Workplace safety may not be the sexiest or even the most interesting business-related thing to talk about, but there’s little doubt that it’s important. Here are some things you should consider when you’re making your workplace as safe as possible:
Hazards
Now is the time to think about potential hazards. In order to determine the unique safety risks within your business, you need to observe the environment and analyse the type of work that your employees are doing. If you’re working in an office, one of the biggest issues you’ll need to deal with is having your employees spend such a large amount of time sitting down, since this greatly impacts their health. If your employees are working in a commercial bakery, they would need to watch out for flour dust or even heavy lifting with trays of bread. Take a look at your business as a whole, and consider the types of work your employees are doing, and the potential risks to their safety.
Talk about it
In order to keep your workplace safe, it’s crucial that you’re creating a work culture where safety is a focus. It’s a lot easier to keep everyone safe when your employees care about workplace safety as much as you do. Consider implementing regular talks about safety and health, implement safe operating procedures, safety data sheets, and checklists. Many businesses will start the day with a quick talk about safety hazard sin the workplace, and for those working in environments that have fewer hazards, a safety talk once a month (maybe with some food or drinks) is a great way to get everyone on board.
Encourage discussion
The fact is, employees often already know about the key safety and health issues they’re facing each day at work. Since they’re on the frontline, it’s crucial to ask them to check in regularly and ensure that these hazards and risks are being continually assessed. A hazard that you may not deem serious could have a huge impact on your staff, while something you think is a big deal may not be a risk to most of them at all. Ensure that you’re getting on-the-ground feedback so you’re up to speed on the most serious risks.
Training
What is your business using as its current approach for developing a work environment that’s safe and healthy? Workplace safety is about more than handing out some flyers or mentioning safety at the weekly meeting, and you need to create a learning culture at your organisation as well. This means implementing training programs that will teach your employees how to practice and apply what they already know, and what they’ve learned about workplace safety while they’re doing the job each day. On the job coaching is also important, as long as you’re not pointing fingers or punishing staff. Check out Sheilds NEBOSH general course providers for some excellent options for safety training that you can use to keep your workplace safe.
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