What is a Safety Champion? This is a question that many people may not have an answer to. A Safety Champion is someone who takes on the responsibility of promoting and ensuring safety in the workplace. Safety Champions are not just responsible for their own safety, but also the safety of their co-workers.

If you want to create a safe and healthy work environment, it is important to identify and promote those who exhibit strong safety behaviours. In this article, we will discuss what makes someone a Safety Champion and provide some tips on how to identify them in your workplace. 

What is a Safety Champion and what do they do in the workplace?

In general, Safety Champions are responsible for promoting safe behaviours and raising awareness about potential hazards. Auditing and inspecting for hazards, as well as coming up with preventative measures, may come within their responsibilities.

Some qualities that are essential for a Safety Champion are: being proactive, setting an example for others, being a good communicator, and being knowledgeable about safety procedures. Someone who is regarded with respect by their fellow employees is an essential quality for a Safety Champion. 

A Safety Champion's responsibilities will vary based on the size and kind of the business.

A Safety Champion's responsibilities include but are not limited to ensuring the well-being of the company's workforce, offering constructive suggestions for increasing workplace safety, acting as an example to others, creating a culture of health and safety at work, becoming knowledgeable about potential risks in the workplace, and advising upper management on how to implement effective safety measures. 

In larger workplaces, Safety Champions may be part of a team that is responsible for safety. This team may work with other departments, such as Human Resources, to ensure that all employees are following safe practices.

How to identify if someone in your workplace is a Safety Champion?

There are a few key behaviours to look for when trying to identify a Safety Champion in your workplace.

First and foremost, Safety Champions will always follow safety protocols themselves and encourage others to do the same. They will also be alert to any risks in the workplace and report them immediately. Furthermore, Safety Champions will be quick to lend a helping hand when someone is struggling with a task or appears to be in danger.

In the workplace, these people will be relentless in their pursuit of better safety measures. If you see someone exhibiting these behaviours, he/she may be a Safety Champion in your midst!

What are the benefits of having a Safety Champion in your workplace?

Having Safety Champions may improve workplace safety in several ways. They can help in making the workplace healthier and safer for all employees. Champions are often able to identify potential hazards before they become accidents. This can save lives and prevent injuries. 

They encourage people to behave safely in the workplace and act as an example for others to follow. The presence of a dedicated "Safety Champion" in the workplace may have a significant impact on the well-being of everyone there.

If you want to make your safety champion’s job a little easier, gaining leadership buy-in has a lasting impact. Download our ebook below for more information and actionable strategies:

Here's How SafetyIQ Can Be Your Safety Champion

Technology has revolutionized the world. Businesses are using technology to significantly reduce the risk of workplace accidents and the cost associated with them.

You may be thinking about how SafetyIQ can be a Safety Champion for your company. SafetyIQ has complete solutions for ensuring the safety of employees. Businesses can save as much as a thousand hours per year with SafetyIQ's Digitized Risk Assessments since they no longer need to spend time doing time-consuming manual reviews. By making safety processes convenient and effective, your employees will be more on board with ensuring these practices are done every time. Moreover, with automated reminders to check in or undertake a risk assessment/review, safety is never forgotten about.

SafetyIQ has already helped various companies save thousands of hours by automating several tasks. You can keep your workers safe no matter where they are by using SafetyIQ’s Journey Management System. 

In Australia, Downer, one of the leading providers of integrated services, formerly conducted its Journey Management activities using a time-consuming and inaccurate paper-based method.

The use of SafetyIQ technology has helped Downer improve real-time operations management, reduce the incidence of vehicle accidents, and speed up domestic worker responses.

ROI

Every month, Downer was spending about 19 hours on manual Journey Management activities before using SafetyIQ.

Once they implemented the SafetyIQ digital solution, they saw a monthly savings of 15 hours. Read more case studies here.

Click here to request a free demo of SafetyIQ and see how it can be a safety champion.

Conclusion

Workplace health and safety is often seen as a tedious, dry topic. But it doesn't have to be! One great way to get your employees engaged in safety is to appoint a safety champion. A safety champion is someone passionate about promoting safety in the workplace and motivating others to do the same.

Having a safety champion on your team can lead to more thoughtful and proactive safety behavior, as well as a sense of mutual responsibility for each other's safety across your company. 

When choosing a safety champion, it is important to select someone enthusiastic and motivated. This individual must also have strong interpersonal and collaborative skills.