The government has imposed regulations for workplace safety to protect both business owners and their employees. Compliance is mandatory to promote everyone’s welfare as they progress in their careers.
As a business owner, you should take the safety of your employees seriously. More than your products and services, your team is the driving force that will allow your company to achieve your business goals. Their wellbeing is directly correlated to your success, so it makes sense that you provide them with a workplace that ensures their safety.
Here are some tips to promote workplace safety:
1. Inform Employees Of Their Rights
Even something as simple as broadcasting an infographic company-wide about workplace safety is effective in making them aware of their rights. For instance, they ought to know what to expect when they return to work after an injury or the financial benefits that they’re entitled to.
Part of workplace safety compliance entails displaying different posters and labels for the benefit of your workers. Make sure that you follow this regulation so that your employees will be aware of their rights.
While this practice might require more effort on your end, your employees will be more motivated to work for you when you empower them with this knowledge. This is because they’ll see how you go out of your way to ensure their protection.
2. Provide Safety Training
Similar to informing them of their rights, you ought to organize regular training to keep your employees updated on industry safety practices. These events are intended to promote knowledge about your team’s protection and security in the workplace. It’s also part of proper health and safety management for your business.
These are the factors that you should include when designing a training program:
- First Aid – To promote the safety of everyone in your workplace, each employee must be aware of how to perform first aid for common injuries in your industry, such as cramps, burns, or broken bones. This knowledge can help ensure that the injured person gets prompt care while waiting for the medics.
- Emergency Procedures – Aside from training your team on first aid care, they should also be made aware of the steps they can take during emergencies. These can include procedures for natural calamities, like earthquakes and floods, or other disasters, such as fires.
- Health And Safety Policies – You must also explain your health and safety policies. These include the regulations that are mandated by the government, as well as company-specific rules that should be followed.
- PPE Usage – If you let your employees wear personal protective equipment (PPE), they must be informed of how to use them the right way, as well as the proper method of storing and disposing of them.
- Occupational Hazards – Industry hazards can range from physical, electrical, heat, chemical, and biohazards, as well as airborne particles. You should let your employees know about these types of risks so that they know what to avoid.
- Harassment Policies – Your safety training program must also include lessons on what’s considered as harassment in the workplace. This aspect encompasses bullying, sexual advances, or discrimination.
3. Reward Compliance
Another way to ensure the safety of your employees is to reward their compliance with the rules and regulations. It’s better to provide an incentive for good behavior rather than sanction punishments for disobedience.
This practice would encourage everyone in your company to comply with the rules cheerfully and wholeheartedly. They won’t be driven by fear of being disciplined. Of course, you still have to set up ways to correct non-compliance, but you should be mindful of chastising them in an empowering way, not with an approach that would bring them down.
4. Coordinate With Occupational Clinicians
As mentioned above, each industry entails different occupational hazards. That’s why if you want to boost employee safety in your workplace, you should partner with professionals who have the knowledge of these industry dangers, as well as the training to spot health problems that your staff might encounter as they go to work daily.
Here’s an in-depth look at the six types of occupational hazards:
- Biological – This can include viruses, bacteria, as well as insects and animals that can wreak damage to your employees’ health. Examples are mold, dust, and vermin.
- Chemical – Chemical hazards, such as mercury, lead, aluminum, and chlorine, can lead to skin irritation, blindness, respiratory problems, and explosions.
- Physical – These are environmental factors that harm your employees. They aren’t necessarily tangible. Heights, noise, radiation, and extreme pressure are examples of physical hazards.
- Safety – You should also be wary of anything in the work environment that can make the workplace unsafe. It can be anything that has the potential to trip or cut, or electrocute your employees, like a damaged carpet or exposed wires, respectively.
- Ergonomic – This type of hazard pertains to physical factors that can lead to musculoskeletal problems. One common example is a shabby workstation setup in the office where they can develop poor posture. Manual handling, like having them carry heavy loads without providing mechanical aid, is also considered an ergonomic hazard.
- Psychosocial – Harassment, stress, and workplace violence are psychosocial hazards that can have a negative impact on your employees’ mental wellbeing. You should make clear policies on how these types of situations should be handled by the management.
5. Lead By Example
Lastly, one of the best ways to ensure and promote the safety of your employees is to be a sterling example of compliance. It’s not enough to provide them with the tools and equipment, as well as reduce the risks of occupational hazards. They should see that you follow safety protocols to protect everyone in the workplace.
Conclusion
Your employees are an integral part of your company. That’s why you should do all that you can to create a safe environment for them to work in. You must also inform them of their rights and conduct training to ensure that they know how to protect themselves.
Moreover, coordinate with occupational clinicians to spot potential health problems in your office. Additionally, make sure to lead by example and reward their compliance to foster a healthy working environment for all.
