Every company wants to ensure increased productivity. However, this is not guaranteed when employees are not assured of safety in their workplace. Employees are more satisfied while working in a safe environment that is free from injuries and accidents. As an employer, you need to implement effective health and safety measures to protect your employees and prevent hazards at your workplace.
Here are some ways to create a safe working environment for your people:
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Create a Culture of Safety
Commit to promote a culture of safety in your organization to create a safe environment for everyone. Come up with a workplace safety program and include it in your company’s mission statement and all facets of your business.
Lead by example by following the practices and encourage employee participation as well. Have your employees sign a form indicating that they have read and understood the workplace safety manual.
Also, you may want to review the OSHA recommendations to understand the legal obligations when it comes to addressing health and safety issues in your organization. Otherwise, not complying with the OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Act) recommendations will put your employees at risk and make you liable for hefty fines.
Share the safety manual with your insurer and your attorney to verify the details and determine if it is workable. Also, your attorney will ensure that you do not violate any laws that might get you in trouble.
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Train Your Employees
To implement a successful safety and health system in your organization, you need to involve your employees in the program. Offer training on workplace safety and make sure that your employees are actively involved in it. Orientation and training should be emphasized for new workers since they are more prone to workplace accidents.
Educate your employees on the proper operation of equipment and machinery and make them aware of the possible hazards to avoid. Proper employee training also protects you from being held liable in case of an accident.
One way to ensure that all employees commit to the safety practices in your workplace is to include them in your company’s plan and mission statement. All employees should be well-informed of safety-related issues and do safety inspections as part of their job. Furthermore, employers should encourage employees to adhere to all safety procedures and value their feedback on safety-related issues.
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Offer Rewards
Proving rewards for safe behavior is one of the effective ways to encourage employees to adhere to workplace safety practices. By implementing a reward system, other employees will be motivated to follow the safety guidelines, which will help reduce the rate of workplace injuries. The rewards can be in terms of office perks, gift cards, and many more.
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Establish an Employee Safety Committee
Along with taking your employees through the safety training, creating an employee safety committee is also a good idea. The employee committee can be involved of workers from different employees from your organization. Consider having the employee committee review and analyze any health and safety issues.
After listing down the potential hazards, they should then discuss what needs to be done to enhance safety in the workplace. Encourage the committee to meet at least once a month and share the safety updates with the other employees.
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Do Regular Inspection for your Workplace
Regular inspection of your workplace is necessary to identify any potential hazards in your organization. Inspect all equipment and tools and ensure that they are properly maintained and safe for employees to change.
It would be best to keep checking all your entry and exit points to identify any vulnerability that can give intruders access to your property. Also, you may want to consider a building commissioning service to make sure your building is completed in adherence to the predefined standards.
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Eliminate Potential Safety Problems
There is no denying that prevention is better than cure. With this in mind, implement various strategies to get rid of any potential hazards. Some ways that you can prevent safety hazards include;
- Placing Signage- It is recommended to keep signage of your security systems in all entry and exit points. Utilize various digital signage systems to keep your employees in check at all times and help them identify potential physical and chemical hazards to prevent avoidable accidents.
- Proper Lighting- Ensuring that all workspaces are well lit will go a long way in minimizing trips, slips, and falls. Proper lighting is essential for industrial environments where employees are more prone to injuries.
- Technology and Innovations- Investing in the right technology can prevent workplace injuries in your facility. There are various innovations that ensure tools and equipment operate optimally without malfunctioning. The innovations can enable automated alerts when machinery is about to malfunction and also offer predictive maintenance.
As an employer, you must ensure that your workplace is safe and productive. By minimizing workplace injuries and fatalities, productivity will increase, and the quality of goods and services will improve.
