How to Keep Every Employee Area Safe

In any workplace, regardless of the industry or sector of operations, worker safety should be an absolute priority. Employers have a duty of care to ensure that their staff can work in an environment that is free from avoidable harm. Every step should be taken to minimize risks and hazards in the workplace. When an unsafe operation or environment is identified, remedial action(s) should be taken to either remove the hazard or negate its impact as much as possible. If an employee is injured or suffers ill health as a direct consequence of an unsafe environment, the company may be liable for litigation and subsequent compensation if they are found to be negligent in creating a safe workplace. In this article, advice and information will be provided that aims to keep every employee area as safe as possible.

Invest in suitable safety equipment 

Depending on the business, staff may routinely be required to work at height, lift and carry objects, and undertake other activities that may pose a risk to their health. Slips, trips, and falls or manual handling injuries can and do occur when undertaking such roles. However, by investing in suitable safety equipment, a company can take steps to ensure that worker safety is prioritized in these activities. For example, if staff need to take stock from high shelves, a robust and stable ladder should be used to minimize the risk of falling. Steps and ladders can make these routine activities far safer, and companies should look to invest in the safest equipment for these purposes. Thankfully, many professional companies, such as Seton, supply a range of safety equipment for a variety of industries. Ensure that your purchasing manager is aware of the safety equipment that is required in the workplace and has access to a range of reputable suppliers. 

Create a culture of incident reporting

In all forms of industry, incident reporting is a vital tool that can help to keep the working environment safe for staff members. Employees should be encouraged to submit incident reports for any adverse event or “near miss” that could pose a risk to worker safety. Typically, staff should be able to submit an incident report form after such an event. This will then be inputted and stored on a risk management platform. Health and safety staff can then analyze this data, drawing out key trends and identifying areas of the business that need to be improved from a safety aspect. By creating a staff culture that welcomes incident reporting, an organization will be fully aware of the risks that its staff can be exposed to in the course of their duties. All avoidable risks can be eradicated or controlled, helping to create the safest possible working environment.

Mandatory health and safety training

As a brief final point, all staff should receive mandatory health and safety training. Ideally, they will receive this as new starters to the firm (as part of the onboarding process). In addition, health and safety training should be refreshed on an annual basis along with other corporate training packages. Put simply, staff who are comprehensively educated on health and safety (including identifying risks and correct manual handling techniques) will be less likely to suffer injuries in the workplace.