A safe work environment, free from injuries and accidents, is what the employees look for in an organization. If the workplace is safe, it boosts productivity as well. Till the employees are present at the workplace, it’s the organization’s responsibility to look after them and ensure nobody gets injured while working. However, it’s not solely the organization’s responsibility to ensure safety, every employee should practice safety at the workplace.
Injuries and accidents in the workplace also depend on the type of industry. If it’s a manufacturing or industrial company, where the work entails handling large machinery and other complex equipment, there is a serious threat to injuries. In these particular industries, strict safety measures need to be taken. Some basic factors that affect workplace safety are substance abuse, risky working conditions, and workplace violence.
These days many tools can help to make your workplace safer. For instance, VelocityEHS is a robust EHS management solution where it helps in safety inspections, incident management, and much more. You can compare VelocityEHS with software to know its features and what suits your workplace better. Not only technology, but you also need to implement a few safety practices at the workplace to ensure safety. Let’s have a look at a few of them.
1)Identify workplace hazards:
This is the first and foremost step to ensure workplace safety. Managers and employers should find out the potential risk factors and take preventive measures to counter them. In manufacturing industries where employees deal with large equipment and machinery, it’s important to be very cautious. Also, adequate training should be given to employees before they start operating the equipment.
2)Educate employees about safety:
Bring in workplace safety programs and policies into the organizations and include them in the organization’s mission statement. Carry out a detailed investigation on previous workplace accidents and injuries and educate employees on these incidents so that they will not be repeated. Also, ensure every employee follows the safety measures, if anyone forbids, take strict action.
3)Offer training:
Hands-on training is a must for newly joining employees to ensure they don’t commit any mistakes at the workplace. Offer training that is relevant to their job and which is used daily. To handle heavy machinery and equipment, employees need training from a skilled and senior employee who has vast experience in handling that equipment so ensure you provide all the resources to your new join employees.
4)Use safety equipment:
Along with training, providing the necessary safety equipment is also very important especially in the manufacturing industry. Employers must provide personal protective equipment(P.P.E) to make the employees fully equipped to work with large machinery and other equipment. A strict dress code, shoes, gloves, helmets, and other safety accessories should be mandatory during working hours.
5)Reduce stress:
Workplace stress is the major culprit for anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. Office politics, bullying, and biased workplace decisions can cause stress. Know how to combat these issues as it not only affects employees health but also productivity.
6)Stay alert all the time:
Some injuries and accidents happen due to the negligence of and substance abuse at the workplace. When the employees enter the office premises, ensure they are not under alcohol or drug influence as this would affect their concentration levels. An irresponsible employee not only affects himself/herself but also becomes a risk factor for the people around him/her.
Conclusion:
A safe and sound workplace reflects the credibility of an organization at the management level. Along with productivity and output, workplace safety should also be given top priority. A mere injury or accident can ruin the life of the employee involved and it also damages the whole reputation of the company. Thus, always ensure your workplace is safe. We hope this article helps you to identify different safety measures that are essential for your workplace too.