Neglecting safety during rapid growth a false economy.

Being nimble enough to adopt new technologies, even in periods of rapid growth, can provide a competitive advantage to your company. Maintaining a safe and healthy workplace during an expansion phase should be seen in a similar light.

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With Saskatchewan's economy set to grow another three per cent in 2007, business leaders will have to maintain focus on health and safety to avoid the pitfalls and take advantage of the opportunities growth provides. Though it may be difficult to update policies, procedures and practices, adopting best practices in this area will be advantageous. Avoid the temptation to take shortcuts that compromise health and safety.

Most companies have well-established health and safety programs. When business growth is hot they have to change frequently and quickly in response to new conditions. Adding additional staff, more space, new technologies, or different processes will demand continuous reassessment of hazards, ongoing revisions to safety procedures, and additional emergency response planning.

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Companies that fail to maintain a consistent safety focus risk serious incidents that can slow growth or even derail it completely. Here are a few tips that can help companies meet dynamic health and safety standards and keep growth on track:

1. Timely orientation of new employees to health, safety and emergency procedures is critical. All new employees should be immediately:

* trained in fire and emergency procedures;

* shown the location of first aid facilities, such as eyewash stations;

* shown the location of dangerous or prohibited areas, such as forklift paths; and

* informed of all risks they could experience in the course of their work, as well as procedures to protect from physical, chemical, or biological hazards.

Don't use tight schedules as an excuse to put off more extensive training such as WHMIS (Workplace Hazard Materials Information System) or emergency response and hazard identification training.

2. Get behind your "commitment statement" with regard to health and safety. This commitment may be relatively easy to maintain in times of status quo, but during periods of growth, it will be challenged. This is where you find out if your corporate commitment has teeth, since sustaining a safe workplace culture during growth takes additional time and leadership focus, when both are at a premium.

3. Companies can get ready for growth by developing a well-thought-out and communicated safety strategy. This strategy should be considered in the same light as a business or financial/operational plan. Just as a company tries to forecast income and expenses, it can forecast health and safety needs. As you grow your budget, grow your safety program, financing it like any other business component.

4. Get your Occupational Health and Safety Committee involved in incident investigation, hazard identification and workplace inspection. This will free time for safety professionals to deal with urgent day-to-day issues. Train supervisors, making sure they understand what their health and safety responsibilities are.

5. Avoid quick fixes, such as acquiring new space without assessing the safety angle or adopting a new technology without a proper hazard analysis. Hazard analysis is essential for every new or expanding aspect of the business.

6. Periodically, take a breath and evaluate your progress, whether through audits, workplace inspections or employee perceptions surveys.

Growth also represents an opportunity to enhance your company's health and safety culture.

With new staff, for instance, the opportunity to educate, influence and train is phenomenal, since people have fewer preconceived ideas about how the job is supposed to be done. It is less difficult to adopt new ideas when you are not holding on to work habits established over the years. At the same time, new people may have innovative ideas they can bring to the company.

Stacey Mamer is Occupational Health and Safety Coordinator at the Saskatchewan Research Council.