As a business owner or manager, the safety of your employees should be one of your most pressing concerns. Any employer has a duty to protect its members of staff as well as anyone else who might be exposed to hazards in the process of its operation.
No matter your industry, it is vital to have a comprehensive and clearly communicated approach to safety in the workplace. Here are some of the steps that you should be taking to keep accidents as unlikely as possible.
Provide personal protective equipment (PPE)
In any scenario in which employees could risk physical harm, the provision of proper PPE is a must. This applies to a wide variety of businesses and tasks – if your staff will be in an environment in which sparks fly or corrosive chemicals are used, for example, goggles should be worn to protect their eyes. You will also need to provide suitably protective gloves whenever potentially dangerous manual labour is involved, for tasks including but not limited to welding and rigging.
The exact nature of the PPE that your business will require should be determined by a thorough risk assessment of the specific tasks involved. Once you have identified which equipment would reduce risk for your particular operation, you should never allow that work to proceed without first providing the appropriate protection.
Promote employee responsibility
Health and safety standards in the workplace are a two-way street. Employers are responsible for taking all necessary steps to make their staff as safe as possible – but employees also bear responsibility to behave in such a way that protects themselves, their colleagues and others from unnecessary risk.
As an employer, you should make sure that your staff understand safety procedures and their responsibility to flag up any potential concerns. Robust training is absolutely vital for this purpose, as is creating an environment in which employees feel valued and comfortable enough to raise issues with management.
Adopt robust policies
Putting safety first is not just a buzzword; it should underpin your whole operation. You should conduct a thorough risk assessment for all work locations and tasks – and be prepared to refresh those risk assessments periodically to be certain that they are up to date.
You should have a comprehensive health and safety policy which can be easily accessed by employees at any time. Consult staff to make sure that it accurately reflects the risks involved in their work and respond proactively to any concerns raised; the result will be an environment in which they can feel safe and free to be their most productive.
