Showing leadership’s commitment to building a culture of injury prevention is a daily grind, not a written policy posted on the bulletin board. 

Actually doing it is what counts

Don’t get me wrong, it’s important that leadership has a policy that communicates responsibilities for setting up and managing the MSD prevention (ergonomics) process. Managers, supervisors, and employees need to know what is expected of them and how management holds them accountable for meeting those responsibilities. However, a written policy posted on the bulletin board is one thing, living it each day is another thing altogether.

Where do you stand?

Want to know where you stand in this regard? I would suggest that you try the following: Grab the written policy off the bulletin board and head out to where the people are. Ask at least ten employees to read the policy and respond. If they respond by acknowledging that the company is living the policy out in deeds, keep up the great work! If they can’t help but to laugh out loud, you’ll know that you have some work to do.