The tragic shooting involving Alec Baldwin that took place recently on the “Rust” movie set again places a spotlight on workplace safety, not only on film sets, but generally in the workplace, as well as the devastating consequences of failure to make workplace safety a priority. In 2020, the United States reported a total of 2.7 million workplace injuries and illnesses. In 2019, the last year for which statistics are available, 5,333 workers died as a result of a work-related injury. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 222 people have died in work-related incidents this year alone.

So how should businesses respond to concerns regarding workplace safety? Generally, concerns regarding workplace safety can and should be addressed in a workplace safety plan. Development of a workplace safety plan begins with a commitment by management to address potential safety threats to the work environment as well as a worksite analysis to assess the potential hazards present in the workplace. The nature of the potential threats present in the workplace will vary depending upon the industry and location of the worksite. Once a workplace safety plan is developed, it is important that employees are provided training on all aspects of the plan. Also important is continual revision and modification over time to keep that plan relevant to actual workplace conditions. OSHA’s website contains tips to get started and a process to follow to develop the workplace safety plan that is right for the needs of the employer’s worksite.

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