How the Upcoming Legalization Could Be a Serious Liability Without Action

Becoming discouraged in the face of all the unknowns accompanying the legalization of cannabis is not criminal. However, making the decision to do nothing or being perceived as not doing enough could be.

To ensure due diligence is your focus when legalization comes through, do your best not to get bogged down in the murky details. Instead, be pragmatic and simplify your approach. Both the knowns and unknowns of this issue present workplace hazards. The definition of a hazard is any variable that presents a threat to our safety and has the potential to cause harm or injury. It’s not a stretch to see how this issue fits into that definition. If we park our personal thoughts and opinions and look through the lens of identifying and addressing potential and actual hazards, it becomes crystal clear what must be done.

The legal requirement to provide workers with their Right to Know can either be an incredible element of support for a strong Safety Culture or a nail in the coffin should you choose to ignore its necessity. And by nail in the coffin I mean, “go to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200”. The very best way to appear utterly negligent is to sit on your hands and do nothing – hoping the storm will pass over without causing damage.

Be proactive and hunt down impactful resources that can be successfully disseminated throughout your workforce, so they can be adequately competent on the details we know and, maybe even more importantly, have an awareness of those things we have yet to figure out. A hazard cloaked in misunderstanding is all the more potent and risk-laden. Even when we don’t have the facts, we must show good faith that we are doing everything within reason to express that the matter is being acknowledged and will not be left to chance. Accomplishing this may be as simple as having ongoing discussions about the unknowns. The key is educating your workforce enough so that they know what we do know and what we don’t.

To learn more about this topic and how best you can prepare your workplace for the legalization of marijuana, click here: www.worksafestaysafe.com.