When you work in a heavy-duty environment, you will be aware of accidents happening in similar workplaces, which can cause problems for you, the person hurt in the accident, and your business. More and more are people focusing on what can be done to prevent accidents from occurring in every aspect of the workplace, which often results in stricter health and safety regulations and an increased importance placed on training. Though these factors are integral to helping your workplace become safer, there are also some other foolproof tips you can follow, which will ensure that the safety of your workers is paramount.
Update health and safety guidelines
Health and safety regulations are changed and updated very regularly, and it can sometimes be too difficult to keep up. Yet staying invested in developments will reap its benefits in the long run, and will ensure that your workplace practices aren’t breaching any laws. Every now and then, it’s wise to sit down and research any recent changes. Once you have compiled a list of important updates, you should edit your health and safety manual and put it into print, so that all the workers in your building can access it.
Keeping on top of changes as they occur will save you a lot of time, but will also ensure that your employees are following the correct guidelines, which are promised to keep them safer than the regulations that came before.
Cultivate a culture of safety
You can have many health and safety packs scattered around your workplace, but they become obsolete if the workers in your company don’t want to read them. This is why the culture surrounding safety needs to change from the inside out. Education here is key, and you can ensure that workers will follow regulations by going through staff training from the moment they step through the door. Implementing mobile learning techniques will ensure they learn the ins and outs at a more relaxed pace, in a low-pressure environment. Studies have shown that people learn better when they have bits of information fed to them in small, bite-size chunks, which also makes training more fun. If you can stress the importance of health and safety practices, and cultivate a fun way to train, then it will become more natural for them to work with such safety features in mind.
Invest in the right equipment
What workers may learn in theory won’t be helped if you have outdated equipment that breaches a number of health and safety regulations. Firstly, you should ensure that all your equipment is in working order, and that they have passed safety tests to be suitable for use. This will prevent them from encountering any issues later down the line that may endanger the safety of those using them, as well as others in the workplace. Skimping out on this area of safety is not an option; if you are unsure on whether to invest in fixing equipment or paying for new tools, you should remember that although it seems like a large expense in the short term, the benefits will massively outweigh these costs in the long run.
To make sure you are getting the best deal, research carefully before you buy, rather than going for the cheapest option. Don’t forget that the cheaper equipment is, the less likely it is to work well and have the best safety features. It is also worth noting that some workplace equipment is designed specifically for ensuring the safety of workers, such as the rails manufactured by Verge Safety Barriers. Not only do these barriers act as a wall between heavy lifting machinery and workers, but when placed strategically, it can be a great way to ensure fire safety during a drill.
Wear safety gear
You may have pulled out all the stops when it comes to buying the right equipment and ensuring you have the best safety measure put in place. Yet that doesn’t mean that your workplace is free from danger. Occasionally, an accident might happen that might hurt an employee or guest. To prepare for this possibility, it’s a good idea for everyone in your building to wear the correct safety gear. This could include wearing fire-retardant clothing in the case of a fire, goggles when welding, and heavy, steel-capped boots to protect feet from heavy items falling over. By making sure everyone is wearing the same protective gear, this will minimize any damage in the case of an accident.
Plan for an emergency
In case of a workplace emergency, you should have a solid plan to resort to which places the safety of everyone in your building at the top of the list. This plan should include a list of all the safety exits, fire hydrants, as well as any other equipment that should be easily accessible – should the need for them ever arise. Not only this, but your plan should have a step by step outline of what to do in the case of a drill. If you live in an area prone to flooding or high winds, then you should take this into account when you make your plan. Creating a plan such as this will also enable you to see which parts of your building can be improved in the case of an emergency. Once you have a smooth, flawless plan, then you can go about teaching this to staff during training.
Practice emergency drills
Sometimes, the only way to show employees exactly what to do is by having an emergency drill. This will allow you to put your plan into action to see how your employees will react in the case of an emergency. Yet while, you can do this on a large scale, it is also a good idea to practice drills in the case of a personal injury, which are small-scale emergencies for those who might go through them. Practicing such drills will show the importance of acting calm and collected during this kind of scenario, which will set up your workers well in case a real-life simulation was to happen.