Managers see eye protection as foundation for safety culture

Building a stronger culture of safety in the workplace can start with better eye protection, according to two recent surveys.

Researchers from Sperian Protection, a manufacturer of personal protective equipment, surveyed safety directors throughout North America. More than two-thirds of respondents said it is possible to build a stronger culture of workplace safety by starting with better eye safety. Yet, 35 percent in the first study said they were not satisfied with their current level of eye safety compliance. In the second study, 82 percent of respondents said they did not trust compliance standards alone to adequately protect workers.

"Kicking off a safety initiative with eye protection makes sense for several reasons," said David Iannelli, senior product manager at Sperian Protection. "First, it's easy to understand how valuable and vulnerable our eyes are, so it's an easy platform for starting a persuasive safety conversation. Second, eye protection is an easy thing for safety managers and peers alike to see in action -- everyone can tell who is being accountable for his or her own safety. And for these reasons, it's a great basis for providing positive feedback to those who are in compliance, helping reinforce safe behavior."

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Read more at the WORKERSCOMP Forum^TM homepage.

June 3, 2010

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