Eight (8) Principles of a Safe Workplace.

A properly managed safety culture based on these Eight Principles of
Workplace Safety will produce employees who participate actively in
training, identify and alert each other and management to potential hazards,
and feel a responsibility for their safety and the safety of others. Accepting
safety as an ethical responsibility demonstrates a sincere concern for each
employee which establishes the foundation for an effective safety culture.

1. Safety is an Ethical Responsibility
At its core, ethics holds up a positive vision of what is right and what is good. It defines what
is "worth" pursuing as guidance for our decisions and actions. Workplace injuries and deaths
are too often seen in the abstract as statistics. But when it happens to someone we love, we
suddenly see the reality of the horrible pain and suffering and its widespread effect. It is our
ethical responsibility to do what is necessary to protect employees from death, injury, and
illness in the workplace. This is the only foundation upon which a true safety culture can be
established in any workplace.

2. Safety is a Culture, Not a Program
The combined commitment and participation of the entire organization is necessary to create
and maintain an effective safety culture. Every person in the organization, from the top
management of the corporation to the newest employee, is responsible and accountable for
preventing injuries.

3. Management is Responsible
Management's responsibility is to lead the safety effort in a sustained and consistent way,
establishing safety goals, demanding accountability for safety performance, and providing the
resources necessary for a safe workplace. Managing safety is the responsibility of every
supervisor, from the first line supervisor to the Chairman of the Board.

4. Employees Must Be Trained to Work Safely
Awareness of safety does not come naturally; we all need to be trained to work safely.
Effective training programs both teach and motivate employees to be a productive part of the
safety culture.

5. Safety is a Condition of Employment
The employer must exhaust every reasonable means to lead, motivate, train, and provision
employees to maintain a safe workplace. But, in the event the employee refuses to take the
actions required to work safely, the employer must utilize a system of progressive discipline
to enforce safety requirements and ensure the cooperation of the employee or the removal of
the employee from the workplace in order to protect the employee and their coworkers.

6. All Injuries Are Preventable
Sometimes accidents occur without the apparent indication of fault or blame. But there is
always some chain of events that occurred leading up to the accident that, had we realized
the eventual outcome, someone could have interceded. The fundamental belief that injuries
are, by their nature, preventable is a catalyst that encourages us to prevent injuries.

7. Safety Programs Must Be Site Specific, with Recurring Audits of the Workplace and Prompt Corrective Action
The purpose of the workplace audit is to discover and remedy the actual hazards of the site
before they can injure workers. Recurring hazard analyses, comprehensive inspections, and
aggressive investigation of accidents or near misses, discover potential workplace hazards
and identify weaknesses in safety plans, programs, policies, and procedures. Safety
regulations and generic safety programs are not sufficient means to discover hazards because
they are not specific to the individual workplace. A safety audit program is site specific.
Whenever a safety deficiency is found, prompt action is required both to overcome the hazard
and to reinforce the message that safety is a priority.

8. Safety is Good Business
Reducing workplace injuries and illnesses reduces the costs of workers' compensation,
medical expenses, potential government fines, and the expenses of litigation. Effective
workplace safety is not an expense; it is an asset.