Workplace safety should not be pegged on best practice policies and guidelines alone. Creating a safe working environment depends on how both the management and other employees understand and communicate about safety standards. A successful workplace safety plan should encourage your employees to identify potential behaviors that may be unsafe.
Do you want to make your business environment safer, but have no idea where to start? Maybe you want to make sure that you have all the basics are covered before moving on to something else. Either way, here are four essentials that can help make your business a safe zone for your employees and customers.
Look for Hazards
To determine the unique safety risks in your business, look around the workplace environment and analyze the day-to-day tasks your employees are involved in. For example, if your business revolves around commercial baking, what are the health risks your employees are likely to encounter? Inhaling flour dust may spur an asthma attack, lifting the heavy bread trays may trigger strain or delivering products leaves one at risk of road accidents – while car insurance is not always cheap, it goes far in mitigating against the costs related to vehicle accidents.
Start by researching the specific safety requirements related to your industry, consult the National Institute of Occupation Safety and Health (NIOSH) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) websites. You can also do a quick search on Google to find out what types of risks you might have missed. However, be mindful of the validity of the information you read online.
Create a Customized Training Program
After identifying potential hazards related to your business, training your employees on how to manage them is the next step. Basic safety awareness is an integral part of any business’ safety training program. It should include informing your employees on how they should report accidents and hazards as well as how to prevent fires and respond to emergencies.
Fires can occur in the office area just as they would occur in a chemical factory. Train your employees on how to conduct themselves in emergencies and have someone be responsible during such situations. Detail the steps in a safety policy document and make sure that all employees study it and refer to it during an emergency.
Minimize Employee Stress
Safety threat to employees does not only revolve around physical injuries, stress in the workplace can be a serious threat to the well-being of your employees. Once an employee files stress-related claims, it is pertinent that the human resource manager investigates all factors involved. On the other hand, employees should provide proof that their work is the primary cause for anxiety.
Remember that personal concerns also have a role to play in increasing stress in the workplace, so managers should put mechanisms in place to discover any pre-existing conditions that can cause overwhelming anxiety. The HR manager should ascertain if the circumstance is a result of some harmful psychological condition. They should also ensure that the affected employee receives professional treatment for work-related stress.
Don’t Forget About the Safety Program
Once you have a safety program in place, you should keep the momentum going. What makes a good program is careful planning and regular maintenance. This kind of a consistent and coordinated approach to workplace safety will eventually pay off in a huge way – resulting in fewer injuries and a better environment for everyone in your business premises.
It is the responsibility of human resource managers to ensure that the workplace is safe. They are also responsible for enforcing legislation through internal safety concerns and educating staff members on work safety issues. In fact, human resource managers are the central point of all matters concerning safety and they have to work tirelessly to ensure staff welfare.
