While a lot of companies struggle with health and safety regulations, the number of myths increases in a geometric progression. There is a lot of uncertainty about what the regulations require, what nyc sst training stands for, and how to improve the current situation.
This is why we collected the eight most common statements about safety at work which turn out to be false.
8 myths about construction safety
- OSHA rules guarantee the safety of all employees
Indeed the regulator outlines the set of rules which are intended to keep the workers safe. However, it is just a bare minimum of what needs to be done to secure the health and lives of the employees. Every company can introduce its own measures that can minimize the hazards at work.
- OSHA measures the safety of the organization
In fact, it does the opposite. OSHA´s goal is not to check what the company does right, but what it does wrong. The reports issued by OSHA include information about what procedures need to be improved and what problems have to be fixed.
- Only the safety department needs to follow the rules
The greatest responsibility lies on the safety experts, but it is also required that each employee completes the relevant training and receives a 30 hour osha card. Only by making sure that all workers know and follow the rules, the company can be a safe workplace.
- Auditors and inspectors deliver safety
This myth goes hand-in-hand with the OSHA regulations. The responsibility should not be put on the rules or people who check them but on those who do not follow them. While the auditors and experts can point out the breaches, it is up to an employer and the employees to eliminate them.
- Safety is a company´s top priority
No company will say that safety is not important. At the same time, no company will place safety over profit. Employers do provide osha training nyc for their workers, but its importance does never goes along with the financial priorities of the business.
- All accidents are avoidable
Some may think that more machines and robots at work will bring the accidents to zero. The truth is as long as humans and third parties are involved, it is impossible to completely eliminate the risk of injuries. Indeed over the last 50 years, the number of fatalities decreased significantly. But it will not get close to 0 any time soon.
- Safety is an activity
Safety is a result of a number of activities. Only the behavior, procedures, and rules define safety. It is wrong to think that safety can be done once and for all. It´s something that needs to be monitored on an ongoing basis to ensure the safety of the employees.
- Personal protective equipment is all you need
PPE is just a small part of what needs to be implemented for better safety. The equipment itself cannot prevent the accidents, it can only bring the bad consequences to the minimum. PPE without any other measures in place is ineffective and useless.
