Why Protecting Your Employees is a Leader’s First Priority

The United States Marine Corps has two leadership principles that guide its operations. Ranked first and taught to all leaders is “mission accomplishment.” This, above all other priorities, is to be pursued. That’s why Marines storm the beaches of Iwo Jima or slug away from house to house in the streets of Fallujah. The second priority is “troop welfare.”’ Namely, when the mission can be accomplished leaders should then do all they can to take care of their Marines. One simply couldn’t accomplish the dangerous missions they take on if troop welfare were the first priority. If troop welfare were first, then kicking in doors of insurgent infested houses wouldn’t quite be the smartest move. However, for industries for whom winning wars isn’t the primary function, employee welfare should always be the first priority of any leader. Yes, there are many dangerous and peaceful professions. Sending your employees home to their families is still your first obligation as a leader and as an organization. That’s why skimping on safety signage and equipment is perhaps the most negligent approach to work a leader can take.

Don’t Rely on OSHA for Mandatory Safety Signage

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s mission is to safe and healthful work conditions for men and women in America’s workforce. They are tasked with setting and enforcing standards without completely disrupting the productivity of modern industry. As such, they have requirements and they have recommendations. However, they are not a substitute for leadership. Leaders within every organization must be the first line of defense when it comes to employee safety. That’s why we offer a full array of Operational Signs that include both signage required by OSHA and signage required by good leadership.

You don’t need OSHA to tell you that where an employee might lose a hand, a sign such as this Danger Keep Hands Out of this Area is helpful. It would be negligent to wait until an employee loses their vision to post thisWielding Arch Eye Warning. This is not the Marine Corps and your workplace are not the sands of Iwo Jima. Troop welfare or employee safety is your first concern. Employee safety shouldn’t have to wait for injury, death, or OSHA citation. This is the first priority of leadership and every organization has an obligation to those who undertake dangerous professions for the sake of the common good.

Safety Requires Specific and Explicit Signs

Often times, the size and speed of operating machinery is enough to trigger an employee’s own survival instincts. Electricity on the other hand, is the silent killer. From a kid sticking a fork in an electrical socket to an employee wandering into a high voltage area, it only takes a little electricity to do a great deal of damage. That’s why, though it is a very specific danger, we’ve created and entire line of Electrical Signs to keep your employees safe. That being said, every organization has that one employee for who new warning signs are created everyday.

That’s why when in doubt, lock it up. Cable Lockouts presuppose that someone isn’t going to pay attention to the signage and engage in dangerous activity anyway. For those employees and those that have to work with such employees, a Cable Lockout is just the prescription the doctor ordered. Good leadership doesn’t wait on OSHA to make a recommendation or a requirement. Good leadership pursues specific and explicit actions that prioritize employee welfare. Your workplace isn’t Iwo Jima, Hue City or Fallujah. Your workplace is the setting that employees support their families and keep American industry rolling. Give them the leadership they deserve and do your very best to keep them safe and heading home to their families after every shift.