SAIF honors safe TV workplaces with first annual “Safetys”

With award season heating up, many are focusing on the tremendous achievements in television this year. But, while the acting, writing, and directing all set the gold standard, there’s one thing SAIF employees can’t help but notice.

“At SAIF we love safety and risk management—in fact, we see hazards everywhere we go,” said Ben McCormack, senior safety management consultant at SAIF. “Even when we’re watching our favorite TV shows, we can’t help but notice a few areas for improvement.”

With that in mind, SAIF is kicking off the first annual Safetys, an award to honor the safest fictional workplaces while providing some areas of improvement for the worst offenders.

“We hope the Safetys help educate the public on what a safe workplace looks like,” said McCormack. “And, for those who don’t see every television program as an educational opportunity for risk management, SAIF is here to help.”

Anyone interested in hazard identification can take a new online training from SAIF, available at saif.com/hazards.

Introducing the first annual Safetys

SAIF's safety management consultants reviewed this year’s Emmy-nominated programs for their safety aspects, using a rigorous system of binge-watching, evaluating, and scoring. We then plugged those into a bracket.

So who is taking home the Safetys’ patented safety cone award this year?

For dramas, NBC’s This is Us is the winner. While it only scored a B, we appreciate its focus on workplace stress. Our critic thinks, however, that Kate and Kevin should establish a more predictable work schedule, which may reduce stress, fatigue, and the seemingly endless emotional distress.

In the comedy category, Black-ish wins—we appreciate anyone who’s willing to stand up for safety, so we cheered at the TV when Junior raised a red flag at Pizza Possum. The adults, however, could use a refresher on how distractions can impact their work—the employees at Stevens and Lido show exactly how life, and world affairs, can distract us on the job. Between that and the extra work Bow puts in as an intern at her hospital (on top of her day job), the show falls short of an A this year.

Check out the grades for all of the top dramas and comedies in the infographics below. Download, share, and embed for your blog or social media.

About SAIF

SAIF is Oregon's not-for-profit workers' compensation insurance company. For more than 100 years, we've been taking care of injured workers, helping people get back to work, and striving to make Oregon the safest and healthiest place to work. For more information, visit the About SAIF page on saif.com.