Safety in the workplace begins with a proper safety plan that is put into place by management and observed by all employees. Safety precautions must be strictly adhered to because if they are not, some employees can put all other employees at risk.
Work place accidents translate into days missed for work, reduced productivity, and lost profits. If an employee is seriously injured, they may turn to worker’s compensation which ends up costing the business money in increased premiums. Also, morale among employees can suffer because they are concerned about their safety and ability to work in an environment where other employees have suffered an injury.
A Safety and Health Management Plan begins with a proper assessment. A Safety Consultant should be hired to visit your workplace and take a visual and physical assessment from the point of view of the employee environment. From that assessment, the Safety Consultant can easily identify which areas require a more in-depth risk assessment.
Employees should feel safe at work and protected from hazardous materials and dangerous machines. They should be provided with the proper safety equipment, be fully trained on the operational procedures of the equipment or machines that they will be working with, and tested from time to time on those procedures.
An employee can never be given too much training. Ensuring that your employees know all the relevant facts about a machine or system is important. Everyone should be shown emergency shut off procedures and how to report an accident. The importance of reporting workplace injuries should be reiterated. No one should try to hide injuries to avoid having to take time away from work.
The necessary safety equipment should be in place when it is needed, such as an emergency eye washing station or a first aid kit. Employees should be trained to use these items properly and the various procedures that they need to follow. Safety rules must be observed by all employees. Any employee who is discovered not following the rules should be immediately reprimanded, because they may be putting their fellow employees at risk.
A safety plan is never set in stone. In fact, if you discover that certain procedures need to be changed, it is important to do so. The plan should always be adjusted to grow and change with the workplace and ensure that it suits the current workplace environment. If new procedures are implemented, any guides or handbooks should be updated or employees should be gathered and informed of those changes.