Every business knows the importance of keeping employees safe. Not only can an unsafe environment be unpleasant for employees, it also opens your company up to potential lawsuits. That’s why it’s important to know about the latest safety regulations and to follow them to the letter. Taking risks can lead to injuries and deaths, so here are a few tips to keep your employees safe and ensure that they’re happy in their roles.
Training
Training is an important part of any safety plan, and regular sessions will keep employees up to date with current advice. Every country has its own rules about how often health and safety training should be given, so make sure you are complying with local laws. Smaller companies often bring in a consultant to train their employees on safety, but if you’re a larger firm you may have a dedicated health and safety person who is responsible for things like training. Keep things short and interesting, and try to make these sessions fun so that people are more likely to pay attention.
Get proper signage
There are lots of rules and regulations about the kind of signage you’ll need in your workplace. You’ll often need to spend time identifying any risks, and then looking for the right signage to warn people of danger. Take 5 Safety are specialist safety sign makers and can print signs for your workplace. Some hazards will need a specific sign design, whereas others might need something bespoke, but luckily it’s easy to get either one made.
Take extra time
People who are rushing a task are often tempted to cut corners. This can lead to shoddy workmanship, and also encourages workers to flout safety rules. You can avoid this by:
- Assigning plenty of time for tasks
- Taking on extra people during busy periods
- Having a system of checks so people can’t cut corners
- Ensuring safety guards are in place
Safety should always be a number one priority, even at the busiest of times, and so it’s important not to cut corners when it comes to your work.
Nominate employees as safety guardians
Everyone should be responsible for their own safety, as well as that of their workmates, but it’s sometimes helpful to have people in charge of health and safety too. Train some people in your workforce to be safety officers, and get them to look out for potential hazards as they go along. This means there will always be a trained set of eyes on the factory or shop floor, and that people will be less tempted to flout the rules.
It’s not always easy to keep groups of people safe, and employees don’t always know about all of the dangers that lurk in the workplace. That’s why things such as proper signage and ongoing training are so important and should be part of your company’s policies. These things don’t cost much, yet can help you avoid accidents and injuries, and ensure your company is legally compliant.