Employees today want more than a workstation or cubicle. They need flexibility and good benefits, of course, but what’s the most important thing they demand? Workplace safety.
To cater to the needs of today’s workforce, developing a comprehensive health and safety checklist is crucial. The first step is to identify potential hazards and create policies and procedures to handle these hazards while ensuring a safe working environment for all your employees.
What Makes Workplace Safety So Important?
Each and every employee who leaves the safety of their homes to come to your workplace should be able to go back home in sound health. Workers desire a protected workplace where they can carry on their duties with ease. It is thus a moral responsibility of all organizations to care for their employees’ safety and create a safe workplace.
A safe workplace boosts employees’ morale as well as improves their productivity. As a safe workplace prevents injury and health issues for employees, it also reduces employee downtime, which essentially boosts the company’s bottom line.
A safe workplace is a win-win for both the employer and the employee. The cost of recovering from an injury or accident on the job is far more than the cost it takes to prevent the injury from happening in the first place. Plus, employees these days demand safe working conditions, which means a safe and healthy work environment will help attract top talent.
Safety Protocols That Must Be Followed
From ensuring the safe use of machinery and equipment to keeping your technologies and infrastructure safe from cyber attacks, safety and security are essential. Make sure that your work areas are clean, clear from debris, and easily accessible. If you deal with chemicals, make sure that they’re always properly stored and handled. Additionally, all of your staircases, entryways, and hallways should be easy to navigate and well lit.
A safe workplace starts with employees who follow safety requirements and perform their jobs per the established procedures.
Addressing Potential Safety Issues
If your organization deals with materials that are harmful to human health, make sure that your employees are trained on how to use the material and have proper safety gear to protect them in case of an accident. Additionally, the workplace should have proper safety systems installed that keep hazardous materials in a protected, secure area.
Provide Adequate Training
Training goes a long way in saving lives and preventing injuries. Although your employees come to your workplace to perform their duties — and work never stops — schedule time at regular intervals to train and retrain your employees on emergency procedures. This should include, of course, what they should do in case of fire or injury. Educate employees on the use of fire extinguishers and keep emergency devices in plain sight. Additionally, you should print out a list of all emergency procedures along with emergency contact numbers and post this document in several places.
Along with this, always keep first-aid kits in the workplace and make sure all your employees are trained in giving basic first aid. Encourage your workforce to address even the smallest of injuries to avoid infections and complications.
Training should be conducted at least once every three months so that your workforce remains abreast of all procedures and can tackle issues if they ever arise.
These simple tips will help you create a safer workplace for all your employees — not to mention a happy, healthy, and productive workforce.
