In the last decade or so, there has been a boom in superhero movies. People just love seeing good guys saving the day. A hero is one who protects, like Yoda protecting Luke as a Jedi Master, Harry Potter protecting his friends, and Batman protecting Gotham City from vicious criminals. Every movie needs a hero, but so do people in real life. We often celebrate those who save people from disasters, fight crime, and risk their lives to help.

In businesses across the world, safety managers are saving lives every day by making sure that no accidents happen in their workplace. In other words, lives are being saved when accidents don’t happen, thanks to the leadership and diligence of safety “superheroes.”

What Makes an Effective Safety Manager?

Possibly the most important quality of an effective safety manager is the attitude he or she has about safety—they genuinely care about the health and safety of personnel. Workplace safety can also be promoted for other reasons, such as financial (cutting costs) or safety laws and regulations compliance, but what safety managers also need compassion, empathy, and sincere concern for the welfare of their colleagues and the public.

Safety managers need to understand and believe that safety is of the highest priority. If they don’t think that way, there’s no way the rest of the company is going to think that way. And when safety managers demonstrate that attitude through their actions, personnel who aren’t even designated as safety managers will be encouraged to be safety superheroes, like a “coach on the field.”

Everybody needs to understand that following safety procedures benefits everyone. To make sure personnel don’t look at safety as additional work, reward them for their safety and allow them to spend time to follow safety procedures properly. Launch safety education and safety awareness programs. Continually remind the staff of the dangers and the importance of reporting injuries and near-misses. Being safe must be perceived as an integral part of the job.

Takeaway

Want to be a safety superhero in the workplace? You won’t get to wear a costume and a cape, and you probably won’t get the recognition that Iron Man does. But as a person acting out of compassion, you know how important the role of a safety professional is, and that’s enough. Work to implement and monitor health and safety programs to ensure that every day ends without accidents. Zero accidents means that lives are saved.

Inspection checklists are a valuable tool used in building a strong, organization-wide safety culture. The Checker checklist books are comprehensive and equipment-specific, which is essential for conducting thorough inspections. Also, our cloud-based software is a powerful, customizable tool that can be used to further streamline and manage safety processes.