Leviticus 19: 16b “’Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the LORD.’”

God cares about life. This was evident even in the days of Moses when this command was given to the Israelites as He was establishing them as a nation.

Principle: Companies have a God-directed responsibility to provide safety.

Produce safe products and have a safe workplace. Safety, proper training, and prompt medical attention to accident victims are essential. Special care needs to be provided for older employees where on-the-job injuries are more often deadly. As elderly work force grows, more attention is being given to older workers. They are five times as likely to have a fatal transportation accident and four times as likely to get killed by objects and equipment. Workers over 65 have half as many accidents as their younger, sometimes-more reckless colleagues, but when they do, the injury is more likely to be life endangering. Companies that employ older people need to be aware of these facts and insist on prompt medical care for these employees whether they like it or not.

In the past decade, a growing number of employers with work-related accidents at their companies have been charged with crimes of manslaughter, reckless homicide and assault and battery, instead of the traditional steep fines. This is especially true where warnings have been previous issued. Extraordinary cases include a worker being sucked under a mountain of salt off of an improperly guarded platform. He died. One scrap-metal worker was pulled into a giant metal shredder, and another was crushed to death by a loading truck which had failing brakes. Another man breathed in huge amounts of carcinogens while working over a giant kettle, stirring metals. There was a vacuum which was supposed to suck up the harmful vapors, but it was broken. The state government said it was not an accident, so they prosecuted the owner of the company on a criminal complaint. All of this may seem overzealous on the part of the government, but God has expressed His view.

Be ready to dial 9-1-1. Have an emergency plan which includes a first-aid kit. Know where hospitals, emergency rooms and emergency clinics are in relation to your work. Have phone numbers posted for emergency care including a physician’s office, offer training and preparedness and then discover who is good at emergency care among your employees. Do fire drills. Do earthquake drills.

Discussion:

1. What does your company do to promote safety, in addition to posters and having a first aid kit available?

2. When was last time you reviewed your liability insurance?

3. Are there any potential safety hazards in your workforce? Take steps this week to address them.