Key Ways To Improve Workplace Health And Safety

An employee is injured at work every seven seconds with 12,900 employees injured every day and 4.7 million every year in total. Workplace injuries aren't just emotionally and physically devastating to employees, but they can also hurt your bottom line. Workplace injuries cost businesses $1,100 per worker, the National Safety Council reports. By taking steps to tighten your health and safety policies, you can protect your employees while simultaneously minimizing lost work days and revenue.

Provide comprehensive training
Each individual in the workplace shares responsibility for workplace health and safety. It's therefore key you provide comprehensive health and safety training to new employees. In fact, new employees are three times more likely to injure themselves at work compared to existing employees. Keep in mind health and safety training should be continuous, strictly maintained, and updated as needed. Regular refresher sessions help keep employees up-to-date with health and safety policies and aware of best practices. Additionally, it's important employees are encouraged to communicate any concerns they have over health and safety. They should be made to feel comfortable approaching supervisors about such matters in a safe, conducive environment.

Stay alert
If there are risks or hazards in the workplace, communicating them clearly to employees is a priority. A simple “wet floor” sign can prevent slips, trips, and falls, while anti-slip pads or panels should also be placed in high-traffic zones. You can also keep your company's zero-injury goal at the forefront of employee minds with positive visual reminders, such as “nobody gets hurt” stickers on hard hats. Daily or monthly huddle meetings can be used to inform employees of new hazards and policy updates, as well as to remind them of existing risks. If an employee does sustain an injury while on the job, it's important they're aware of their rights, Johnson Garcia LLC at https://www.johnsongarcialaw.com/ explains. By consulting an experienced lawyer, injured employees can file a lawsuit to win compensation to cover the cost of medical bills and lost wages.

Deal with hazards immediately
Once a health and safety risk is identified, it should be dealt with immediately. Similarly, it's important employees are provided with a platform that allows them to quickly and easily report hazards — this helps ensure workplace risks are spotted and fixed promptly. Workers commonly say time constraints is the key reason preventing them from reporting hazards. That means your business needs to actively encourage reporting among employees by making it as easy as possible for them. A positive reward system can also help to incentivise employees to take a proactive approach; for example, every employee that reports a health and safety risk can be rewarded with a gift voucher.

Workplace health and safety should be a priority for every business. By providing comprehensive training to employees, staying alert, and dealing with hazards immediately, you can protect employees and prevent lost work days while maintaining your bottom line.