Safety in the workplace is not to be taken lightly. Fires, break-ins, slips, and falls are all possible scenarios that can delay project completion and ultimately thwart growth. It can force you to lose valuable clients and business partners and can even lead to your own employees filing a lawsuit against you, which can be a huge financial blow to any business. Avoid this by cultivating a safe work environment with these four tips.
Encourage Feedback
There’s no better inspector to identify potentially dangerous areas and fixtures in your workplace than the people who spend 8 to 10 hours of their day in it. Encourage your employees to provide feedback or open a “suggestions” box for ideas of what you can do to make the workplace a much safer place. Involving your employees in fortifying your workplace and resolving safety issues makes it more sustainable and effective.
Provide Safety Training
Employees who know how to respond to safety hazards can reduce the risk of injury and can completely eradicate the issue then and there. Safety training should be reviewed every few months or so to refresh your employees’ knowledge and reaction time.
The faster you can evacuate your employees in the event of a fire, flood, hurricane, earthquake or whatever natural disaster comes, the less risk for injury and damage your business incurs. In addition, tackle other less common risk topics including why traditional water treatment options have to change and improve and how it affects the health of your employees after prolonged exposure to the water.
Learn about Safety Continuously
Safety in the workplace isn’t a one-and-done activity. You’ll want to approach it proactively, making sure that you are up-to-date with proper building safety codes and hazard techniques. Invest time in pursuing an online safety bachelor’s degree.
Maintain Your Property
Failure to maintain your business’ workplace and its surroundings can lead to injuries and costly lawsuits. If you are renting work space, make sure to consult with the building manager regularly to make sure they are doing their legal obligations to keep the building secure. If you own the space yourself, hire an expert to perform regular inspections, maintenance, and repairs.
Cultivating a safe work environment is not only the moral thing to do as a business owner, but also makes strategic sense. Work with employees and safety experts to devise an effective plan for catching potential safety hazards and responding effectively to future crises.
