What You Need to Know About Workplace Safety
There are aspects of running a business that can seem rock and roll – flying overseas for a meeting, for instance – and then there are aspects that seem anything but glamorous. An example? Workplace safety. But most of the important things in life aren’t very exciting, and workplace safety really is important.
You don’t just have a duty to protect yourself when you’re a business owner, you also have to ensure the safety of everyone who visits your site, from your employees to your customers. Below, we run through some things about the workplace that you positively, absolutely need to know.
All About Employee Training
You’re charged with looking after your employees, and part of that will make sure they how to look after themselves when they’re working for you. It’s all well and good having safety procedures and equipment in place, but if your staff doesn’t know how to handle these things, then you’ll be opening the door for disaster to strike.
So make sure your staff are fully clued up on best practices and repeat the training every few months. It’ll help keep everyone safe.
There’s Not One Size Fits All Approach
It would be convenient if there were blanket safety instructions for every company, but alas, this can’t happen, for the simple reason that every company and workplace is different, and is exposed to different risks. So it’s not enough just to have, say, a fire extinguisher in the corner.
You need to know the different fire extinguisher classes, and have the ones that are applicable to your industry on site. By identifying the risks that are posed to your business, you’ll be able to tailor your response strategy to meet those specific threats.
Dangers Aren’t Always Obvious
When we talk about workplace safety, most people’s minds go to the big things, such as a fire. While they should be taken seriously, and probably given precedence, it’s important to keep in mind that workplace dangers aren’t always so obvious.
The majority of injuries come from things like slipping on the floor. So take a look at your floor, both inside your workplace and in the entranceway, and make sure it’s not posing an undue danger. Other injuries can result from easily manageable things like clutter. A clear space is much safer than one with many items scattered around.
Your Employees Know Best
When it comes to keeping a workplace safe, it’s important to have a bottom-up approach, not a top-down approach. That means rather than directing your employees on how to be safe, listening to them about their concerns. They likely have a better overview of the risks posed than you do, since they’re working there all day, every day.
It’s Not Static
Finally, remember that workplace safety isn’t static. It’s ever evolving as you introduce new equipment and so on to your company. Every year, take account of these changes and make sure that your safety procedures have been updated to reflect the changes. It might just be a lifesaver.
This is a collaborative post.
