Supervisor and Employee Responsibility

While safety is everyone's responsibility, employees may have different responsibilities depending on their roles in the organization.

101 KAR 2:150 outlines some responsibilities for safety representatives and supervisors. The state safety manual (MSWord - 532 KB) has a more extensive list of responsibilities and expectations for supervisors and employees.

Outlined below are the basic responsibilities for supervisors and employees. Employees and supervisors should discuss responsibilities and expectations regularly to ensure a safe and healthy workplace.

The supervisor is responsible for the safety of employees under his or her direction and the safe operation of machines and equipment within his/her area.

Supervisors will:

1. Ensure full compliance with all safety rules and procedures.
2. Ensure that each employee is fully trained for each task he/she is assigned, including safety rules and procedures.
3. Maintain safe working conditions by conducting periodic inspections of equipment, tools, and the worksite and correcting any deficiencies.
4. Investigate and report all accidents.
5. Conduct regular safety meetings and ongoing on-the-job training.

Each employee has the responsibility for preventing accidents and injuries to themselves and others.

Employees will:

1. Obey all safety rules and regulations
2. Report any unsafe condition or acts to their supervisor.
3. Report all injuries, no matter how minor.
4. Make their safety and health and the safety of coworkers the primary responsibility in performing work duties.
5. Know how to operate all equipment and machinery used, and fully understand all safety and health requirements for all work tasks.