SAFETY AS A VALUE;

CHOICE VS. COMPLIANCE

 SAFETY AS A CHOICE
• It is condition of being protected
against failure, damage, error,
accidents, harm or any other event
which could be considered non-
desirable

• Safety is a living evolving concept, not

a static paperwork exercise.
SOME OF THE SAFETY CHOICES MOST
PEOPLE FACE MIGHT INCLUDE:
• Wearing their seatbelt in the car, forklift or lawn
mower.
• Wearing a helmet when riding a motorcycle or ATV.
• Using safety glasses when working in their shop,
using a grass trimmer, etc.
• Keeping hazardous materials such as cleaning
solutions and prescription drugs locked up and away
from children.
• Driving the speed limit and stopping at red lights or
stop signs.
• Properly securing young children in safety car seats.
• Keeping electrical appliances away form tubs,
sinks, pools, etc.
SAFETY AS A COMPLIANCE
• It means conforming to a rule, such as
specification, policy, standard or laws

• Having a written safety policy is part of

being in compliance, but it is totally
useless for safety purposes if it is only a
piece of paper in a file in the safety
office
INITIATION AND MAINTENANCE OF
AN EFFECTIVE COMPLIANCE SYSTEM
ARE IMPORTANT TO:
• give organization leaders useful information about
the effectiveness of safety and security systems and
about needs for improvements;
• give designated safety and security personnel
authority to collect incident reports and report
incidents to higher authorities for action;
• discern patterns of unsafe behavior and facilities
(based on statistics from reports and inspections),
find methods to improve safety and security, and
initiates new rules and regulations to protect
workers and students;
INITIATION AND MAINTENANCE OF
AN EFFECTIVE COMPLIANCE SYSTEM
ARE IMPORTANT TO:
• increase awareness of safety issues in the
organization so that a culture of improved safety
and security is encouraged;
• give current information to safety officers so that
training of all laboratory workers can be improved
and specific guidance can be given to individual
workers; and
• give information to laboratory leaders so that they
can learn how to use, test, and procure
appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)
and other types of equipment to improve safety.
CHOICE VS. COMPLIANCE
CHOICE COMPLIANCE
• Is in your heart and • Is on paper
mind
• Someone else sets
• You set the standard the standard
higher
• Generally delegated
• You do it because it to the “safety
is the right thing to do person”