The Safety Gap for SMBs
Small- and medium-sized businesses face unique safety hurdles, but they have solutions.
- By David Kopf
- Apr 27, 2026
Small- and medium-sized businesses make up the backbone of the economy, but when it comes to workplace safety, they often face a very different reality than their larger counterparts. While major organizations may have dedicated safety teams, formal systems and access to extensive resources, smaller companies are frequently navigating safety with limited time, budget and expertise.
In many cases, safety responsibilities fall to someone already wearing multiple hats—an operations manager, a supervisor, or even a business owner. These individuals are often capable and well-intentioned, but they may not have formal training in occupational health and safety. The result can be a reactive approach, where compliance requirements are addressed and paperwork is completed, but deeper hazard identification and risk management efforts fall short.
This is not a reflection of a lack of concern. Quite the opposite. Most leaders and employees in these organizations care deeply about keeping people safe. The challenge is knowing where to start—and how to build something that is both effective and sustainable.
That’s why I was recently pleased to welcome Greg Zigulis, MS, CSP, CIH, to the OH&S SafetyPod. As President of Sixth Sense Safety Solutions, Greg brings decades of experience in safety consulting and standards development, and in our conversation, he spoke directly to the challenges small and medium-sized businesses face. More importantly, in our interview, he offered practical guidance on how to address them.
I encourage you to listen to the full episode (no. 228) on our site or your preferred app, but one of the key themes Greg discussed was the need for SMBs to move beyond a purely compliance-driven mindset. While regulations are an important foundation, they are only part of the picture. SMBs must also understand their specific risks, prioritize hazards based on potential severity and develop processes that help prevent incidents before they occur.
Greg also emphasized the importance of understanding how safety programs fit into a broader system. Rather than treating safety as a collection of isolated policies or checklists, organizations can benefit from thinking about how different elements—training, hazard identification, communication and leadership—work together to support better outcomes.
And perhaps most importantly, Greg highlighted the value of engaging employees in the process. Workers often have the clearest view of where risks exist, and creating an environment where they can share those insights is a powerful step toward building a stronger safety culture.
Greg expands on these ideas in his new book, Health and Safety Programs in Small and Medium-Sized Businesses: Setting Them Up and Making Them Work Effectively. It’s a practical resource designed to give leaders a framework for understanding what drives safety and how to build programs that truly work. The book is available now through Amazon and other major bookseller, and for organizations looking to take the next step in their safety journey, it’s a conversation and a resource that’s worth exploring.
This article originally appeared in the April/May 2026 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.
About the Author
David Kopf is the publisher and executive editor of Occupational Health & Safety magazine.