OSHA Hosts Safe + Sound Week

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is currently hosting its annual Safe + Sound week. This nationwide event is intended to raise awareness surrounding common work-related safety hazards, thereby lowering the risk of injury and illness in the workplace. Each year, millions of U.S. workers are injured while on the job. Some of these injuries are minor, consisting of nothing more than cuts, scrapes and bruises. Others, however, are more severe and debilitating. While it's impossible to avoid all types of work-related injuries and illness, OSHA is hoping its Safe + Sound week will encourage employers and workers alike to take the necessary measures to reduce the risk of incident in their respective workplace.

As with previous events hosted by OSHA, several safety organizations are participating in this year's Safe + Sound week, some of which include the Center for Construction Research and Training as well as the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Along with OSHA, these organizations have invested resources to help train and educate employers and workers about common safety hazards in the workplace.

So, what type of businesses can participate in OSHA's Safe + Sound week? The national safety organization says that businesses of all types and all sizes can participate. 

There's no wrong way to host a Safe + Sound week. Rather, OSHA encourages employers to create their own training seminars and sessions for this event. You can host toolbox talks, for example, in which you discuss common safety hazards in your workplace and how to protect against them. Another idea is to offer a new training session for workers, with workers watching videos or participating in hands-on training. Regardless, the fundamental purpose of OSHA's Safe + Sound week is to encourage a safer working environment by training employers and workers on common work-related hazards.

"Safe workplaces are sound businesses. Successful safety and health programs can proactively identify and manage workplace hazards before they cause injury or illness, improving sustainability and the bottom line. Participating in Safe + Sound Week can help get your program started or energize an existing one," wrote OSHA on its official website at OSHA.gov.

If you're searching for ideas for Safe + Sound training seminars, check out this webinar. It features organizations that participated in the 2017 Safe + Sound event. And while no two businesses are the same, you can apply many of these same training techniques to your own business.