When you run a business, it’s important you create a safe and secure working environment for your employees and customers. No matter the size of your company, safety should always be a priority as it not only shows your employees you care about their health. But, it’s to protect yourself as well, as should an accident occur (which we hope not) you would be responsible for it and could get in a lot of trouble if it’s found to be negligence.
There are many steps that you can take to ensure your workplace is safe. To start with you should regularly perform a risk assessment, to identify any hazards. You should invest in the proper equipment needed as this will help your staff stay safe and have a policy in place on maintaining a clean and clutter-free environment (policies are important as they improve response times to workplace injuries, as staff will know what to do).
To help make your company as safe as possible, we have put together our guide on four essential workplace safety measures every business should implement. Keep on reading to learn more.
No matter your business, however big or small it is, you should regularly go through a risk assessment for your company. As technology and other factors evolve, new hazards may emerge that were not previously identified. A risk assessment helps you pinpoint these threats and implement controls to mitigate them. In the event of an accident, having a risk assessment in place demonstrates that you have taken proactive steps to ensure safety, which can be invaluable in legal proceedings.
No matter the type of business you run, having the correct equipment is very important for safety. The wrong equipment or equipment which isn’t adequate could lead to dangerous situations for your employees, which you would be liable for. For example, builders should have the right hard hats to protect them on the building site. If your company operates on the roads in the dark, high-vis jackets should be mandatory for all your workers. Supporting safe material handling operations would come under the correct equipment as you want to ensure your equipment is secured properly.
Having policies in place will help keep your workplace safe and part of these policies should include maintaining a clean and clutter-free environment. If an area of your workplace is not clean and cluttered, this could lead to accidents occurring, such as people tripping over things left on the floor. Make it part of your policy that employees keep their work areas tidy and ensure walkways, exits, and emergency routes are always clear.
Depending on your budget, you may have several training programs set up to help your employees develop and become better at their jobs. Workplace safety training should be included in your employee development programs. This training will raise employee awareness of safety procedures and the necessary precautions to create a safe work environment for themselves and others. You may think certain safety measures are obvious, but employees may not and by going on a training course, it can make them aware of safety measures they should be applying daily.
Technology has developed hugely over the years. In today’s world, there are so many different pieces of tech that you can invest in that will not only make your workplace safer but operate more efficiently at the same time. Tech such as drones can be used to reach hard-to-get places, instead of having to ask your employees to climb up high using ladders. Robots can be used in warehouses to perform potentially dangerous tasks, instead of having employees do it. If you’re unsure of what tech to use, perform a review and see if there is anything you aren’t using that you could be - when you start researching, you’ll be amazed at what different pieces of tech are out there, that you have never heard of or seen before.
We hope you have found our guide useful and informative. As you can imagine there are a whole plethora of measures you can apply to your workplace environment to make it safer. Every business is different, so apply the best practices that will work for you. What works for one company, may not be the best solution for your company and vice versa.
What recommendations would you put forward to a company to help them improve their safety measures? Which of the above points do you agree most with and why? Is there anything missing in our guide on essential workplace safety measures that you think we should be adding? Let us know in the comment box below, we look forward to hearing from you.
