3 Easy Hacks For a MUCH Safer Workplace
There are oodles of benefits to a safe workplace, from cost savings via increased efficiencies to a happier, more engaged and productive workforce. The lack of a commitment by management to safe practices can be costly, though, with dire consequences which may include jail-time for company officers if a fatality were to occur on their watch. Since safety is so crucial, Safety Spot has developed three great ways to improve your company‘s safety profile.
- Ensure management is onside with safety. The entire leadership team must understand the positive impacts of a safer workplace which are:
- enhanced staff morale,
- reduced absenteeism,
- increased efficiency,
- protection from risk liability exposure,
- insurance premium savings.
It is essential for management to grasp workplace safety isn’t a wasted expense but a valuable tool for increasing production and profits while reducing costly turnover and downtime. Employees know when the bosses “have their backs” or just deliver lip service about safety and respond accordingly. If your management team isn’t creating a culture of safety, it’s damaging it.
- Staff meetings must be held following every workplace injury episode. The purpose of the meeting is not to point fingers but to discuss how the mishap occurred and ways it may have been avoided. This simple act will:
- Remind employees short-cuts which use unsafe practices are not supported by the leadership team
- Subtly reinforces in your workforce the belief they are important to the company.
- Identify safety gaps in your operations which can be addressed to prevent future accidents.
- Post-injury meetings illuminate tasks which have a high percentage of risk just by sheer repetition. For example, if previous meetings revolved around strained backs from lifting a case of copy paper, a new protocol for moving heavy copy paper boxes will become apparent.
A discussion following every injury incident, however slight the injury, makes it clear to everyone in the company that unsafe practices are not condoned.
- Consider safety training software. Familiarity with the company’s safety culture begins at the onboarding stage. Safety training courses create many positives such as:
- Brings newcomers up to speed quickly regarding the importance of safety in your company,
- Helps prevent rookie safety errors causing downtime since studies show workers with less than a year’s service are three times more likely to be injured than more experienced people.
- Training software can be customized to include special protocols your company has developed for their unique situations.
Safety Training is becoming a new millennium must-have for all liability-conscious companies. This is one area of your business that can hurt you the most if not done properly should a fatal incident take place.
