• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile

  • CORONAVIRUS
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Express/Small Shipments
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Robotics
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • REGIONS
    • Asia Pacific
    • Canada
    • China
    • Europe
    • Latin America
    • Middle East/Africa
    • North America
  • THINK TANK
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WHITEPAPERS
Home » Blogs » Think Tank » How Common Safety Measures Can Put More Workers at Risk

Think Tank
Think Tank RSS FeedRSS

HR & Labor Management / Regulation & Compliance / SC Security & Risk Mgmt

How Common Safety Measures Can Put More Workers at Risk

October 21, 2019
John Herr, SCB Contributor
How Common Safety Measures Can Put More Workers at Risk

Sometimes I think it’s OK to have a burger and fries because I ordered a Diet Coke. My soft drink tells me I’m watching what I eat, at the same time I’m ignoring the fact that my actual meal has many empty calories. Psychologists call this “cognitive dissonance” — the mental stress that’s caused when we hold two opposing thoughts in our head at the same time.

We do it when it comes to safety as well. Motorists drive faster when they wear seat belts. Construction workers can become more careless when they wear a helmet. Psychology researcher Gerald S. White calls this phenomenon the “theory of risk homeostasis” or risk compensation. White says businesses try to make people safe by removing the repercussions of risk, like requiring work gloves, or making the consequences of carelessness more severe, like increasing fines or threatening being fired. These methods help, but neither approach actually changes people to act more safely.

White recommends motivating workers with positive messages, reminding them why their future will be better by being cautious at work. In a new white paper entitled “Minimize Incidents and Injuries at the Workplace Through Effective Contractor Management,” we outline why businesses should focus on people, not statistics. At the same time, the paper includes statistics to help us understand the scope of the problem. Consider these findings:

  • Non-fatal injuries cost employers $60 billion per year in the U.S., and another $90 billion for fatal incidents.
  • Self-employed contract workers are four times more vulnerable compared with their counterparts.
  • Fatal falls reached an all-time high in 2017, leading the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to call falls the “Number 1 Killer” of contractors and skilled workers.

Many workplace injuries are caused by human error or carelessness. Reviews of fall-related incidents find that the contractors often failed to set up their ladders properly, or didn’t have or use their Personal Fall Arrest System (PFAS) — clipping in safety harnesses or using guardrails. Federal regulators say workers ignoring their PFAS is the most common reason businesses are given a safety citation.

Here are four ways you can protect your company’s bottom line — and, more importantly, provide some proven steps to keep your employees and contract workers safe.

  • Third-party monitoring. Look to a supply-chain risk management firm to help suppliers and contractors maintain and improve safety compliance standards.
  • Prequalifying suppliers. Find out whether your suppliers provide the necessary training and certifications to reduce workplace injuries and incidents.
  • Auditing suppliers. Perform regular audits of health and safety programs, including safety manuals, records and practices.
  • Reviewing suppliers. Collect supplier reviews of on-the-job performances regarding safety, responsiveness, quality of work and adhering to a budget.

It’s hard to wrap our minds around the thought that giving workers safety clothing and machinery could make them less safe. Employees and contract workers still need safety equipment, but it must also be paired with two key actions: ongoing positive affirmations, and sticking to a clear-cut plan to make sure everyone makes it home safe.

John Herr is CEO of Avetta, a specialist in global supply-chain risk management.

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED VIDEOS

Wake up to Coronavirus Updates and the latest Supply Chain News!

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter

Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

Popular Stories

  • Coronavirus-watch-Armada

    Virus Update: Cuomo Seeks to Buy Vaccines Directly; EU to Push for 70% Vaccination by Summer

    Coronavirus
  • U.S. and China Trade

    How China Won Trump’s Trade War and Got Americans to Foot the Bill

    Global Supply Chain Management
  • AT&T

    How the Pandemic Has Altered AT&T’s Global Sourcing Strategy

    Coronavirus
  • U.S. Vaccine Shift Stirs New Unease as 128 Million Join Line

    U.S. Vaccine Shift Stirs New Unease as 128 Million Join Line

    Coronavirus
  • container port

    New Global Visibility App Sees Delays Before They Happen

    Logistics

Digital Edition

Scb home issue 27

2020 Supply Chain Innovator of the Year

VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

Case Studies

  • LSP Saves Customer $1.5 Million a Year With MPO Global Inbound Management

  • Auto Supplier Wows Key Client Using riskmethods Supply Chain Savvy

  • Integrating Shipping and Compliance Saves Conglomerate Millions

  • How a Consumer Goods Giant Upped Its On-Time Delivery Performance

  • LSP Wows Global Client, Quickly Advances to Become End-to-End Provider

Visit Our Sponsors

6 River Systems ArcBest Armada
aThingz BluJay Burris Logistics
DSC Logistics DCSA (Digital Container Shipping Association) DHL Resilience360
Genpact GEP Honeywell Intelligrated
Infor Logility Magnitude Software
MPO Old Dominion Oliver Wight
OpenSky Ports America Purolator
QAD Precision Red Classic Riskmethods
TGW Systems Transportation Insights Watson Land Company
Westfalia Technologies Workjam Yang Ming
  • More From SCB
    • Featured Content
    • Video Library
    • Think Tank Blog
    • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
    • Whitepapers
    • Webinars
  • Digital Offerings
    • Digital Issue
    • Subscribe
    • Manage Your Subscription
    • Newsletters
  • Resources
    • Events Calendar
    • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
    • Supplier Directory
    • Case Study Showcase
    • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
    • 100 Great Partners Form
  • SCB Corporate
    • Advertise on SCB.COM
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • Data Sharing Opt-Out

All content copyright © 2016 - 2018 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing