Running a safe workplace is paramount for any entrepreneur. The problem with this lies in the fact that some safety measures require a restructuring of your business and the introduction of systemic changes to your workplace. Now, this doesn’t sound like a problem but there are people who could get injured quite a bit until you get to these problems. This is why you need an immediate plan of action and some short-term solutions. Here are the top six safety measures you can implement in your workplace as soon as today.
Invest time in training
A proper workplace practice is something that’s specifically designed to keep you out of harm’s way. In order to get the most of it, you need to ensure that it’s muscle memory. Think about the first time you sat behind the wheel. If someone told you to put on your safety belt the very first time, chances are that you’ve done it every subsequent way without even thinking about it. This is one of the things you need to keep in mind when investing your time in training. You need to make sure that every single one of your employees follows the right procedure.
Label everything
Labels are not guides to help your employees avoid injuries. Chances are that your employees already know what they’re supposed to do. They are there merely to raise awareness, to remind them of the danger. Sure, a container with toxic materials is dangerous and to be avoided at all costs. However, what happens when you walk past this container every single day. It is quite likely that with each subsequent session you might get a tad more careless when walking past it. With a label warning of its dangerous contents, this will become substantially harder to pull off.
Invest in proper lighting
Other than just working on fixing problems, you can try and be proactive. In other words, you need to focus on quality. In order to understand fully what you’re up against, you need to act before an accident happens. You see, most work-related incidents happen because of poor lighting, faulty flooring, and other non-mechanical problems. Nonetheless, you can’t start with the presumption that there will never be an incident in your workplace. You should invest in quality lighting and try to make all parts of your workspace lit properly. Of course, this won’t be easy, and there will always be some areas that are tricky and don’t forget the price tag for this type of endeavor. So, you might want to try something different. Solar lighting towers provide enough lighting, can be used everywhere and actually save money.
Keep everything tidy
One more thing you need to understand about safe business practices is that they work only when everything is in its proper place. What does this mean? Well, if there’s an optimal pathway that keeps you out of the harm’s way when walking through storage or the production area, this path is not necessarily safe if there’s a slip or trip hazard along this path. Not mopping up the spill, not picking up the fallen objects and similar, reckless, messy behavior can have serious repercussions.
Introduce a near-miss reporting system
One of the biggest issues with the safety in the workplace is the fact that it’s supposed to be a collective responsibility. In reality, you can’t rely on the work ethics and morals of your employees, nor on the probability that they will just take the initiative. Instead, find a way to make them motivated by offering an incentive. For instance, a near-miss system in which they report every potentially hazardous situation or instance in the workplace. These near-miss systems should be included in their evaluation or count towards their bonuses.
Make sure everyone wears PPE
When it comes to your obligations and responsibilities regarding the PPE, things are quite tricky. First of all, providing your employees with basic PPE (helmets, uniforms, gloves, glasses, etc.) is a fairly simple matter. However, you need to understand that everyone needs to wear PPE while working and you can’t always rely on your employees to do the right thing. This is why you need to visit them while they’re supposed to be wearing PPE in order to make sure that they really have all this equipment on. If you notice that someone is not abiding by these rules, you should do your best to penalize them.
In conclusion
At the end of the day, while some of these measures won’t give an immediate effect, you can always start making an effort. By just placing an order for the important item, you’ll cut the time until its delivery. Labels and stronger supervision can be implemented right away. After a brief consultation with your HR, you will be able to start a near-miss reporting system within your organization. Just make sure you’re ready for the record tracking and keeping. All in all, you have so many tools at your disposal and the responsibility to start using them as soon as possible.
