"Language of Safety" Can Save Lives, Reduce Costs for Healthcare Organizations

Leading Risk Control Expert Outlines Necessary Actions

News provided by

Oct 19, 2011, 04:07 ET

DENVER, Oct. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A new Lockton commentary on safety for healthcare organizations calls on healthcare executives to embrace "the language of safety" for both patients and employees.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090415/CG99351LOGO)

The new report, "The Language of Safety: Driving Safety for Patients and Employees," says that healthcare executives can reduce injuries and expensive insurance claims by making patient and employee safety part of their organization's mission and values.

The report is written by Lori Severson, Lockton Loss Control Consultant. The American Society of Safety Engineers recently honored Severson as its Healthcare Practice Specialty Safety Professional of the Year.

Severson writes, "To improve less-than-stellar employee injury records, healthcare organizations must change how they are driving and communicating the value of employee safety."

One way to do that, she says, is "by ensuring that the language employees speak and hear every day includes messages about their own safety, not just patient safety."

Severson also urges healthcare executives to have zero tolerance for either unsafe working conditions or silence about mistakes. "Violence within healthcare and against healthcare employees and the silence culture of not admitting mistakes due to fear of recourse can result in deaths to patients and employees. It's critical that all incidents are considered an opportunity to be valued for learning."

Severson's full commentary, including a five-step process to drive a safety program, is available free from Lockton at http://bit.ly/nxBcbn

About Lockton

More than 4,100 professionals at Lockton provide more than 15,000 clients around the world with insurance, benefits, and risk management services, offering an uncommon level of client service. From its founding in 1966 in Kansas City, Missouri, Lockton has grown to become the largest privately held insurance broker in the world and 9th largest overall. Independent researcher Greenwich Associates awarded Lockton its 2011 Service Excellence Award for risk management for large companies. For three consecutive years, Business Insurance has recognized Lockton as a "Best Place to Work in Insurance." More information on Lockton is at www.lockton.com.

SOURCE Lockton