Running a business with a safe and secure environment should be the topmost priority of any employer because nobody wants anyone to get hurt on the job right?
Keeping your employees safe should be number one on your list of things to do while running a smooth business, doing so keeps the workplace environment clean and healthy.
It is also paramount to make sure that your workplace is up to par with local standards and regulations. From a wet floor to bad electrical wiring, there can be many hazards presents in your workplace.
Today we are going to look at 5 ways and measures you can take to make sure that your employees work in a hazard-free environment.
1. Promote Safety
As a leader of your business, your employees lead your example. Promoting safe practices around your workplace is necessary for avoiding injuries to your employees. This goes beyond placing a warning sign in the break rooms and must be backed by resources such as time money and effort. Creating a safety committee of a few competent people to spread awareness amongst your employees can be very beneficial.
From individual training to group training sessions, your employees can be made aware of safety precautions through the training given by the committee of all the hazards that may be present in the workplace and how to avoid them correctly. It should be an ongoing process that regularly practiced. This can be done after hiring followed by updating safety policies, quarterly or annually. It is very important that you make your employees aware of what risks are present in the workplace.
2. Update Your Facility
As you are setting up or re-establishing your business it is important that you also take a close look around at the physical environment of your workplace, as it is ideal to keep your facility or workplace up to date with the latest technology.
Anything from uncomfortable chairs or bad electrical connections around the workplace can lead up to your employees getting seriously injured or worse! This could also further affect the quality of work as well.
Exposed electrical wiring or even improper grounding of said wires can lead to your employees getting electrocuted unintentionally. Calling an expert electrician in Inner West to fix such issues can rectify the hazards. Some companies may provide flexible options that suit your budget and is easy on your wallet.
Instead of having a dim workplace which can also result in many accidents and getting seriously injured, you should have a well-lit workplace environment to avoid mishaps from happening.
3. Don’t Assign Repetitive Tasks
Assigning repetitive tasks to the same employee is far more dangerous than you think, even if the task is as simple as typing. These kinds of tasks can be exhausting your employees in many ways both physically and mentally.
Repetitive tasks can cause something known as occupational overuse syndrome (OSS) which is another name for repetitive stress injury which affects your back, neck, shoulders and your overall muscles.
Assigning a repetitive task to the same employee can cause mental fatigue as well, as it can make your employees lose attention which leads to boredom and lack of interest in work. It can also trigger depressive episodes, low self-esteem, and feeling of unwanted.
A research done by the American Institute of Stress in a workplace shows that there were 18.4% of employees who had suffered from some sort of verbal threat or intimidation from their coworkers because of repetitive tasks. So to avoid this you should rotate different people through the same task.
4. Give Regular Breaks
Giving your employees regular periods of breaks can be beneficial for their own safety. By giving regular break your employees feel fresh and avoid the risk of having work-related burnouts.
Instead of giving long regular breaks give your employees small micro breaks as it helps to improve their cognitive abilities, boost their creativity, reduce work-related stress and make them healthier.
Since boosting focus and concentration is one of the upsides of taking breaks, it goes without saying that it reduces workplace accidents, especially the ones that happen due to fatigue and stress.
So you must give breaks whenever it is possible for you because a stress-free employee is like a well-oiled machine running at its optimum level.
5. Be Prepared For Emergencies
What happens if suddenly somebody is having a medical emergency that requires immediate attention and a doctor is not nearby? Having the know-how of how to treat such medical emergencies is a blessing.
The most common workplace injuries include strains and sprains, bone fractures, burns, and contusions. However, if any treatment is delayed people can suffer from sudden cardiac arrest or even worse; heart attacks.
It is only fair that you have an automatic defibrillator ready in situations like these as it can save somebody’s life. If you don’t have a defibrillator available don’t wait around and start administering CPR and call your nearest hospital for an ambulance. Learning such techniques and training your employees for such accidents can be life-saving for emergencies this can also build trust among your employees.
Conclusion
An employee’s safety should be your topmost priority and steps should be taken to achieve this goal on a day to day basis when running a business. Encourage your employees to stand up more rather than sitting down. Ask them to report any form of accident or issue so that it can be dealt with swiftly.
Having the surety of great workplace safety amongst your employees can make them perform at their maximum capacity because it acts as motivation for your employees to work even harder for your company which is a win-win situation for either side.
Today we have made you aware of some of the practices you can do to keep your workplace environment accident free. Your business will surely prosper in the near future if you start thinking about the overall safety of your workplace.
