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August 7-13 is Safe + Sound Week for 2023.
Safe + Sound is a year-round campaign that encourages businesses to incorporate a safety and health program. Safe + Sound Week is a nationwide event held each August to acknowledge the successes of workplace health and safety programs. It provides information and instruction on ways to keep America's laborer’s safe. For 2023, Safe + Sound Week provides resources for businesses on mental health and well-being, a growing concern.
According to the National Safety Council (NSC), “Implementing a safety and health program can improve businesses' safety and health performance, save money and improve competitiveness.”
Why Participate?
Successful safety and health programs can identify and manage workplace hazards before they cause injury or illness, thereby saving money and improving worker morale and business competitiveness. Therefore, participating in Safe + Sound Week can help get a safety program started, energize an existing one, or provide a time to recognize safety successes. All of the aforementioned enhance business, and taking the Safe + Sound pledge demonstrates a commitment to workplace safety and health to workers, management, business partners and the community.
Who Participates?
Any organizations wanting to recognize safety commitments can participate. More than 3,300 businesses helped raise awareness about workers' health and safety in 2022.
Safe + Sound Week is a time to begin a safety program or reflect on and recognize the efforts made to improve workplace safety and health throughout the year.
OSHA asks participants to reaffirm commitments to safety and health by taking the Safe + Sound pledge:
I pledge to make safety a core workplace value. Everyone has the right to a safe and healthy workplace, and I will work to ensure everyone goes home safe and sound every day. My workplace will be taking action to improve our safety and health program during Safe + Sound Week 2023.
The Safe + Sound Week Pledge Form can be found here: https://www.osha.gov/safeandsoundweek/signup.
How can your business become part of the Safe + Sound program?
- First, develop a safety program.
- Second, lead through management. Commit to beginning and implementing a safety program and using it regularly to continuously improve safety and health initiatives.
- Third, utilize workers’ experience and knowledge to find solutions to safety and health challenges in the workplace.
- Fourth, find and fix any hazards before an incident occurs. Develop a process to identify and control hazards by finding and fixing them.
Activities during Safe + Sound Week should relate directly to safety and health, be specific to the business and engage workers. Some ideas for Safe + Sound Week activities include:
- Offer a training on mental health awareness
- Conduct a safety walkaround
- Provide information on where workers can get help in the local community
- Complete one or more of the 8 Safe + Sound challenge activities here: https://www.osha.gov/safeandsound/activities.
For more information about business safety and health practices, go to https://www.osha.gov/safeandsound.
