Most business owners only see safety and risk management as a concern for human resources departments in industrial and manufacturing environments. Unfortunately, safety awareness can have far-reaching effects in all work environments – including offices, where illness and injury account for lost days and reduced productivity. Additionally many Dallas TX businesses with insufficient human resources personnel and resources find themselves non-complaint and liable in regards to OSHA regulations.

Among the few companies which do take precautions and create reward programs to foster a safer workplace, most unfortunately incentivize the wrong actions. Rewards to the team for reaching “no safety incidents” milestones often cause managers and other employees to ignore safety incidents rather than report them.

Follow these 4 tips to learn how to setup and promote a safer workplace in your Dallas TX business.

Identify core principles to guide workplace safety program
Begin by determining the most important human resources values that you seek to motivate within the workforce. This step can help define the details of your safety program and the behaviors that will be ultimately rewarded.

Develop a strategic recognition program
Based on the chosen principles, create a comprehensive recognition program that rewards behaviors which fosters a safety-focused work environment. The goal is to target behaviors that proactively promote a culture of safety.

Communicate the new processes and train employees
Share the new safety strategy with your Dallas TX human resources team and other employees and reinforce the plan throughout the first few weeks. A few methods you can use to remind the workforce of the safety plans are signs in high-traffic areas, reviews by direct managers and regularly rewarding good behavior. The goal is to emphasize and foster constructive behaviors instead of just incidence avoidance.

Maintain interest by regularly sharing stories of employee contributions
Keep up a two-way conversation throughout the implementation process by gathering feedback about what works and doesn’t work. With the information, you will be able to tailor the program to fit the specific needs of your company. By gathering safety information, you will also be able to recognize more involved members of your company and reward them for aiding the implementation process.

For additional assistance, Dallas TX Human Resources outsourcing firms like HumCap can take care of the entire setup, customization and implementation process of a safety risk program at your company. With a team of human resources experts, HumCap offers fractional assistance to companies lacking the HR personnel necessary to help them stay compliant with legal obligations – including their safety and risk needs.

Contact us for more information regarding our services!

Most small businesses are rarely aware of all their obligations in regards to workplace safety standards. Defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) with possible additions from state health programs, workplace safety standards are often difficult to comprehend and even tougher to implement. When combined with additional factors such as exemptions based on specific industries and the size of the company, the rules can be absolutely foreign to HR employees without proper specialized training.

Growing companies rarely have the resources to monitor and ensure that safety compliance processes remain effective as the company expands. Rather than divert their resources from value adding services, managers often end up overlooking this critical aspect of their HR policies. By overlooking preparations, companies can be left vulnerable to costly fines and penalties that can cause severe financial damage.

Fortunately, HR outsourcing agencies like HumCap offer extremely affordable OSHA and Safety risk assessment services for Dallas TX businesses. This service, administered by an experienced HR professional, can identify and spotlight areas of liability while offering recommended solutions.  Using HR outsourcing companies on a contingent basis allows growing businesses to efficiently utilize their resources to achieve the greatest effect.

Identifying Workplace Safety Issues

The first step of the OSHA and Safety risk assessment process is identifying any currently existing issues within the Dallas TX company’s policies, practices and facility maintenance. This allows the company’s management team to highlight the issues and begin formulating methods of solving them to ensure that the company is complaint with OSHA standards.

Proposing Workplace Safety Solutions

Following the identification portion of the Dallas TX OSHA and Safety risk assessment, the HR personnel can begin formulating potential solutions to the concern. The proposed actions will be practical, minimally disruptive options that can be easily implemented to protect the company’s workforce while reducing its liability in the case of an accident.

Preventing Accidents and Reducing Liability

By completing all the solutions proposed during the Dallas TX OSHA and Safety risk assessment process, a company can provide a greater sense of workplace safety for its employees while also protecting itself from additional liability in case of an accident. With updated workflow and safety processes along with recommendations regarding any facility maintenance needs, the company can effectively reduce the risk of workplace injury. This can lead to additional positive consequences such as increased morale and higher productivity that will ultimately benefit the business overall.

About HumCap

HumCap is a Dallas TX HR Outsourcing and Recruiting agency that provides a variety of services for small to midsize businesses which need personnel with HR expertise but lack the resources for full time HR employees. By engaging our services on a project basis, clients are able to access and utilize the experience and expertise of our HR employees at a fraction of the cost of an in-house HR department. Outsourcing their daily HR tasks to HumCap allows our clients to focus on their core business operations, resulting in a leaner, more competitive business.

Contact us today for immediate assistance!

While managing a growth stage small business, a President can often find his or herself balancing multiple responsibilities. With a growing number of employees and the legal responsibilities that follow, the demands can become overwhelming for just one person to handle. While the need for a dedicated HR presence might exist, the unfortunate truth is that smaller companies rarely have the budget for a full-time HR employee. Instead, they can use their resources more efficiently by utilizing the services of a Dallas TX HR outsourcing company. Through the external service, companies gain access to the expertise of experienced HR employees who work on multiple projects across a variety of clients.

Some of the services offered by HumCap, a premier Dallas TX HR outsourcing agency, are:

HR Consulting and Fractional HR

HumCap’s fractional HR services allow clients to leverage its human capital services without the costs and overhead expenses of developing an internal HR department. After an initial overview meeting to understand the current needs of the client, HumCap’s HR consulting professionals can create a detailed plan to solve current issues and prevent any future problems. Each plan of action is customized to reflect the nature and needs of the client and can be as in-depth as necessary.

Payroll Processing and Technology

From simple payroll processing to complete ASO services, HumCap offers a variety of levels of payroll assistance to companies scaling their businesses. By outsourcing the payroll processing function, companies are able to focus on reaching their core business goals instead of maintaining routine processes. As one of our many Dallas TX HR outsourcing services, HumCap’s payroll processing assistance is an affordable option to complement or replace systems that have been outgrown.

Safety Risk Management

One of the HR processes most often overlooked is occupational safety risk management. Especially for a growing company, managers have to be aware of any new liabilities that might be applicable to their expanding workforce. As part of its HR outsourcing services in Dallas TX, HumCap’s personnel perform an on-site visit to comprehensively assess and audit the current safety policies and practices. After evaluating the facility and safety procedures, HumCap creates a report highlighting areas of concern and possible compliance issues along with recommended solutions. If necessary, we can also implement the solutions to prevent any future occurrences of safety incidents.

About HumCap

HumCap is a Dallas TX HR outsourcing and technical staffing agency. We are located in Plano near the Telecom Corridor and offer a wide range of services to small to midsize businesses which require HR and staffing assistance but lack the resources for full time personnel. By sharing our employees’ expertise through fractional work among multiple employees, we are able to offer each client the specific levels of service necessary to achieve their goals.

 For more information regarding our HR outsourcing services, contact us today!

What is a Safety Audit?
A safety audit is a process by which a company’s health and safety management control systems are analyzed for strengths and weaknesses. Through the audit, a Dallas human resources company or an internal auditor can provide quantifiable measure the effectiveness of a business’ safety processes as well as monitor any changes from year to year. This allows those responsible for the safety of a company’s employees to more easily observe the areas that are functioning well and those which require improvement to meet standards.

Unfortunately, most human resources personnel working in small to mid-size businesses don’t have the specialization to develop a company’s compliance policies. The best solution to their dilemma is to hire a Dallas human resources service firm to perform a safety audit that can highlight all the core components of a company’s safety program.

Why do a Safety Audit?
Performing a safety audit will ensure that a company meets organizational compliance standards – protecting it from additional liability in the case of any workplace accidents. Regular assessments and updates to the health and safety program guarantee that a company is always up-to-date with ever-changing legal requirements. Some additional reasons a safety audit should be conducted are:

• Adherence to safety processes weaken over time and should be reviewed regularly.
  
• Consistent planned improvements to safety systems can help reduce emergencies and losses.
  
• Human resources personnel can benefit by identifying weaknesses and training skills.
  
• Implementation of safety audits demonstrates a commitment to the health and safety needs of employees.
  

How to conduct a safety audit?
A safety audit can be performed by two methods – internally or externally. A company could either train a member of its HR personnel to become an internal safety auditor or instead it could assign a Dallas human resources service firm to conduct and manage its safety audit. Each method has its own pros and cons.

Internal Auditor
Pros

• The company has immediate access to the auditor as a tool for developing safety standards and workplace procedures.
  
• An internal auditor has a better understanding of how the business operates.
  
• Since the auditor is an internal employee, the audit procedure can be flexible to minimize disruptions within the company.
  
• For larger companies planning on maintaining a more active, long-term safety program, having an internal auditor is more cost effective.
  

Cons

• An internal HR employee trained to function as a safety auditor won’t have as much experience conducting an audit and developing safety standards.
  
• Internal audit reports are not as widely accepted by shareholders and regulatory officials.
  
• Audits produced internally may not be as objective as those done externally.
  
• HR personnel functioning as internal auditors may have to balance multiple demands, reducing the focus on the audit.
  
• Unfavorable reports might cause internal conflicts.
  

 External Auditor
Pros

• External auditors will be able to benchmark a company’s performance against industry data.
  
• An external auditor will likely be a chartered member of professional occupational safety groups.
  
• The company will have access to specialized safety audit experience and expertise.
  
• External service providers will have lots of experience conducting audits within multiple industries.
  
• An external audit will always be unbiased and objective and will be accepted by most groups.
  

Cons

• Some coordination might be necessary to manage an external auditor.
  
• Employees might not be as willing to assist during an external audit.
  
• An external auditor will have to be trained on any peculiarities regarding the client company.
  

As a rule of thumb, an internal auditor can be beneficial for larger firms which require a more long-term audit and implementation process. Conversely, small to mid-size firms can benefit from the lower cost and high specialization available through a Dallas human resources service provider.

 About HumCap
HumCap is a Dallas human resources service firm which offers a wide variety of assistance to growing small to mid-size businesses. By engaging our team of experienced HR professionals, companies have immediate access to up-to-date information regarding regulatory and compliance standards. Our HR personnel will work hard to make sure your business is within compliance and safe from liability claims in the case of an accident.

For more information regarding our services, contact us today!

The unfortunate truth is that most businesses lack a proper understanding in the area of safety compliance. Whether they’re a fast growing startup or an established veteran in their industry, many businesses ultimately don’t have the knowledge and experience to establish and regularly maintain their safety code compliance. One simple way a company can ensure that its current safety practices are up-to-date is a Safety Audit.

What is a Safety Audit?

A Safety Audit gauges a workplace’s compliance with OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) standards. Through the process, the auditor can understand the effectiveness of a company’s current policies and determine if they have any deficiencies. The ultimate goal of this practice is to identify the causes and minimize the potential of occupational injuries. Among other relevant metrics, this process can affect the number of “recordable injuries”. Through its correct use, a company can better prepare a safer workplace environment for its employees.

What are the benefits?

Safety Audits provide a wide range of benefits to a business. In addition to identifying the strengths and weaknesses of current policies, they also:

• Decrease liability
  
• Demonstrate the company’s commitment to compliance 
  
• Increase employee understanding of environmental and safety regulations
  

Internal vs. External Audits

A company’s first decision after opting to perform an audit is picking between an internal auditor and an external Dallas Human Resources service. While many points of difference exist between the two options, external auditors provide clients with a lot of advantages.

Some advantages of using Dallas Human Resources service auditors are:

• More experience in conducting the audit within a range of industries
  
• Specialized knowledge that is up-to-date with latest legislation and standards
  
• Objective and unbiased analysis and recommendations
  

Conversely, the use of internal HR staff as auditors can incur some potential problems, a few of which are:

• Lack of specialization in Health and Safety 
• Weaker acceptance with shareholders and agencies
• Biased reporting that lacks critical insight and has the potential for errors
  
• Lower priority which may delay the audit entirely
  

An audit by a Dallas Human Resources service provides the efficiency, knowledge and expertise that can result in an effective and informative Safety Audit. Their specialization in the process ensures that the audit will reflect current and objective information.

HumCap is a Dallas Human Resources service firm with an experienced team of consultants ready to help you with all your HR needs. Whether you require safety consulting or fractional HR advisory, contact us today!