How to Make the Workplace Safe For Your Employees

Workplace injuries have become more and more frequent nowadays. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, at least 5,190 fatal workplace injuries were recorded in 2016. Most of these were caused by transport accidents, animals and other people, as well as falls and toxic exposure.

It’s for this reason that companies should make workplace safety a top priority. This will have to involve setting up accident-mitigating measures. On top of avoiding (if not reducing) injuries, companies should also implement these measures to ensure business continuity and reduce liabilities that could affect the bottom line.

Regardless of the size and industry of your business, it’s important to apply safety regulations and ensure the protection of your employees. Here are a few things to remember.

  1. Designate the right people

If you’re handling a manufacturing plant and your employees are doing heavy-duty work, you may need to select the right people for your safety committee. This committee will serve to draft a long-term safety plan for the company based on a variety of perspectives.

For this, make sure your team is composed of individuals with leadership qualities or experience in occupational safety. Professionalism is also a quality that’s important as the lives and well-being of employees is at stake. That being said, the committee should convene at least once a week to discuss safety issues and determine the best possible solutions to them.

  1. Hold a seminar

Sure enough, occupational safety concerns everyone in the company and not just the safety committee alone. Your employees, including the executive staff, will need to undergo extensive training to acquire the necessary skills for emergency situations and crucial knowledge on new trends in workplace safety.

Quarterly seminars are essential along these lines, as these will keep your employees abreast of new environmental and industrial safety standards. For the members of your safety committee, on the other hand, you will have to send them to national conferences and workshops where they can learn about new concepts in occupational safety.

  1. Inspect your facilities

Of course, you can’t properly improve workplace safety without finding those issues you will want to improve in the first place. For this reason, make sure to conduct an inspection of your assets and address potential hazards. For instance, rust on heavy metal parts can be a safety issue more than just a productivity issue. You may want to consider laser rust removal. Click here to find out how this technology can serve your business.

For other safety concerns, you will want to meet with your safety committee so you can better allocate the right amount of resources. You will also need to invest in equipment upgrades and streamline the tools that your employees are handling.

  1. Do your research

Aside from inspecting your workplace for possible safety hazards, you may want to do your own research on new tools and trends. You may also want to learn about safety scenarios and how your employees can properly work together to address them.

Adam Hansen
 

Adam is a part time journalist, entrepreneur, investor and father.