Using Mass Notification for Workplace Safety and More

Safety in the workplace can be greatly enhanced through the use of a smart communication and notification plan. Here’s how mass notification can help.

Workplace safety is everyone’s responsibility and an important part of operational resilience. Injuries on the job don’t just affect individual team members, they can also cause downtime, bottlenecks in production and potential fines from governing bodies.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports a staggering 5,333 workplace fatalities in the year 2019 alone. Of these, falls, lack of respiratory protection and insufficient control of hazardous energy are all cited as frequent violations that can lead to injury.

Along with OSHA’s requirements and guidelines for workplace safety, they encourage thorough incident investigation when an injury or close call occurs. This practice is vital to ensuring safety rules are followed, out-of-date procedures are remedied and workers are made aware of safety policies and procedures in each step of the company’s operation.

The National Safety Council identifies agriculture, mining, transportation and construction as the most dangerous industries in the United States. Together, they account for hundreds of non-fatal injuries, each year, throughout the country.

Using Communication as a Safety Tool

Mitigating dangers in the workplace can be greatly aided with an OSHA-recommended safety plan, a smart communication plan and diligence on the part of each worker and supervisor. This involves identifying areas of concern and implementing procedures that can be easily followed by each team member, reevaluating often and updating policies as needed and without delay.

Regardless of the type of workplace, basic safety procedures should be clearly communicated to all employees, posted where appropriate and followed at all times. Laboratories may require special eye and respiratory protection while warehouses call for lift belts, equipment certification and head protection. Assessing the unique needs of your workplace should be your first step in planning and implementing a safety plan that makes sense.

Whatever the protocols, it’s important to make certain each team member understands and agrees to follow the necessary procedures at all times. It’s also critical that a reporting mechanism be in place should an injury or close call happen. Using a mass notification system can greatly improve workplace safety in manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, enterprise and virtually any place of business where employees are on site.

Mass Notification to Underscore Your Safety Plan

Regroup Mass Notification is well-known and trusted as a critical alert platform. Because of its cloud-based platform, it delivers reliable emergency notifications even when power is out or cellular facilities are overwhelmed. However, it also makes an excellent day-to-day tool that allows employers to keep team members better informed and safer.

With planned messaging, Regroup can be used to send reminders of training and policy updates. Its reporting features produce visualization to administrators of who received and read the notification. This aids in creating accountability and ensuring everyone is on the same page.

Supervisors and team managers will also find it useful for sending safety tips. Regroup’s QuickPost Templates allow easy and quick messaging to selected groups or the entire network. Used to send tips about lifting, posture, closed areas or equipment procedures can greatly enhance on-site safety and protect workers from injuries.

Regroup also provides mobile apps that allow employees to discreetly report a number of safety concerns such as unclean conditions, equipment malfunctions, improperly stored materials or even suspicious activity. This robust two-way communication enables administrators and supervisors to provide directions to on-site and remote employees — regardless of their location.

Businesses are also using Regroup to alert their workforces of COVID-19 precautions and potential exposures, line-down conditions and scheduling changes in manufacturing and shift coverage requirements — making it a powerful tool for everyday business communications.

Additionally, Regroup can automatically send severe weather alerts from the National Weather Service and give traveling team members the ability to report back to supervisors if they need to take shelter.

The uses for mass notification as a tool to bolster workplace safety are virtually endless, and Regroup is the notification platform more businesses turn to as the solution. Since 2006, Regroup has helped keep workforces safe, informed and productive during critical situations and day-to-day operations.

When establishing a workplace safety plan, one must consider the value of communications as part of the overall blueprint. With a solution like Regroup, you can better ensure worker safe operations no matter what your industry.

Your Next Steps

We invite you to download Regroup’s guide, 5 Must-Have Safety Integrations to learn more about essential mass notification integrations that bolster workplace safety and security. This quick read will give helpful insights for strengthening your organization’s safety and resilience through the use of a smart. safety-focused communication plan.