How To Make Workplace Safety A Priority Moving Forward

Every year, millions of individuals are injured in workplace accidents – many of which are largely preventable. As such, to avoid your workplace being the site of an accident, you need to ensure that the appropriate health and safety policies have been enacted.

Not only does this ensure that you comply with all government regulations, but it also reduces the chances of an accident occurring in the future, allowing you to protect the best interests of your employees and your business. After all, according to a recent study, the average workplace accident will cost your company approximately £75,000.

With that in mind, here are some simple ways in which you can make health and safety a priority moving forward.

What to expect in this article:

Provide your team with comprehensive training

Providing your employees with onboarding (and ongoing) health and safety training is one of the easiest ways to improve health and safety standards in the workplace. After all, it means that they are aware of any potential hazards and know exactly how to respond in the event of an emergency. This means that they can work to keep others safe, too.

Beyond this, regular training can help you build a skilled and agile workforce that can respond to all challenges thrown their way.

Appoint health and safety officers

While every member of your team, from administrative staff to construction workers, should receive health and safety training, appointing workplace health and safety officers is also important. This is because they will be able to:

Provide the wider team with health and safety support.
Enact emergency procedures when necessary and carry out basic first aid.
Conduct regular risk assessments and suggest changes that need to be made.
Attend regular health and safety seminars and classes to ensure that your policies are up-to-date.

Know what is expected of you

Knowing what is expected of you as a business owner will also make introducing the appropriate health and safety measures easier. For example, in the UK, business owners have a duty of care over their employees, which means they must “make sure that their business is safe and that they are taking care of their employee’s health and welfare.”

However, you will also be governed by industry-specific standards and regulations. For example, if you are carrying out any construction work in public spaces, you’ll also be required to ensure that your health and safety practices cater to the general public and passers-by. This could mean that you need to invest in a Pedestrian Barrier Kit so that you can block any pedestrian access to your workspaces, allowing your team to work safely and efficiently.

Conduct regular risk assessments

Conducting regular risk assessments is also crucial when it comes to maintaining a safe workspace, no matter what industry you work within. It is generally advised that you conduct a risk assessment once a year or whenever new equipment or tools are introduced to the workspace. This way, you can ensure that you’re taking the appropriate action to address (and eliminate) hazards.

Moreover, this can even protect you.

For instance, if you know the exact boundaries of your workplace and what you’re responsible for, you’re also more aware of the spaces in which you’re not. Suppose an employee is injured due to a pothole or issue with a public footpath outside of your business, not on your property. In that case, you can refer them to a service such as councilclaims.co.uk while supporting them with evidence to help gain the compensation they need, but from a more appropriate entity.

Whenever a hazard is identified, you should:

Clearly outline the hazard in your report, stating the type of hazard and who is at risk.
Suggest ways in which this hazard can be addressed and eliminated.

Maintain a clean workspace

Maintaining a clean and organised workspace can also play a key role in eliminating hazards. For example, it could help to prevent slip and fall accidents in their integrity by ensuring that pathways are clean and free from tripping hazards to begin with.

There are many ways in which you can work to keep your workspace clean and hazard-free. For example, you should encourage each employee to take responsibility for their workstation and discourage the build-up of clutter as much as possible.

You should also ensure that your workspaces are cleaned daily. This can take place outside of operational hours, such as after closing or before opening, so that it does not stand in the way of your overall productivity.

Make sure your policy is accessible

When putting together a health and safety policy for your workspace, you need to make sure that it is as accessible as possible. This means that:

When outlining safety policies and procedures, you should use simple, straightforward language so that your team is aware of what is expected of them.
Employees should be given a hard copy of this policy when joining the team but should also be able to access the document online as often as they’d like.

Beyond this, you should also ensure that you update your health and safety policies regularly. This will make it easier to stay on top of regulatory changes and expectations, and the latest health and safety trends.

Make sure that you provide each employee with a copy of your safety policy. You could consider utilising professional book printing services to ensure that the document is durable and easy to read. It’s crucial that everyone has a clear understanding of these guidelines, which is why consistency in how the policy is presented—both in physical and digital formats—is important. By making your policy accessible, you create a safer, more informed work environment for everyone.

Take care of your team’s mental health, too

When it comes to workplace health and safety, it’s easy to focus your attention on preventing physical injuries and accidents. However, it is equally important that you take care of your employee’s mental health, too. Failing to do so could have a significant negative impact on your business, impacting everything from workplace morale to employee retention rates.

Fortunately, there are many ways in which you can go about protecting your employee’s mental health. For example, you could:

Develop an employee wellness program that provides them with access to internal and external support systems to better their mental health and address any challenges they may be facing.
Work to prevent burnout, stress, and exhaustion by delegating work fairly across the workforce.
Encourage employees to work collaboratively toward shared goals, as opposed to competing against others.

You should also make it easy for your employees to come to you for help when they need it – whether they’re concerned about their mental well-being or feel as though changes need to be made to make your workplace safer. Taking their thoughts and opinions on board will not only make your business safer, but it will also improve your relationship with your employees as it shows that you genuinely care about your team.

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