Depending on your industry, health and safety can turn into curse words. Some people view health and safety regulations as a lot of red tape designed to get in the way of work.
But the importance of health and safety becomes immediately obvious when someone gets hurt or something potentially dangerous happens.ย
This post is going to explore why itโs important to have a good view of health and safety guidelines, as well as how to make sure your workplace is a safe place to work.
The Importance of Health and Safety
First things first, why does it matter? If nothing else, it is your legal obligation to keep your employees safe. If someone does get hurt or killed at your workplace, it will be investigated.
If itโs found that the accident was due to negligence or something else, then your company will be liable for the civil and potentially criminal damages.ย
As you might expect, this can be very damaging to your company and, in some cases, can even result in it being shut down.
Not only this, but even if youโre not legally responsible, the accident will still massively interfere with production and slow down the workday.
This can also make your companyโs reputation worse, and the whole situation is incredibly difficult to deal with personally.
Another reason is simply because itโs good for your employees. People donโt want to work in an unsafe environment, so if they donโt feel safe or comfortable at work, they will look for other options.
Good emotional intelligence has a place in the workplace, especially when youโre dealing with your employees.ย
Encouraging a Safe Focus
As mentioned earlier, sometimes attitude can be a big problem. If we view health and safety as the enemy, itโs much harder to implement the right practices. Instead, itโs better to work along with these requirements.
This often means making risk assessments of each job. If you know what the dangers are, you will be able to make plans to work as safely as possible.
Some industries are inherently dangerous, such as construction. But this doesnโt mean that you canโt encourage a safe focus at work.
Give people more time to complete tasks, as rushing is often the cause of health and safety regulations slipping.
Donโt assume everyone will be as efficient as they possibly can all the time. Allow people to take breaks so they donโt get too tired and make mistakes.
Personal Protective Equipment
In some cases, personal protective equipment (PPE) is a legal requirement. Depending on your business, different equipment might be more or less appropriate.
For example, a doctor or nurse will wear scrubs, gloves, and in some situations, goggles and a face mask. But this equipment wouldnโt be appropriate or even remotely helpful for a construction worker.
Again, research what equipment is needed for each industry and, in some cases, each task. A surgeon will wear different PPE during surgery than a general practitioner will when consulting with patients.
Make sure that your employees know what PPE they need, as well as when they need it and, most importantly, how to use it. If PPE is worn incorrectly, it can sometimes hinder more than help.
Proper Signage
Another way to keep your workplace safe is to make sure that there are appropriate signs around hazards and hazardous areas.
Signs are incredibly useful for controlling foot traffic and making sure that only authorized employees or people with the proper PPE are in certain areas.
There are lots of different scenarios where temporary and permanent signs will be useful. Even a relatively safe office environment should have signs when the floors are wet, because this is a slip hazard. If someone falls because of a wet floor and hurts themselves because there were no signs, they could have a case against your company.
Proper signage is even more important in dangerous work environments like construction sites. People need to be aware of potentially unstable flooring or falling objects. This way, they can react accordingly and, if they arenโt needed in that area, steer clear.
Safe Building Design
The design of your building can be inherently safe or unsafe. Ideally, the building should be structurally sound.
If youโre not sure about this, itโs not an appropriate workplace and you should get it fixed or move to a new building as soon as possible. You canโt expect employees to work somewhere that isnโt safe for no good reason.
But there are other design features to consider, some of which are easier to control than others. Commercial railing systems are ideal around stairs or at heights, as they make it less likely that someone will fall from a height and injure themselves.
Even a slight height can result in a serious injury, you donโt need to fall from a skyscraper to get badly hurt or even killed.
Another thing to consider is the layout of the building. It should be designed so that your employees can work efficiently and safely. If an office space is too cramped, it will be uncomfortable and unsafe. You should keep walkways clear of any obstructions or potential trip hazards.
Your building should also be designed with fire safety in mind. It should be easy for employees to evacuate from multiple exits if they need to.
Employee Training and Procedure
Your employees, at the end of the day, are partially responsible for their own safety. You can have all the procedures in place, but if they arenโt followed, they wonโt do any good.
The first step is to actually put procedures in place. Make sure that you know the best practices and that your employees know what to do in an emergency.
Hire a safety officer or train someone so that they can act as a safety officer if needed. If possible, have a first aider on-site at all times.
You also need to do drills and make sure that employees are trained in safe practices. If they have to use large machinery, are they properly trained to use it safely? Do they know what to do in an emergency?
All of this will make sure that, if something does happen, everyone will be able to react. And, if your employees are properly trained, the chances of that emergency happening go right down.
Hygiene and Cleanliness
Finally, itโs important to think about the hygiene of your workplace. Admittedly, not every workplace can be sparkling clean.
A building site is not going to be a good place to eat off the floor. However, the same building site should be kept as tidy as possible. Rubble and debris should be moved away from the working areas, as this can prevent accidents.
Itโs also important to have a way for people to wash their hands before eating and toilet facilities, no matter what the workplace is for. Areas where people sit, either to work or to take breaks, should be kept clean.
Hygiene and cleanliness make the workplace a more pleasant place, but they also make it a safer place.
As well as getting rid of trip hazards, good hygiene means that people are less likely to get sick. Sick employees canโt work, or at least they canโt work as effectively.
Try to have systems in place that allow sick employees to work from home so they donโt spread communicable illnesses.
This will prevent more people from getting unwell and keep productivity and morale as high as possible.
