Environmental & Safety Blog

Dollars Earned Where Planning is Concerned!
January 3, 2013

The New Year generally brings changes for everyone, and I am no exception to that rule. That said, I feel a short introduction is in order. My name is Raea Hounshell, and I am a graduate from Murray State's OSH program and STEP's newest employee. Choosing a safety related career was one of the easiest decisions I have ever made, thanks to my roots. While growing up on my family's farm and working around heavy machinery and day-to-day activities, my #1 question was always, ‘Am I going to get hurt?’ Not only was my personal safety important to me, but I was just as concerned about the safety of my family - which is why after witnessing multiple injuries throughout my life, I found my way into MSU's safety program. And, now I am here at STEP helping others keep themselves and their employees safe and safety compliant. Do you have a safety issue or need help with one of your safety programs? Contact me at (270)753-6529 or email me at raea@stepky.com, and the STEP team will work with you to help you solve it!

On the bright horizon of this brand new year, what are your plans for improved safety? Have you set your goals or made your resolutions? Perhaps setting 2013 safety goals is on your “to-do” list? If not, it should be! Not only does a sound safety plan save lives, it also saves money! Did you know that "maintaining a good safety record for at least two or three years can reduce a company’s workers’ comp and general liability insurance (GLI) premiums by as much as 40%?" (according to Bill Thomas, safety and insurance specialist with National Safety Consulting in Chesterfield, MO). Now that we are talking tangible dollars, do I have your attention?

How do you go about creating your goal plan? For the most part setting goals is fairly straight-forward, though sometimes getting started with plan design and sticking to the implementation of it can be a bit challenging. You must consider both long and short-term goals, along with employee safety and equipment needs. Need assistance getting started? OSHA’s strategic management plan provides a basic outline for helping you set goals and stick to the plan.

On January 23, we are offering an 8-Hour Industrial Incident Command System training seminar at our Murray location. This seminar is designed to educate not just Incident Commanders, but also command officers who interface with emergency services during an onsite emergency. This seminar includes classroom instruction and table-top drills geared toward helping employees pre-plan safety maneuvers for their organization based on "what if" situations.

Are your 2013 goals set to help you achieve reduced incident rates at your company? Don’t wait to take the first STEP up to compliance; call us today!