Employers have the responsibility to ensure the safety of their employees at work. They provide protocols and set policies to make sure the workplace provides safety and security.
But despite the efforts of employers to provide a safe environment for their employees, accidents might still happen, especially if the staff themselves don’t take liability for their actions. Safety cannot come from one source only. It needs the effort of the entire team to keep everyone safe in the workplace.
Irresponsible employees hurt themselves and everyone around them as well. As a matter of fact, employee fault is one of the leading reasons workplace injuries happen often. In most cases, this occurs when a person is too distracted by something or is not being attentive.
Another common cause of accidents in the workplace is tripping and falling. And the main reasons for this are, once again, when someone is distracted, and second, faulty housekeeping. It’s apparent that people can trip and fall when clutter and objects block their way, causing them to lose balance.
Understanding Employee Safety
Employee safety is a fundamental right. As an employer, you are in charge of keeping them safe, providing a safe workplace free of hazards. Understandably, you cannot eliminate all hazards, and that’s why you need to set preventive measures to reduce the risk of injuries. Here’s what you need to do to ensure employee safety:
- Provide employee training
- Keep equipment and machines well maintained
- Give your employees basic safety materials
- Protect them from toxic chemicals
- Have a team or department responsible for handling employee injuries.
Creating a Safety Culture at Work
You don’t need to shoulder all the burden in keeping your employees safe. But of course, you need to provide them with what they need to work efficiently and safely. Listed below are the things you can offer to guarantee their safety:
Health and safety training
You are the top person to prioritize your employees’ safety. Yet your employees are responsible for keeping themselves safe too. Providing health and safety training before they begin working will ensure that they know what to do to stay away from risks.
Teaching them strategies and techniques that they can implement on their own is an effective method to keep them motivated. Highlight their safety is a priority by training new hires and ensuring that they are equipped with knowledge in their first week with the company.
Encourage them to engage and participate.
Encouraging your employees to participate and engage is fundamental in promoting a positive safety culture at work. After all, a safe and healthy workplace plays a pivotal role in increasing employee productivity, creativity, and performance.
Ask your employees to join you in shaping a risk-free and safe environment. As much as possible, ask for their opinions. They might have interesting solutions to optimize safety. It’s vital to ask your employees’ views because they are the ones at risk. They know what the risks are and how they can protect themselves better.
You’ll be surprised to know that employee suggestions are typically cost-efficient, effective, straight to the point, and easy to implement. Encourage the employees to find practical solutions to promote a safe and healthy environment in the workplace.
Assign representatives for health and safety
Employers can’t look after their employees all the time. They are not often seen in the workplace. As a result, they don’t immediately find out if their employees are hurt or injured. So to ensure that someone is in charge of emergencies, they need to designate trustworthy individuals to represent health and safety.
Having a representative in the workplace is also an effective way to express their safety concerns. At the same time, the representative, who acts as the mediator, can pass on these concerns to the employer. By doing this, the employer will have a broader grasp of what’s happening around and improve their safety protocols.
Safety Tips For Employees
Once you encourage your employees to work with you to promote workplace safety, explain the importance of following the tips below to protect themselves from hazards.
- Be conscious of your surroundings.
- Practice proper posture.
- Take breaks accordingly, rest if needed.
- Always follow appropriate procedures and never take shortcuts.
- Learn the safety procedures of the company.
- Familiarize yourself with emergency exits.
- Always report hazardous conditions or injuries.
- Wear safety equipment before handling machines.
In summary, employee safety needs teamwork. The employees and employers must work together to promote a safe environment for themselves. Employers need to provide training as a safety precaution, and employees need to abide by the safety policies for their own good.
