If you are a business owner, then you are responsible for every aspect of your company, including employee safety.
From workplace injuries to harassment complaints, there are many different harms that your workforce could potentially face, so it is important that you have procedures and policies in place to make the workplace environment as safe as possible.
Many business owners and workplace managers make the mistake of assuming that only workplaces that involve physical activity, such as operating machinery, need to worry about workplace safety, but this is far from the truth.
It is crucial that even office-based workplaces are safety conscious and seek out new ways to make sure that employees are protected and safe when they come to work. If you don’t take safety seriously, your employee is within their rights to speak to a work compensation lawyer like Stone Rose Law to get the ball rolling on their compensation if the injury has had an impact on them and you are not going by the law when dealing with it.
If employee safety isn’t something that you have considered before, then you may not know where to start, so we have put together this helpful guide with nine ways that you can make your workplace a safer environment for your employees.
Table of Contents
Train Staff
While it is crucial that as a business owner, you facilitate workplace and employee safety, it is also up to your workforce to understand and look after themselves when at work.
Therefore, it is important that your employees are aware of how to look after themselves in the workplace, as well as how to treat each other.
Therefore, many businesses undergo staff training to ensure that staff know exactly what behavior is expected of them.
While the level of training that your staff require will largely depend on what sort of industry you are working in, there are some basic levels of training that all businesses should undergo.
For example, sexual harassment training helps to prevent harassment in the workplace and helps to make your employees feel more comfortable in their place of work.
Harassment accusations at work are serious, so it is important that as an organization you know how to prevent and deal with sexual harassment.
These courses are great for both business owners, as well as employees.
Use Safety Signs
Safety signs and labels are a cheap and easy way to communicate quickly with several members of staff at one time.
When it comes to maintenance problems or liquid spillages, it is important that you have safety signs on hand to draw attention to the issue.
Failure to do this can lead to your employees having serious accidents and incidents.
Safety signs are a great addition to a workplace as they easily communicate messages to people walking by and they highlight proper procedures.
These tools are great for even the most experienced and longstanding members of staff.
Keep Things Clean
Having a workspace that is messy and unclean can make accidents much more likely.
Therefore, it is important that as a collective, you all take responsibility for keeping the place clean and tidy.
But even if this is the case, every member of staff should be held responsible for their own area of work and it should be made clear to them that it is always their job to keep their workspace clean and tidy.
Similarly, if you are the manager or business owner, then you should rule by example and ensure that you always follow the cleanliness rules yourself.
If employees see that their boss maintains a clean and tidy workspace, then they are more likely to follow suit.
Provide the Necessary Resources
In some workplaces, staff will require tools and resources to help keep themselves and their colleagues safe when at work.
While this could include things we have already discussed, such as staff training or safety signs, it could also be items that are more specific to the industry that they are working in, such as safety helmets, safety devices, and safety glasses.
It is important that you refer to the guidelines provided for your industry of work to ensure that you are always adhering to them.
Failure to do this may cause harm to your workforce, as well as causing you to find yourself in trouble with the authorities.
If you run a business that involves members of staff working alone, then you should ensure that there are lone worker resources in place in case they find themselves in any danger.
Reward Safety
It is important that you make workplace safety a main concern and ensure that all your members of staff are aware of how important it is.
While this can be encouraged by regular training and meetings on the topic, you can also reward members of staff that show they are safety conscious.
While many workplaces have high production targets that can encourage staff productivity, the same concept can be used when trying to encourage workplace safety.
This could include bonuses and an employee of the month scheme.
Establish an Open Work Culture
If you want your employees to enjoy a safer working environment, then it is important that you establish an open and approachable work culture.
Staff need to be able to feel like they can approach their colleagues and members of management about any concerns they may have, including safety concerns, so that any issues or problems can be sorted immediately.
This will stop a problem as soon as it arises and stop it from developing into a more significantly or potentially dangerous situation.
Therefore, it is important that your workplace is a safe space where staff can voice their concerns without worry of being penalized or ignored.
Have Regular Meetings
By holding regular safety meetings, you can provide staff with the perfect opportunity to raise any concerns they may have.
This many include letting management know about any safety resources or tools they need.
Encourage Stretch Breaks
If you run a tight ship and members of staff are often very busy at work, this can mean that coffee and lunch breaks are spent at their desk, rather than being used to get some fresh air and enjoy a walk around.
Therefore, you should encourage members of staff to use their breaks to stretch their legs and have some time away from their computer screens.
Research has found that breaks are a lot more useful when taken away from the place of work.
Hire Competent Workers
During the recruitment process, you should look out for individuals who are already safety conscious and who maybe have some safety training already.
By hiring competent workers who were already aware of the basic rules and procedures when it comes to creating a safe work environment, it will become a lot easier to establish a safety conscious workplace.
If you are worried about an individual and could see them being a potential safety risk, then you should rethink their place within your company.
As a business owner and employer, it is essential that you take the safety of your staff very seriously and do everything you can to make sure they are safe at work.
