As a business owner, there are two reasons to consider workplace safety in your workplace design. First, you care about the health and safety of the people who work for you. Second, workplace accidents can be costly and may tarnish the reputation of your organization. Ideally, you want to run a business that is safe to work at and where workplace injuries are minimal to none.
Here are five ways you can improve safety in the workplace:
Provide comprehensive training
Whether you run an auto body shop with estimating software or you manage a warehouse, there are different protocols that should be in place to promote workplace safety. Don’t think that a new team member with years in the industry will know how to do the job either.
Make sure you provide every new hire an in-depth onboarding process that allows comprehensive training in safety procedures and policies.
Offer incentives for emphasizing a focus on safety
There’s no harm in encouraging safety through incentives. While your team should want to stay safe for their own wellbeing, offering incentives to those who best follow safety policies can help create a safer work environment for all.
A safer workplace is beneficial for everyone on your team and can help maintain your reputation as a safe place to work at.
Don’t forget signage
Signage may seem unnecessary, but it’s beneficial for reminding your team of the importance of workplace safety. For example, fire door signs and kits can help to remind staff of the importance of closing fire doors, avoiding the lifts during a fire and how to use a fire blanket, amongst other things. While they may know that certain areas are dangerous or specific steps must be completed before other functions, human error may result in slip-ups every now and then. Signage and labels are a minimal investment, but they can save you plenty of money and time when they keep your team safe on the job.
Safety signs can also be applied to products that may be used improperly and can cause harm. From warehouse fire hazards to construction site equipment malfunctions due to incorrect use, remind your team of the safety issues whenever possible.
Don’t overwork your team
No matter how committed your team may be to safety, it’s a known fact that accidents tend to happen due to exhaustion or tired people not paying attention. If you want to encourage workplace safety, make sure to expertly schedule your team and make sure everyone gets enough rest in between shifts.
Additionally, provide your team with breaks throughout the day. Even 10-minute breaks can help your employees take a second to breathe and stretch. Not only is this good for safety, but it can also improve workplace morale. Employee wellness is just as important to safety as signage and policies are, so consider providing some type of healthcare benefits or program for your team.
Keep up with regular workplace inspections
From equipment inspections and updates to regular work environment inspections, it’s important to regularly check on the safety conditions of your workplace. Even if everything seems to be running like clockwork and looks clean and safe, regular and predictive maintenance can make a world of difference.
A broken piece in a machine could result in a serious injury while faulty signage could lead to accidents. Equipment malfunctions can also be dangerous and workplace cleanliness is more important than you would imagine.
In Conclusion
Any company should have workplace safety policies in place—even those without heavy duty equipment or dangerous products. While there are a variety of things that can happen on the job, doing your best to prevent them is important.
From policies to safety training, do what you can to ensure safety in the workplace. Additionally, make sure to have business insurance should anything unexpected happen.
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