Employees’ health and safety has to be a top priority for businesses. As a manager, you should make it a point to review your current safety and security policies periodically. Consider the risks associated with staff members’ job duties, try to identify deficiencies in your current policies, and examine what other businesses in your field are doing to keep their employees safe on-the-job. Here are some simple but effective things that you can do to safeguard your workforce.
Implement Training Initiatives
Thorough training for staff about safety is at the heart of any effective workplace safety program. Even if your workforce doesn’t engage in tasks that are associated with a high risk of accidents or injuries, it’s helpful to provide formal training about safety in virtually every setting. Even employees who work primarily on office-related tasks can benefit from training about accident prevention and avoiding occupational injuries. Of course, training is particularly important for businesses whose workforce engage in more physically demanding or hazardous tasks.
Employers can take advantage of training resources from OSHA or other local resources to implement a well-rounded training initiative. Training can be incorporated into the onboarding process for all new hires. In addition, safety training topics can become a regular feature of staff meetings.
Document Accidents or Safety Policy Violations
Employers should use incident reporting to document the occurrence of accidents on-the-job and also any conduct which may create unsafe working conditions. In some instances, employers may be legally required to report serious accidents to OSHA. In general, keeping a record of injuries on the job enables employers to identify ways to improve safety conditions with remedial measures such as training, new policies, or new equipment.
Use Video Surveillance
Monitoring employees with video surveillance is advantageous for promoting safety. It deters unsafe behavior, and it also makes physical locations more secure against unauthorized access. It is also useful in the context of transportation. In addition to providing an interior view of a vehicle, you can use vehicle camera systems to observe dangerous conditions and record how drivers respond to them. Coupled with an operational monitoring device in a vehicle’s onboard diagnostics port, you can use this information to help drivers improve safe driving habits.
Camera systems for vehicles have the added benefit of providing an important record in the event that a driver is involved in an accident. You’ll have video documentation of the events leading up to an accident. This type of evidence can be very valuable if you need to make an insurance claim or if someone makes a claim against your business.
Install Electronic Access Controls
Using an access control system is one of the most effective ways to control physical security at a business’ location. Securing entry into a facility makes unauthorized access very difficult. Also, it is easy to revoke access for employees who leave the company. You don’t have to worry about getting back any physical keys that you’ve issued. Instead, you need only to deactivate a key fob or reprogram a code for a keypad entry. Furthermore, you can set different levels of access. One group of employees could have access to only certain areas of a facility, and you could prevent other employees from entering an area where you store dangerous materials or valuable items.
Provide High Quality Personal Protective Equipment
The use of personal protective equipment is extremely effective in preventing and lessening the severity of workplace injuries. Consider what type of PPE would offer the most effective safeguards for your staff’s specific job duties. Workers who are involved in any type of building or manufacturing activities may benefit from gear such as gloves, goggles, face masks, or helmets.
Assign Supervisory Responsibilities to Managers
Delegating responsibility for safe working conditions to key members of your management team is an excellent approach to creating a safe working environment. Their role as safety supervisors should be to verify that staff is following key safety directives and to inspect the physical condition of the premises. Safety supervisors can also inspect equipment such as tools or company vehicles to make sure that they are in good working condition.
Use Signage to Reinforce Safety Protocols
Posting signage emphasizes the necessity of following safe practices in the workplace. While some of the instructions on signage may seem somewhat elementary, it’s very helpful to give people a visible reminder of some basic precautionary steps that they can easily overlook. It’s best to post signage in conspicuous places. If signage is about a particular activity such as moving equipment or loading materials, it’s preferable to post it in the area where staff will be performing those tasks rather than a hallway or a break room.
Ultimately, a proactive and methodical approach to keeping workers safe will make employees’ health and wellness a fundamental part of your company culture. Your workforce will greatly appreciate knowing that you value their safety.
