The workplace isn’t a perfect place. An accident can happen at any time. Unfortunately, personal injury at work isn’t uncommon.
Regardless of whether you run a restaurant, a warehouse, or a manufacturing plant, safety hazards are all around. It’s up to you to invest in a safe environment to keep your employees happy and safe during their entire career at your company.
Taking care of your team will pay off in many ways. For one, you can avoid legal issues, as well as paid time off while your employees recover from the accident.
So investing in safety measures can save you tons of money in the long run, as well as tons of headaches. Keep reading to learn the best steps to take when it comes to making your workplace safe for all.
Ongoing Training
One of the best safety tips you can implement is conducting safety training with your team. They should receive proper training at the start of their tenure with your company.
This means going over the best practices when it comes to common tasks at your company. For example, in a warehouse environment, lifting large boxes is common.
Safety workshops can incorporate hands-on training to demonstrate to everyone how to best lift a large, heavy box to avoid strain or injury. Each team member should be able to demonstrate how to lift with their legs and not their backs.
Also, if you have specialized equipment that could cause injury to the operator or others, you should offer ongoing safety training should so everyone is on the same page with how to use and not use the equipment.
Safety Signage
When we work in the same environment day after day, it’s easy to get lax about many protocols. For example, after mopping the floor once again, team members may not feel the need to put our wet floor signs.
But slips are one of the most common injuries that happen in the workplace. Wet floor signs, and other hazard signs, should be easily accessible. You should be able to quiz your employees and test their knowledge of where signs are located and which ones to use at certain times.
Keep Equipment Up to Spec
Whether it’s an oven, a forklift, or a conveyor belt, the workplace is filled with complex machinery that makes our jobs easier. But they could also pose a threat if they are not cleaned, maintained, and inspected on a regular basis.
For any equipment at your workplace that requires third-party inspections, be sure to schedule these out for the entire year so they happen without you thinking about it.
Any equipment that requires daily cleaning procedures after use needs to be cared for. Hold your team accountable to clean and maintain equipment. Use daily checklists to ensure all team members follow the same equipment guidelines, keeping it safe and ready to use the following day.
Don’t Work Overtime
It’s tempting to encourage, or require, your employees to work overtime. Even if you have employees that want to earn extra money, this is often a bad idea.
Working overtime, especially over the course of multiple days, can lead to exhaustion. When employees are overly tired, they begin to make poor decisions.
Their reaction times slow down, and they often forgo many safety precautions. Avoid the need for overtime by hiring enough staff, especially if you have seasonal booms each year.
Use Personal Protective Equipment
Providing your team with personal protective equipment (PPE) is one of the easiest ways to avoid common injuries. On large job sites, hard hats may be required.
In many environments, the use of safety goggles is necessary. Provide work gloves to protect hands from hot or heavy machinery. Ensure your team wears the proper, close-toed footwear, such as steel-toe boots.
Provide safety vests shirts, or jackets with bright, reflective colors to ensure everyone can be seen on the job site. In a loud environment, earplugs should also be provided.
Keep It Organized
One of the most basic safety tips is to keep your workplace organized at all times. Everything needs to have its place, and your entire team needs to know where everything belongs.
It’s often worth hiring a professional to come into your workplace and help rearrange equipment, storage, and the layout of your facility. Not only can this lead to a cleaner, safer environment, but it can also lead to increased efficiency.
If equipment, gear, and supplies were located in more convenient locations, it could save your employees from having to walk across the facility so many times. These small efficiencies can really add up, saving you tons of money over the course of a year.
And when everything has a place, that means fewer objects laying around, creating clutter and tripping hazards. A cleaning workplace will be a happier workplace for your team to work. It can help improve their moods and their ability to focus on their jobs.
What to Do In the Event of Personal Injury
So what happens if you or another worker is injured at the workplace? The first thing, obviously, is to get immediate help for the injured person.
If it’s an emergency, call 911 right away to receive professional help on-site, and potentially save a life. If it’s not life-threatening, you may be able to drive the injured person to the hospital.
Once the injury has been stabilized, it’s time to decide how to proceed. The best thing to do is speak with an attorney who specializes in personal injury claims. Contact Kemp Ruge & Green Law Group for help deciding which path forward to take to pursue legal action where necessary.
Make Safety a Priority
Personal injury is impossible to avoid in the workplace. However, the risk of injury can be greatly reduced by prioritizing safety, organization, and staff training.
With motivation and intentionality, you can turn any work environment into a safe, healthy place to work and avoid the headaches that come with common injuries.
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