Proactive Occupational Safety Strategies

It is a sad situation, but unfortunately realistic, that some establishments have adopted a safety and health approach that emphasizes a reactive strategy. This approach assumes that accidents are something that happens and nothing can be done about it. Therefore, the establishment focuses its efforts on reacting to accidents after they occur. This reactive response happens after an injury or illness occurs with the aim of reducing the costs resulting from either.

Reactive safety programs always cost much more than proactive programs because they are only implemented after an injury or illness has occurred. When an establishment emphasizes following a reactive safety and health approach, it sends two negative messages to its employees: first, that we don't care about you, and second, that our primary concern is money, not your safety.

Smart, successful establishment management does not respond to occupational safety—it adopts a proactive safety strategy that emphasizes prevention by doing everything possible to avoid accidents occurring in the workplace. There are no excuses for any accident. A proactive response to workplace safety and health not only occurs before an accident happens but anticipates its occurrence and attempts to avoid it.

By emphasizing accident prevention, the establishment's senior management sends a message showing concern for the safety of all workers, contractors, and visitors. Proactive strategies are always less costly than reactive strategies because the establishment implements investments from which huge returns are expected, as they are applied to prevent injuries and illnesses. Management is concerned with how to link the safety team's ideas to the establishment's profits—that is, what will the establishment gain in return for the money it will spend? It is very important to realize that program management is fundamentally a managerial task that requires effective organizational skills. Many establishments develop and implement formal safety recognition programs because they have been told that this is the best approach and that this is what everyone does. Note that there are multiple types of safety recognition strategy programs that are used and promoted, and of course some are more effective than others, but certainly there is no one-size-fits-all program.

For a recognition program to be successful, it must align with the establishment's culture, where safety is adopted—"safety only"—by emphasizing the idea that you produce hard and fast as much as you can as long as you do it safely. High productivity is desirable, but if a hazard or practice is discovered that could lead to serious physical harm or death, it must be corrected immediately even if it leads to stopping production. This is commitment to safety.

Arab companies today obtaining awards and certificates in the field of occupational safety and health is one of the indicators of success in applying occupational safety and health conditions and standards. Through their management's commitment to continuous improvement, they certainly strive to obtain the best international awards in the near future.

The procedures, practices, and commitment of establishment management to adopting occupational safety and health management systems based on identifying and assessing occupational risks, applying control methods, optimal safety training for all risks and categories of workers, and preparedness to face emergencies leads to increased worker motivation, increased participation in reducing production and work losses due to accidents and occupational diseases, cost reduction, increased productivity, and compliance with local legislation—the best evidence of the capability and efficiency of Arab managements to compete and excel.