According to the International Labor Organization, 340 million workplace accidents occur annually around the world.
The construction industry is a major player when it comes to workplace hazards, but accidents can happen anywhere.
That’s why everyone, from the CEO of a large company right down to the small business owner, must take workplace safety seriously.
Besides, job site safety measures have a major impact on creating a positive workplace culture. Learn how to upgrade yours here.
Why Is Job Site Safety So Important?
You must understand why you need a safety program before you set yours up. This helps you define your goals and helps your employees make sense of these procedures.
Workplace safety policies have the following benefits that go beyond keeping your employees safe:
- Demonstrates social responsibility
- Builds your brand image
- Improves productivity and profits
- Enhances morale
- Reduces disruptions
- Meets customer expectations
With these benefits in mind, you must also keep the basic principles of a safety program in mind throughout the process. These are:
- A commitment to safety by business leaders
- Policies and procedures that make sense
- Use of proactive risk assessments and efficient risk control
- A commitment to the employee training and assessment
- Regular monitoring and reviews of program effectiveness
The above can help you start customizing a safety program that works for your business ownership goals.
Safety Smart Management Starts With Training
It’s unfair to expect your employees to follow regulations they don’t understand or know about. Make sure every one of your workers receives training and re-training on workplace safety protocols.
They must have access to all this information at all times, too. You can:
- Publish these documents on the company intranet
- Place printed copies on the company notice board
- Provide each employee with hard copies
Grow a Culture of Safety
When you promote an interest in safety measures, you’re already halfway toward compliance.
Training surrounding daily tasks is vital for every employee, but that’s only a starting point. You must also encourage your workers to look out for each other.
Implement accountability for those who disregard the rules, and reward good behavior. Some ideas include recognition for incident-free shifts or great test results during training.
This shows that your company is serious about safety. It’s the first step toward sowing the seeds of a thriving workplace safety culture.
Some ways to foster and maintain a culture of safety include:
Inductions for New Employees
Initiating health and safety training from the first day a new employee starts sets the tone for their workplace behavior. Yet, safety consciousness starts way before that.
Only employ people with the correct qualifications and experience for the job at hand. Make sure you hire the best manager for the job while ensuring they have a strong commitment to workplace safety.
Communicate Openly
Encourage employee participation in your OHS strategy. They must feel confident enough to speak up about things they disagree with or suggest improvements to your procedures.
Welcome new and innovative ideas, and create clear communication channels for safety issues. An open-door policy regarding these matters also works well.
Meet Regularly
Schedule meetings to discuss any new ideas, policies, or regulations. This shows your employees you’re serious about keeping them informed regarding safety.
Constant exposure to safety and related topics means they’ll know what to do when faced with hazardous situations or an accident.
Call on Experts When Needed
An occupational therapy expert can help you identify little-known sources of workplace injuries. They can visit your facilities and assess them for weak spots and danger zones that are unique to your premises.
They can also assist you with optimizing workplace ergonomics and assess your workers’ fitness levels in line with their job functions. These measures help prevent over-exertion and unnecessary strain,
On a related topic, implement regular stretching breaks for your workers, especially those stuck behind a desk all day. This can help reduce muscular strain as well as mental stress.
Embrace Order
Clutter and chaos easily lead to accidents in the workplace. Make sure you keep boxes stacked safely away from walkways and work areas.
Inspect areas for dangerous items like tangled cords, pack tools away, and dry floors thoroughly after cleaning or spills.
Use labels and signs to remind your workers about safety procedures as well as potential hazards.
Make sure you label all hazardous substances, clearly. According to the above statistics, hazardous substances kill over 600,000 people a year.
Even some common substances can pose unknown risks. Learn about calcium chloride as an example of how seemingly harmless chemicals can have adverse effects on your workers.
Equip Your Workers for Safety
Nobody can perform their tasks effectively or safely without the correct tools. Broken or malfunctioning implements can endanger your employees.
Maintain a documented maintenance policy for all machinery, replace aging tools timeously, and set up a system where employees can report any difficulties with their tools and get something done about these.
Safety management software and apps go a long way toward helping your safety officers and managers keep their eyes on the ball.
Safety Summed Up
When you take job site safety seriously, everything else follows. You’ll enjoy improved staff morale, increased productivity, and no worries about complying with OSHA legislation.
Most health and safety policies revolve around common sense, and there’s plenty of help available from safety consultancy services or your local OSHA branch.
If we can break down caring for the welfare of others into these simple steps, taking good care of yourself should come easy, too. Browse our website for more tips on how to safeguard your health.
