safety information to be communicated effectively, which makes it possible for workers to understand the guidelines that are necessary in the realization of the organizational goals and expectations (Grace & Cohen, 2005). It is important for organizations to encourage leaning in the work place. This is accomplished through training and development, especially when an organization operates in a dynamic environment where technological advancements are constantly occurring. Employees need to be kept informed regarding the new developments in technology for them to be capable of effectively utilizing the emergent technology. The faster the organization grows, the more training it requires for employees to cope with the rapidly changing operating environment. Training and development allows employees to acquire essential knowledge that is important in the accomplishment of tasks in the workplace. Safe work practices should be taught to the employees whenever new machines are introduced in the workplace (Vaaland & Heide, 2008). OSHA’s Guidelines for Workplace Ergonomics Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which is a US agency in the labor department has developed guidelines that have been in use since 1990 for protecting workers from workplace incidences that might affect their health. Industries are encouraged to develop guidelines that would match their particular workplace needs. They are required to develop strategies to solve ergonomic issues in the workplace. The OSH Act General Duty Clause highlights various hazards that employers should set goals of avoiding (William, 2010). Employers are obligated by the law to ensure that work ergonomics are adhered to. The health and well being of the employees is supposed to be maintained. The employers need to conduct regular assessments in the workplace to ascertain that potential risks are avoided in the workplace. The equipment and materials used by the employees in the workplace should not cause back injuries (Pheasant & Haslegrave, 2005). Conclusion Workplace safety is significant in the accomplishment of organizational goals. Employee performance is directly related to their health. Safety-friendly corporate culture is important in attracting skilled employees to the organization. Workplace safety guidelines need to be entrenched in the organization’s mission statement. Open communication enhances cooperation and understanding among the organization’s workforce. Safe work practices need to be recognized in performance and reward management. Consumer satisfaction needs to be among the core objectives of management. Organizational learning ensures that employees remain informed regarding the new developments in workplace safety. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines need to be adhered to since they facilitate the accomplishment of the organization’s health safety goals. References Grace, D., & Cohen, S. (2005). Business Ethics: Australian Problems and Cases, Oxford University Press. Laura, H. & Stephen, T. (2008). Human Resource Management, 7th Ed. Harlow, FT Pheasant, S. & Haslegrave, C. M. (2005). Bodyspace: Anthropometry, Ergonomics and the Design of Work, CRC Press Vaaland, T. I. & Heide, M. (2008). “Managing corporate social responsibility: lessons from the oil industry”. International Journal of Corporate Communications, Vol. 13, 2 pp 212-225 Visser, W., Matten, D. Pohl, M. & Tolhurst, N. (2008). The A to Z of Corporate Social Responsibility, Wiley William, S. (2010). How to Govern Corporations so they Serve the Public Good: a Theory of Corporate Governance Emergence, New York: Edwin Mellen Read More