current employees while simultaneously attracting the best possible candi-
dates for new positions. Of course, these efforts also translate to enhanced
morale and improved job performance.
For example, your company might offer tuition reimbursement for those
employees who want to further their education while working. Your company
might also consider creating daycare facilities in the workplace. To compen-
sate employees who don’t have kids, you can initiate a cafeteria plan. Under
this umbrella, each employee is given a set allowance that can be used
toward any benefit they choose. This way, they can pick the options from
which they will receive the most benefit.
Other benefits provided by some employers include gym facilities to allow
employees to fit exercise into their busy schedules, onsite massage therapy,
cafeterias that sell reduced price meals to working employees, and onsite
laundry services — all using organic foods, beverages, products, and supplies.
Lastly, flexible work plans are another type of benefit that has a proven posi-
tive influence on employee productivity, attendance, and morale. Flexible
work plans allow your employees to adjust their working conditions within
constraints set by the company and may include such options as flex-time,
compressed work weeks, job sharing, and home-based work.
Moving Down the Road to Zero Accidents ...............................................
Many companies across a spectrum of industries and sectors are no longer
content to keep their occupational accident count to a mere minimum. Instead,
in a movement motivated by the goal of having zero accidents, they are taking
aggressive steps to eliminate them altogether. The ultimate goal of such an
agenda is zero accidents, injuries, or illnesses, and zero environmental harm.
Organizing and managing a comprehen-
sive health and safety program
To build a health and safety program that is as successful as it is comprehen-
sive, you first need to identify and activate a central point of focus around
which the rest of the components in your program can revolve. Regardless of
the industry you do business in, whether it is retail, oil and gas, or discrete
manufacturing, the perfect place to start is the place where your employees
execute their actual work. From the workplace, you can evaluate and manage
your risk assessments, review your incidents, and evaluate your work proce-
dures. (Risk assessments are invaluable, providing you with tools for detailed
analysis and documentation of the risks in each workplace.) In addition, your
workplace scenario provides a springboard from which to generate statistics
Chapter 10: Keeping Employees Healthy and Safe 177
