The Future of Safety is Comprehensive

The future of safety is comprehensive

May 30, 2025
By Brent Roeder | Drawing from two decades of experience

How to create a program that addresses the challenges facing your company

Let’s start with this: Safety does not exist in a vacuum. So many areas, people, and resources live under the umbrella of safety. From proper equipment maintenance to the training of a part-time employee, there’s a lot that qualifies as safety but isn’t always accounted for.

That’s why a comprehensive safety program needs to cover three key areas: employee safety, data security, and overall business safety. Here’s an overview and some practical tips on how to deploy this strategy.

Start with employee safety

Serious injuries. Workers’ compensation. Insurance costs. When those are the table stakes, you know how serious the situation is. But in an era of tariffs and trade wars, budgets are shrinking. Sadly, when the economy gets tight, safety is one of the first areas where budgets get challenged.

That’s why it’s important to work with procurement to find solutions that get the job done without sacrificing employee safety. Everything you do has to be viewed through both “how does it protect workers?” and “what’s the financial impact of this decision?”

One of the things I learned early in my career was that working to create consensus early in a project is worth its weight in gold. We would often start working on a safety program, we’d get buy-in from the EHS professionals, and projects would begin to slow at the point of implementation. What was happening was simple: The plant manager, the operations professional, and the sourcing person didn't have enough information to understand the effect this decision was having on their goals and metrics.

Each of these individuals fundamentally cared about worker safety, and they had goals to achieve as well. Here’s how to change that.

Know what you're working toward
When building a program, you need to know your desired future state. An effective program encompasses a wide range of practices and measures designed to protect workers. This includes the use of machine guarding, engineered systems, and proper training.

You’ll notice I haven’t mentioned PPE yet. That’s because safety should not be limited to PPE alone. It’s true that PPE plays a large role in day-to-day safety; however, companies should also consider facility safety, which directly affects employee safety. This includes managing flammable chemicals, ensuring proper spill containment, and maintaining clear aisle ways.

PPE should protect employees and the bottom line
When I’m visiting factories, they’ll often show us low-cost, sometimes dated technology. Seeing those products offers a glimpse into the volume of challenges a safety manager faces as well as what may be accepted as “good enough.”

But who wants good enough? It’s been almost two decades, but I remember what we said in the early days of launching our Body Guard line. “We will never have to apologize for the quality of the product that we deliver to you.”

I'll deal with the fact that I’m not the cheapest, but I will never apologize for not providing some of the best gear possible.

Because I work for a multibillion-dollar company, we can leverage our volumes to make sure we’re really, really competitive against the market. So, if you’re looking for a win-win in PPE, check out Body Guard. It’s a fair price for great quality.

Tips for boosting employee safety

Define your goal: To be a success, a program must be effective and tailored to the specific needs of your organization.
Hold regular communication: Conduct training sessions to keep employees informed about the latest safety protocols. Fight siloed communication every day. Work with other teams and departments to help them achieve their objectives.
Find unexpected wins: Implement a PPE recycling program to ensure the proper disposal of equipment with either a lower cost or perhaps a rebate. Celebrating these wins helps build a community focused on productivity AND safety.
Live by the routine: Regularly inspect and maintain machinery to prevent accidents and ensure compliance with regulations. Leverage technology to make these processes easier.

Work on data security

Cyber threats are ever-present. In an increasingly digital world, companies must shepherd their sensitive information in ways that weren’t concerns even a decade ago. It’s important to note: Data security isn’t just about protecting information; it's about safeguarding the entire business. A single breach can lead to financial losses, a tarnished reputation, and even legal consequences. Here are two thoughts to consider.

SaaS in safety
The safety industry is experiencing a significant shift towards software as a service (SaaS) solutions, particularly in the realm of data security. One company recently launched a new software platform that evolves basic gas detection devices into advanced lone worker and man-down alarms.

This is an amazing advancement in worker safety, but it’s also just one example of how innovative technologies are filling the market and making it challenging for buyers to choose the right solutions without doing massive amounts of research. One possible answer is simpler than you might think. Customer service.

Fastenal has two help centers – filled with expert humans, no AI or bots – dedicated to responding to customer technical questions within 15 minutes. In an era where artificial intelligence is leaned on for so many things, we are doubling down on offering expert advice from real people who’ve worked in the field for decades. This is an investment I believe in wholeheartedly.

Send your safety-related questions to [email protected]. This email address is dedicated to handling safety inquiries and providing assistance.

You can call 833-FNL-SAFE. Fastenal has a tech hub center staffed with people whose sole responsibility is to help customers with their technical questions in real time. The commitment is to respond to every request within 15 minutes.

With scale comes leverage
Geography can play funny games on companies. Some industries believe that to be an expert you must be from a certain location, but that’s just not true. Look at Detroit and the auto industry. It’s true that experts can come from Detroit, but it’s not a rule that all experts come from Detroit.

Decades of working with different teams have taught me that these blinders exist in all industries. We all tend to trust what we’re seeing locally, and while there isn’t anything inherently wrong with that, it does open us up to threats and missed opportunities.

Here’s a hypothetical: You trust a regional supplier to handle your safety program. They’re good people from the area.

Problem 1: With only 50 employees, how many of those people are concerned about data security?

Problem 2: They took you at your word when you said you didn’t want to run out. They drop five pallets worth of product off on your docks and say, don't worry, you're not going to run out. Then, they invoice you for it, too. Now, you need to hold the inventory on your books and work around the pallets.

The takeaway
Choosing the right supplier(s) is key. Yes, I work for Fastenal, so I’m biased, but I feel it’s hard to argue with the fact that we have dozens of distribution centers and our own fleet of trucks to make sure you don’t wind up holding pallets worth of anything. Instead, we work hard to make sure you have both just-in-time inventory AND a local backup.

And because we have 20,000+ employees, you can trust us to have a large team in place focused on keeping strong data security measures up to date. We’re not going to let your information fall into the wrong hands.

And again, we’re a company built on the idea of Growth Through Customer Service. We want to hear from you. We LIKE working with people directly. Helping you solve problems is how we create win-wins. You get the answers you need, and we hopefully earn a bit of trust. Over time, that trust is worth more to us than anything.

Facility safety is employee safety

Here’s a soft fact for you: Most companies with safety departments have some degree of a budget. Now, most meaningful change in the business is usually a capital expense. So, when we think about adding engineered fall protection systems, establishing guard rails, and buying laser curtains, well, things like that are not $20. They’re $5,000. They’re $20,000.

My intention is always to work within the confines of whatever a safety manager or supply chain leader’s budget is. I want to be able to say to them: “If I could save you $100,000 in your consumables, what would you do with that to make the plant safer? What capital projects could you check off your list? (Assuming no one tries to take your budget away.)”

It’s crucial that we all understand how facility safety is inherently tied to employee safety. This includes everything from spill containment to managing flammable chemicals. These measures are not just about financial considerations but also about regulatory compliance. When we manage these aspects, we ensure a safer environment for everyone.

Ultimately, our goal is to drive excess waste out of businesses, ensure regulatory compliance, and protect workers. This is a noble purpose that we take seriously. We don't sell anything to a company that they don’t absolutely need for their business. By focusing on these principles, we help our customers create safer, more efficient workplaces.

The pace of business has only increased in the past 25 years. A thoughtful safety program must work to not only protect your employees, but also help with productivity, and be a positive impact to your bottom line. Selecting the right partners can make a world of difference. Whether you want a program with global scale or the right support for a single location, Fastenal cares about you, your employees, your security, and your ability to compete.

Tips for enhancing facility safety

Manage costs effectively: Work with procurement to manage tariffs and reduce costs through the total cost of ownership. Being willing to consider change or alternative options is a must in the current climate. By reducing purchase orders and using inventory management technology, you can save money and reinvest it into safety improvements.
Reduce POs: Minimize the total number of purchase orders by consolidating orders and using inventory management technology. This reduces administrative costs and improves efficiency. Along with operational efficiency, you ensure product is readily available for all employees.
Leverage volume discounts: Work with multiple sites in your business at one time to rationalize what you are buying. You don't need to buy more, but with scale comes leverage. This is particularly effective for consumables and frequently used items.
Implement inventory technology: Use advanced inventory management systems to track usage and reduce waste. This helps in maintaining optimal stock levels and avoiding overstocking or stockouts.
Review supplier contracts: Periodically review and renegotiate contracts to ensure you're getting the best possible terms and prices. A good distributor will put in the work to review this with you.
Explore alternative materials: I mentioned this earlier, but consider using alternative materials or products that offer the same functionality at a lower cost. This can help to reduce expenses without compromising on quality.