Each year, businesses spend millions of dollars covering the cost of work-related injuries and illnesses. Though there are certain financial resources like insurance that can help foot the bill, without a foolproof plan in place you could end up spending a ton of money, losing a lot of valuable employees, and decreasing productivity and revenue. Not to mention, the potential risk of facing serious lawsuits, fines, and penalties. The best way to protect your business and your employees is to go above and beyond in developing health and safety practices and creating a secure environment for them to work in. Below, are few simple tips on how to improve safety in the workplace.
Keep Up with Property Maintenance
Poor property maintenance can lead to serious accidents and illnesses. A bad electrical system could cause a fire, untreated leaks in the roof could lead to mold development, failure to maintain your heating and cooling systems could cause issues for allergy sufferers. Ensure you have more extinguishers and have a health and safety inspector come out to your property for a thorough walk-through. During their visit, they can identify any maintenance and repair issues so that you can make improvements that keep your employees safe.
Get Things Cleaned and Organized
An untidy and disorganized workspace is bound to lead to sickness and injuries. Boxes piled up in the middle of an office floor are a tripping hazard. Dirty surfaces can result in illnesses being spread faster amongst your staff. Dusty workspaces reduce air quality. Not to mention a disorganized work environment slows down productivity. Develop a system to keep things organized. Designate clear areas for things to be stored and ensure that any hazardous materials are stored safely and correctly using flammable storage cabinets from STOREMASTA or a similar company. Also, have periodic inspections to check for issues. You should also consider hiring a cleaning crew to maintain the day to day cleanliness of the entire property.
Keep Equipment Well-Maintained
Equipment malfunction is one of the leading causes of workplace injuries. To prevent this from happening so frequently in your establishment, you should keep your equipment well-maintained. Whether it’s the copier or a production machine for your manufacturing business schedule appointments to have it cleaned, serviced, and repaired as needed. When equipment is out of date or no longer efficient, you should also have a plan in place to replace it with more efficient items or use repair services from a professional like https://masterelectrical.com/service/electrical-repair/.
Establish Safety Protocols
In order to keep your employees safe, it is important to set protocols from the very beginning. Review each job description and the tasks required to complete each job and determine steps to make it safe. For example, if you manage a warehouse you might suggest that your staff wear supportive gear for their heads, hands, and back. You might also prefer that workers not wear jewelry that could cause an injury. Wedding rings, for instance, can get caught in equipment or seriously damage your employee’s fingers. You might advise that they either don’t wear rings in the workplace or get his and her wedding bands that are made from safer materials like silicone.
Other safety protocols might include going out in pairs at the end of the night, buddying up when taking long-distance trips, putting things back where they belong, wearing the proper gear when completing tasks, and whatever other safety considerations you can come up with. Of course, there are more general safety aspects to keep on top of, too. For example, the more extinguishers you have in the event of a fire, the safer your premises will be. Ensuring all of your employees know the protocol for if a fire occurs is a crucial part of keeping you all safe, so make sure to check this regularly.
Train Your Employees
Lack of knowledge is another factor that causes disabilities and illness. After establishing protocols it is important to train your employees to ensure they understand what is required of them. Training can be taught by senior staff or an outside source but should happen at least once a year. These sessions should not only go over the safety protocols you’ve established but should also include education on how to properly use equipment or carry out certain tasks to avoid the risk of injury. You can also teach your staff about cleanliness to reduce the number of illnesses in the office.
Use Signs and Labels
Signs and labels are very affordable and are a simple solution for keeping your staff safe. Adding signs that notify employees of hazards or proper methods for carrying out certain tasks or using equipment reduces the chances of someone getting hurt.
When your employees enter your place of business, their health and security become your responsibility. Having a work environment that encompasses efficient health and safety practices is the best way to minimize the chances of someone getting hurt. Not only will utilizing the above-mentioned tips keep everyone safe and healthy, but it will also improve employee morale, reduce turnovers, and save you money on insurance and workplace injury expenses.
