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Every year, more than 100 million production days are lost due to workplace injuries and illnesses.
If you want your business to run like a well-oiled machine, you need to make sure your workers are taken care of. Part of this includes having proper health and safety protocols in place throughout your company.
When it comes to health and safety at work, you can’t be too careful. Listed below are some simple, yet effective, steps you can take to maximize health and safety for all your employees.
Know the Hazards
A good starting point is to take the time to learn about the potential hazards that could affect your workers. No matter what industry you work in, there are hazards you and your employees face.
For example, folks who work in the manufacturing or construction industry are more prone to issues like back problems or overexertion injuries. People who work in office jobs are more prone to postural issues and repetitive strain injuries from typing or performing other tasks without sufficient rest.
Conduct Regular Inspections
Once you’re aware of the hazards your employees are dealing with, make sure you’re conducting regular inspections to see whether anyone is at risk of developing a particular injury or illness.
Schedule inspections at regular intervals throughout the year and check to ensure that all employees are following proper protocols.
If you’re aware and informed about what’s going on within your company, it’ll be easier for you to prevent issues and minimize the likelihood that you’ll have to deal with them.
Minimize Stress
Stress is one of the most common causes of workplace injury and illness.
When employees are too stressed and overworked, they’re more likely to make mistakes that could lead to serious injuries. They’re also more likely to get sick and need to take time off to recover.
Make sure you have protocols in place to help minimize stress among your employees. This might include making changes to the way you conduct meetings or giving workers more flexibility when it comes to setting their hours or deciding if they want to work in the office or work from home.
Schedule Regular Breaks
Another easy way to minimize workplace and stress and give your employees time to recharge is to schedule regular breaks for them (and encourage them to actually take them instead of trying to skip them and squeeze in more work).
If they have some time every day on a consistent basis to step away from their desks and take a breather, they can come back refreshed and ready to tackle their work with more precision.
Offer Appropriate Gear
It’s imperative that your employees have access to appropriate safety gear. This is especially true if they are doing hard manual labor.
Provide your workers with all the equipment they need, including assistive machines that can handle the heavy lifting with more precision and a reduced risk of accidents.
Remember, if they have high-quality equipment designed for their specific job, they’ll be less likely to get injured. They’ll also have more confidence while at work and will be able to get more done in a shorter time period.
Allow Space to Discuss Concerns
Try as you might to understand the challenges of your workers’ jobs, it’s still possible that you could overlook something when creating safety rules and protocols.
To avoid this and ensure that your employees are supported, allow space for them to discuss their concerns. This could be in the form of a comment box, regular meetings with their supervisors, or even regular meetings with you, depending on the size of your company.
Prioritize Employee Wellness
A good employee wellness program can go a long way when it comes to preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace.
Set up a program that provides your workers with adequate healthcare coverage and access to resources that help them avoid stress and injuries. This might include reimbursing them for gym memberships or even providing an on-site gym or relaxation room where they can go to recharge while on their breaks.
Investigate and Learn from Accidents
When an accident does happen, take the time to investigate it thoroughly. Find out exactly what happened and what could have been done to prevent it.
By doing this, you’ll be able to avoid similar accidents in the future. You’ll also send the message to your workers that you value their health and safety and want them to have a positive and accident-free work experience.
Keep Accurate Records
In addition to investigating accidents, keep accurate records regarding your investigations. This will make it easier for you to reference them and find out what went wrong in the future should something similar happen again.
This is also a good move from a legal standpoint, as it shows that you take these matters seriously and are dedicated to preventing them from happening again.
Choose the Right Safety Vendor
Finally, make sure you’ve chosen the right safety vendor to work with your employees.
It’s the job of a safety vendor to provide you with the equipment you need to keep your employees safe and help them perform their responsibilities in the most efficient and effective way.
When choosing a safety vendor, look at reviews from other clients and see what they have to say. Does the vendor stay in touch with them on a regular basis? Do they provide high-quality products and deliver them on time?
Take the answers to these questions into account when deciding whether or not a particular vendor is a good fit for your company.
Start Improving Health and Safety at Work Today
There are lots of ways you can make health and safety at work a priority. You can start by implementing these strategies to make your company a safer place for workers and reduce the risk of accidents, illness, and lost productivity.
Do you want to learn more about how you can improve the environment at your company? Check out the Health and Safety section of our website today for additional resources.
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