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Photo by Jeriden Villegas on Unsplash
No matter what industry you work in, safety is paramount. Of course, some jobs are more hazardous than others. The construction industry, for example, is considered a lot more dangerous than the retail industry, but there is still a measure of danger involved in both.
What matters the most is that you’re able to keep your employees safe. Here are some reasons why safety is so important, as well as how you can achieve it.
The Legal Side
One of the first things to consider is the legal ramifications of not looking after your employees’ safety. You are responsible for the health and lives of your employees while they’re at work. While there is a level of risk in some jobs, your business will still be on the hook if accidents are caused by neglect or mismanagement.
After an accident, especially a serious accident that results in a hospital visit or a fatality, your company might be liable for damages. This could end up costing a lot in legal fees and, if you are found liable, extra fees to pay for the damages.
Your company might also be subject to an inspection and, if it’s found that things are unsafe and precautionary measures aren’t being taken, you may be subject to further fines or other sanctions. In extreme cases, your business might even be shut down.
One of the best things you can do to protect yourself from these legal issues is to, first, get a lawyer who can defend your company’s interests, but even more importantly, do some research into local governmental guidelines and regulations around health and safety. You should be following these regulations as a matter of course, and doing so can be a protection.
If possible, you can even go above and beyond the letter of the legal requirements to make sure that your employees are as safe as possible. So, even if something does happen, you can defend your case and prove that your company wasn’t negligent.
Your Employees’ Wellbeing
Another very important and compelling reason to make sure that your company is fully above-board when it comes to health and safety is the wellbeing of your employees. Your staff are an integral part of your company, and people understandably want to feel safe when they’re at work.
By proving that you care about the wellbeing of your employees and that you’re trying to keep them safe, you foster better relationships between your staff and your management team. People do notice if their safety is being traded for profits, and they may start looking for other work that doesn’t risk their lives, health, and careers.
As well as keeping your employees happy, you also want to keep them productive. Happy employees are more productive in general, but so are healthy employees.
If people keep getting injured at work, they either can’t come into work until they heal, or they have to work in a reduced role for a while. You might lose skilled employees this way, and the more that people get injured, the more productivity you will lose.
While it might seem slower and less productive to focus on safety rather than speed, in the long run, this strategy results in higher productivity overall. This is because your employees and your equipment are better able to keep up with the safer pace.
Understand the Dangers
So now that we understand why it’s so important to have as safe a workplace as possible, how can employers put this into practice and protect their business and their employees?
The first thing to do is to identify and understand the hazards that might crop up in your industry. As has been mentioned before, different industries have different levels and types of risk. The risks might not always be obvious at first glance, so it’s helpful to do a job hazard analysis and look into the different tasks and environments involved.
For example, even a relatively safe office environment has hazards. People can trip, slip, and fall, which can result in an injury. People can also be injured by faulty electrical outlets or components, or the same electrical issues could cause a fire.
In every environment, there is always the risk of other people injuring employees, especially in a customer-facing role like a retail store.
If your employees are using specific equipment, they might come with added risks. Once you correctly identify the potential risks that your employees face, you can then work out ways to mitigate those dangers.
Personal Protective Equipment
Depending on the industry, your employees may need certain personal protective equipment (PPE) to be safe while they’re in a hazardous environment. Construction equipment includes hard hats, high visibility clothing, and steel toed boots, for example.
This equipment might be a legal requirement in some countries, but even if it isn’t, it’s well worth encouraging or requiring employees to be properly kitted out in the right gear.
This is especially important if certain tasks involve working in a hazardous environment. For example, they might need breathing apparatus that they can trust if there are toxic fumes in the area or if they have to work in a fire.
Signage and Labeling
As well as correctly identifying the potential risks in your workplace, you need to make sure that employees and visitors are able to identify them as well. This is where signage can come in very handy.
Signs can be used to indicate dangerous or restricted areas, whether it’s a hazardous area in a construction site or a sensitive area like a server room in an office. This prevents people from wandering into places that need to be controlled. Other security measures, like a key or passcode, can also be helpful for this.
Signs can also warn people about temporary hazards. A wet floor sign is a very common and useful example of this, because it stops people from slipping on a liquid that they can’t see properly.
Use labels to help people understand dangers associated with specific equipment. For example, you may use these labels to show that only qualified people should use equipment.
Signs can also tell people when they need to wear certain PPE, especially if different areas are more or less dangerous than others.
Finally, a sign can tell people where the exits are. In the event of an emergency or a fire, clear signage pointing to the nearest exit can help people evacuate safely and quickly.
Photo by Oliver Hale on Unsplash
Proper Training
One of the best things you can do for your employees is to train them for different roles and to be better in their own role. This is great for their career prospects, but it also helps you to keep a loyal, skilled, and safe team on your side.
Proper training is absolutely essential for making sure that your employees are as safe as possible when they’re on-site. Certain equipment might need training and certifications before anyone can use it safely, so as well as hiring people with these qualifications, you should look for ways to train other people to use them properly.
Another thing to consider is first aid and safety training. While it’s not strictly necessary for most jobs, first aid training can be incredibly helpful for employers and employees. Some job sites and workplace environments require a first-aider to be on site at all times. So, if you have a few people who can help out, your company and employees will be in a better position to deal with emergencies.
