Safety in the workplace is important for employers and employees alike. Bearing this in mind, it’s important to stay informed on the best safety practices for your specific industry at all times. Here’s how you can promote safety in the workplace and ensure that everyone stays safe throughout.
Train and Retrain Staff
One way to make sure that everyone in the workplace is safe is to train the entire team on safety protocols. Set regular intervals after which you will have sessions to refresh the protocols, partnering with local teams and expert communities to get the best training and information. This will ensure that everyone knows what to do at all times and that they will act accordingly in case of an emergency. Carry out drills and give the entire team a chance to practice what they learn so that nothing is left to chance.
Carry Out Frequent Inspections
The workplace will generally only be as safe as the premises and equipment they use. Because of this, it’s important to carry out frequent inspections of equipment and fix anything that’s out of place, no matter how minor it is. Also, provide the team with safety gear and protective equipment, training them on how to use it well. Replace it at the right intervals so that everything serves a functional purpose and is not just aesthetic and present. Have a professional test the integrity of this equipment rather than assuming it’s as good as it looks, and you will create a safer work environment.
Make Use of Signs and Labels
The National Floor Safety Institute found that one out of every 20 slip and fall accidents resulted in a broken bone or fracture. This is a serious issue and one that makes it important to minimize the risk of slips and falls in all areas at work. One easy way to fix this issue is to use signs and labels. Make legible and visible signs, placing them at strategic points so that they’re easily discernible at all times. It will be easier for the team to avoid accidents when they know dangerous areas around which they need to tread with care.
Keep the Workplace Clean
Hire a professional cleaning company to keep the workplace clean at all times, and this will deal with potentially risky spills and such. The cost incurred will be well worth it, given that 15% of all accidental deaths are a result of trips and slips. These also cause the majority of accidents in general in different industries. Find cleaners that will have a regular cleaning schedule so that you can plan your work around them and have a clean and functional workplace throughout. Ensure that your staff is also well-versed in keeping their areas of work clean by avoiding littering and mopping up spills as soon as they occur. To this end, avail mops and napkins throughout as necessary and if sensible to do so.
Keep Communication Open and Clear
Finally, encourage clear and open communication at all levels throughout your workplace. This should enable everyone to report any issues that seem out of place for remedial action to be taken. In the United States, there are almost 12.5 million manufacturing workers. This accounts for 8.5% of the workforce, and it’s important to enable and allow those in your specific team to communicate openly and effectively. This can help avert a potential disaster and save lives and property as there will be many eyes on the ground acting as a lookout for incidents.
Using the methods above, it’s possible to promote safety in the workplace and avoid the risks and expenses that come with accidents.