Every business owner should be asking themselves this question, as you strive to create and maintain a safe working environment for all your employees, and with a little forethought and a small investment, there are things that you can do to make the workplace safer. Assuming you have a staff member who is tasked with checking on the availability of protective clothing and equipment, they should arrange monthly meetings with every staff member in attendance, to discuss the topic of safety in the workplace.
Checking your Safety Record
All businesses should have an accident record book, into which the fine details of any work-related accident are recorded. This would include:
- How the accident occurred.
- Details on any injury sustained.
- Date, time and location of accident.
- Necessary treatment given.
If your company has an excellent safety record and have not reported any accidents for a long time, this could lead to complacency, so it is good to review standard practices.
Essential Supplies
Whatever essential protective clothing and equipment your employees use, it is essential that they have access to things like eye goggles and safety boots, and by registering with an online supplier, you can easily order items that you need.
The clothing and equipment would include the following:
- Reflective jackets and trousers.
- Safety boots.
- Hard hats, goggles and ear defenders.
- Respiratory accessories – Face masks and air filters.
- Safety PPE – Hand sanitising gel and bacterial wipes.
Checking Signage
You could assign a staff member to check all the safety signage, which needs to be clean, legible and in the right locations. Stickers sometimes need to be replaced, and with an online supplier, ordering is easy, plus you can keep some spare, just in case. If you use bollards in your yard, inspect them for damage and reorder when necessary, plus any tapes you use to cordon off zones should be stocked in adequate quantities.
Regular Staff Meetings
Holding monthly safety meetings is a very valuable tool, as this raise an awareness of something that can easily be forgotten, especially when working a heavy schedule. This can be a short session that looks at recent accidents and identifying the causes, while also reminding people of best practices, and praise when it is due, as motivation is important.
Manual Handling Training
This involves a team of medical experts who come to your place of work and determine what your employees do, then they design a short 4-5 hour course to educate employees regarding safe handling practices, and this could save you thousands of dollars in compensation payments, not to mention many days of absent employees due to personal injury. An online search will reveal the whereabouts of a manual handling specialist and for what it costs, you are doing what you can to educate your workers on correct handling techniques. This preventative approach empowers your workers, as it teaches them how to carry out risk assessments, while also introducing safe handling techniques.
