Sustaining an injury at work is the last thing you expect. Employers have a duty of care to ensure their employees are safe, implementing the appropriate measures to reduce the risk of your staff suffering a personal injury.
Maximizing Workplace Safety: Tips to Minimize Injury At Work
This article will look at a number of safety tips to help you minimize the risk of any injuries in the workplace.
Maintain machinery and equipment
Ensure to have all your machinery and equipment regularly checked, so that they can deliver optimum performance. This will also reduce the likelihood of any malfunctions or dangerous hazards, helping to protect your staff from injuries.
Always wear PPE
It’s important that your staff are provided with the necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in order to carry out their jobs safely. For instance, if you work in the construction industry, there are many health hazards and risks on-site. Your PPE should include:
- High-visibility, protective clothing
- Goggles
- Safety helmets
- Gloves
- Safety footwear
Report hazards to a supervisor
Encourage your staff to report any serious work-related accidents, diseases, or dangerous incidents to your Health and Safety department. Various hazards around the workplace could include:
- Heavy lifting
- Slip and trip opportunities
- Operating machinery
- Working long hours which can lead to burnout
- Chemical products, such as cleaning agents, paints, or pesticides
Provide regular and up-to-date training
Regular training means that your staff is always aware of how to use each machine on-site correctly. No employee should be left to perform their role without the appropriate training.
This will also help to increase their knowledge of various workplace practices, ensuring they know what to do in the event of an accident or if they spot anything suspicious.
Keep work spaces clean
If your business operates in an office environment, be sure to implement a tidy desk policy to remove any hazards, such as loose wires, documents on the floor, or spillages.
General clutter around the office can cause slips, trips, and falls in the workplace, which could potentially lead to serious injuries. It’s best practice to ensure your staff hang their coats and bags up or store them underneath their desks.
If you do notice any hazards around the workplace, make sure you display the appropriate signage to warn those who aren’t aware. This could include wet floor signs, trip hazard signs, or notifying staff that PPE must be worn in specific areas.
