Your employee training is one of the most important aspects of ensuring good workplace safety. You need comprehensive training. All employees need to have access to the requisite training needed for their respective positions.
You want to try to incentivize good workplace practices. Giving out safe behavior rewards is one of the best ways to keep employees engaged and to get them to follow all of the right safety policies. It can make a major difference in drastically reducing workplace-related injuries.
Any occupational medicine clinician can offer the kind of insight into workplace injury and prevention you need. These professionals have the requisite education, training, and expertise to come up with better practices to mitigate risk. You can also leverage the help of occupational therapists and physical therapists to improve ergonomics across the board. Come up with human performance evaluations to ensure that you are properly screening candidates. This can ensure they are ready for the physical demands of any role.
You need to be using the right labels and signs when you are looking to mitigate accidents. These things can be equally effective at reducing workplace accidents. You can use them to rely on important yet timely information. They are very simple and easy to understand. You can use them to detail hazards and showcase the right procedures for different things. They can also serve as good warning indicators.
You need to keep the entire workplace both clean and organized. If your workplace and workspace are too crowded and cluttered, you will certainly have more accidents than if it was clean and organized. You need everything to be set up to avoid trips, spills, and more. You should be conducting routine inspections to check for messy floors, cords, and provide safety devices. Implementing programs like 5S can help to minimize clutter in the workplace.
You need to be certain that all of your employees have the right equipment and tools they need to do their jobs safely and effectively. You want the tools and equipment to be usable too. Routinely inspect and maintain this equipment. A machine malfunction is easily one of the biggest hazards you might face.
You want to give all of your employees plenty of time to stretch for breaks. This is a good way to ensure they are moving their joints and keeping themselves from getting repetitive motion injuries. It's also a good way to ensure they are getting their blood pumping. Encourage active movements as they have been shown to help much more than passive stretching.
Implementing good workplace safety starts from the day you hire someone. You need to ensure that you are doing your due diligence and screening out employees not built for the job. People working for you should be detail-oriented. You want people that are willing and able to follow and adhere to all safety requirements. A lot of employers work directly with physical therapists to figure out what physical demands exist for a respective role. This allows you to better screen candidates to find the right one that can handle the rigors of it.
Make it as easy as possible for your employees to communicate with you about the problems they are experiencing. It is important that they communicate any safety concerns they have or health issues. They should also report any hazards they notice as soon as possible. You can elect someone to be the safety captain and have them be in charge of leading the team safely.
You want to be conducting meetings on workplace safety. Having regular meetings is a good way to ensure that everyone knows what they should and shouldn't be doing. This can be a place where you can discuss prevention. It can help you deliver safety tips that everyone can implement for improved workplace safety overall.
When you are an employer, you have a responsibility to protect those that work for you. You are responsible for providing a safe and comfortable workplace environment. Utilize the tips above and you can make your company a much safer place to work. You can work with Concentra if you want to make it safer, healthier, and more productive.
