OSHA's Safe + Sound Week

Written by Staff Writer

OSHA tirelessly advocates for worker protections and workplace safety. As part of the administration’s mission, OSHA hosts Safe + Sound Week every August.

This nationwide event raises awareness about workplace safety and health programs. These invaluable programs are vital to help prevent injuries, illnesses and fatalities among workers who are exposed to hazards in the workplace or on jobsites. Safe + Sound Week gives employers and employees alike a chance to share ideas, make positive changes and celebrate achievements.

Employees who complete an event during Safe + Sound Week can download a certificate of recognition and a participant web badge that honors their commitment to safety.

Why Are Safety and Health Programs in the Workplace Important?

Safety and health programs are designed to help ensure a safe workplace by proactively addressing hazards before they cause serious injuries, illnesses or fatalities. Rather than reacting to a problem that has already occurred, successful safety and health programs stop preventable accidents in their tracks by identifying and fixing hazards and providing safety training and equipment for workers.

How Can You Get Involved?

Safe + Sound is a nationwide event intended to raise awareness and encourage businesses to think proactively about safety. Getting involved is easy, and participation might look a little different for every organization. From hosting a public event, luncheon or training session to creating a presentation or video, the goals of Safe + Sound are simple:

• Raise awareness about the value of safety and health programs in the workplace
• Strengthen management leadership
• Improve worker participation
• Find and fix hazards to ensure workers go home safe every day

Participating in Safe + Sound Week will help your company and its workers reap lasting benefits throughout the year:

• Implement a new safety and health program
• Review and improve existing safety and health programs
• Renew your commitment to safety to workers, customers, partners, and the community

Need help getting started? For fun ideas and customizable tools you can download, click to learn how to plan and promote your events.

Want to Know How to Create a Safety and Health Program for Your Company?

Here are some key components to a successful program. For a complete list of the core elements for recommended practices for safety and health programs, read OSHA's Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs.

• MANAGEMENT LEADERSHIP
  • Make worker safety and health a core organizational value
  • Commit to eliminating hazards and protecting workers through continuous improvement
  • Provide key resources to maintain safety and health programs
  • Openly share a commitment to safety and health through communication with workers
  • Set an example for workers to follow
• WORKER PARTICIPATION
  • Allow access to information needed to participate in the safety and health programs
  • Have opportunities to get involved in every phase of the program design and implementation
  • Ensure workers feel safe and comfortable raising or reporting any safety and health concerns in the workplace
• EDUCATION & TRAINING
  • Training for employers, managers, supervisors, and workers provides the knowledge and skills necessary to do their work safely
  • Education provides awareness and understanding of workplace hazards and how to identify, report and control them
  • Specialized training when necessary to identify unique hazards

Safety and Health Programs require leadership from management, open communication with workers and a proactive companywide strategy to find and fix hazards in the workplace. This strategy should include a holistic approach to safety - from daily tasks and processes to annual trainings that provide the most current OSHA standards and regulations.

To learn how to develop health and safety precautions into your company policies, register for our 1-hour OSHA Safety and Health Training Programs for General Industry. The information covered in this course is also covered in our OSHA 10-hour Construction Course and OSHA 30-hour Construction Course.

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