🔒A safer workplace is in everyone’s best interest

This past year, the Maine Department of Labor and the Workers' Compensation Board worked more closely than ever to ensure Maine's workers are safe. After a marketing report misstated Maine's rates of injury last summer, the WCB and DOL looked closely at our data and collaboration. We have good news for employers: significant improvements in workplace safety over the past 20 years have resulted in huge savings for businesses and safer workplaces for employees.

Injured workers are getting back to work more quickly, benefitting employers and employees by keeping workers engaged, maintaining productivity and reducing costs of hiring and training temporary or replacement workers. We offer a few reminders to keep this positive trend going in the right direction.

First, the LePage administration wants businesses to know workplace safety provides a solid return on investment — between $4 and $6 for every dollar invested. Cutting corners on safety is the wrong choice when looking to save money.

Second, workplace safety provides the model partnership between employers and employees. Here are a few ways that partnership works:

• Employers have a responsibility to demonstrate they value safety by investing in the proper equipment, establishing and enforcing policies and procedures and ensuring workers receive the necessary training to do their work in a safe manner.

• Employees have a responsibility to follow the rules and encourage coworkers to do so. They must alert employers and coworkers when unsafe conditions exist.

• No one should be singled out by either managers or colleagues for attention to safety.

Respect for the rules creates a culture of safety where both workers and employers experience the benefits in improved morale, fewer and less-severe injuries, better productivity, less down time and lower workers' comp and other costs. Good employees are, after all, the most valuable asset any company can have.

Our state's training programs are comprehensive and serve as a national model. We encourage businesses to take advantage of the free safety courses in Augusta, customized at your location, and online.

In particular, the U.S. Department of Labor has recognized Maine as a leader in teaching injury record-keeping to employers, which increases their reporting accuracy. Thus, the data both agencies collect reflects the real frequency and nature of workplace injuries, so our training programs are stronger.

When injuries do occur, this data provides important information about the types, conditions and frequency of injured workers in specific occupations and industries. This helps the state and businesses identify areas of concern and target training to prevent or avoid injuries.

Maine's businesses also participate in the national Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program. Maine has more active SHARP worksites — 63 to date — than in all other New England states combined. SHARP companies, and public sector employers in the sister program SHAPE, which stands for Safety and Health Award for Public Employers, must undergo a comprehensive audit and meet several safety standards. However, after awarding the SHARP designation, OSHA exempts the employer from its general scheduled inspection list for two years. This fantastic program supports best practices, keeps injury rates low and saves businesses time and money.

Our agencies help employers create a safer workplace by making training and compliance easier, less costly and more effective. Maine's economy benefits from both the wealth and the health that investing in workplace safety offers.

Maine Commissioner of Labor Jeanne Paquette is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management Maine State Council's HR Hall of Fame. Paul Sighinolfi is the executive director of Maine's Workers' Compensation Board and serves on the executive committee of the International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions.