Tuesday: At Work 
Employers and employees can work together to build safer and healthier work environments. Taking action, both big and small, to prevent injury in the workplace is common sense and effective. Here are just a few examples:
Employers start small...
- Understand and follow all workplace safety regulations and best practices. Go beyond the minimum required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
- Educate employees about workplace regulations and train employees to recognize unsafe or unhealthy settings. Create an employee reporting system to allow workers to report hazardous working conditions.
- Provide required or recommended protective equipment and reflective gear to reduce employee exposure to hazards.
- Create safe work environments by identifying and fixing workplace hazards such as unstable surfaces and malfunctioning vehicles.
- Maintain a working sprinkler system and schedule fire drills to practice safe evacuation.
- Promote workplace safety by offering tips on your company bulletin board, website or newsletter.
- Conduct personal safety training programs that teach employees how to recognize, avoid or diffuse potentially violent workplace situations.
- Invite health care professionals to the workplace to discuss how to prevent injuries.
Employees start small…
- Wear all personal protective equipment required or recommended for your occupation.
- Participate in worksite safety trainings programs and follow all workplace laws and safety rules.
- Ensure vision is not obstructed when operating heavy machinery.
- Hold a brown-bag lunch at work to focus on workplace safety.
- Use your rights to advocate for safety and health.
Think big…
- Write a letter to the editor of your local paper about the importance of preventing workplace injuries during National Public Health Week (NPHW) and beyond.
- Invite local policymakers and others to a community roundtable to discuss injury prevention in the workplace and follow-up with specific actions.
- Support your family, friends and neighbors when they try to improve health and safety at their workplace.
There is much more you can do to prevent injuries beyond these actions. Raise awareness of safety and injury prevention within your community during National Public Health Week. You can help make your job a safer and healthier place to work.
