Creating a safe working environment is crucial to endeavor to achieve for all businesses, whatever the size, sector and financial standings. Not only will this attract more attention from potential employees, but it will also save you money in the long run. No one wants to be associated with companies who have a poor track record when it comes to the safety of employees and visitors. Continue reading for six things to try. 

1. Training

Ensuring that all staff members receive regular and effective training in various aspects of health and safety in the workplace, such as food safety, is imperative. For example, if people need to operate machinery, there are certainly things that they need to take into account as well as know the processes for if things go wrong. Whatever your organization’s size, it is always worth having someone with overall responsibility for health and safety. Having a named person allows other employees to know who to approach when they have questions or concerns. In addition to all of the above, putting an induction process into place may help to ensure all new employees receive adequate support when starting their work with you. As well as the formal training, pairing them up with someone you trust follows all rules and regulations could be a great way to ensure they are up to scratch. 

2. Labels and signs

Complacency happens. It’s a natural behavior. However, we can attempt to prevent it from leading to serious health and safety breaches by ensuring that there are labels and signs used appropriately throughout the workplace. Too many, and you risk them almost becoming wallpaper, blending in with the background and no longer being noticeable. Likewise, too few and people will miss them easily. Not only can signage help to remind people of the contents of particular areas, but it can also serve as visual reminders of how to carry out certain procedures. Resourceful Compliance has a comprehensive selection of signs and posters to support you in your mission to make your workplace a safer place to be. 

Permanent signs are not the only kind that you should be using regularly. Whenever there is cleaning in progress or a floor is wet, be sure to put out the necessary signs to reduce the risk of someone injuring themselves because of the work being carried out. 

3. Keep things clean and tidy

In some work environments, it can be difficult to understand why it should be kept clean and tidy. However, it is important to remember that many accidents at work could have been easily prevented. Keeping the floor clear of any potential trip hazards is a simple thing. Cables which are tangled up can also pose a risk. Reminding employees that they should arrive and leave finding the workplace in roughly the same state is a valuable thing to do. 

4. Check equipment regularly

Equipment that is used on a regular basis can easily become unsafe without us even realizing it. Frayed cables, a loose screw, deterioration of the materials; all of these things are possibilities in the workplace which could lead to devastating consequences. Carrying out regular equipment checks is imperative. Likewise, reminding staff that they should report concerns immediately, and also reassuring them that repairs or replacements will happen as soon as feasibly possible, could also be valuable. Portable appliance testing (PAT) is advisable to have a greater confidence in the electrical devices being used in the workplace. 

5. First aid

Even if you have created the safest workplace known to man, there will always be the possibility of someone injuring themselves. To lessen the likelihood of this having serious consequences, we would always advise all workplaces to have at least two people who are first aid trained. If your business is open all hours and you have shift workers, consider double that number at least. In addition to regular first aid at work training, you may wish to consider sending a couple of your staff members on training to become mental health first aiders, which could lead to enormous benefits for your workforce. 

6. Briefings

Finally, we are big advocates of sound communication between everyone involved in a business. Try to hold regular briefings with all staff to allow for all up-to-date notices and announcements linked to safety considerations are shared as early as possible. Furthermore, these meetings can serve as a reminder of good practice. If there are some staff unable to attend, be sure to provide informal minutes, ensuring that everyone is in the know with no single person left behind.

Photo by Piotr Chrobot on Unsplash