How to Keep Your Employees Safe at Work

One of the duties of a business owner and employer is to keep your employees safe. Part of this is a moral duty, as your employees are under your care and responsibility, but it’s also a legal duty. If someone is injured at work, you may be liable to pay some of their costs, and if it’s proven that their injury was due to negligence or otherwise the fault of the employer, you could be sued.

Good health and safety is also important for employee morale, so they feel safe and secure at work. Here are a few ways to keep your employees safe in the workplace.

Security and Cybersecurity

One potential threat is that people might try to access the workplace illegally. If you work in construction, the workplace is inherently dangerous and you need to keep people out to protect them as much as your tools, equipment, and employees. Otherwise, people might try to break in to steal things, vandalise or sabotage your business, or even assault your employees.

There are a few ways to prevent this from happening. Proper locks make it more difficult for people to just walk into the property. Some areas should be restricted, even if customers need to be able to access parts of the building. It’s also a good idea to install security systems, like CCTV cameras and burglar alarms.

As well as making sure you have physical security systems in place, you should also consider cybersecurity. Crime is becoming an increasingly digital affair, with cybercrime being one of the biggest threats to people and businesses. As well as hacking into sensitive information and stealing or sabotaging data, hackers can also access customer and employee information, which could result in identity theft or further crimes.

An IT service provider can make sure that your firewall is robust enough to prevent people from being able to access it without permission. It’s also important to lock sensitive information behind passwords. Make sure that your employees know not to click unknown links or to engage with suspicious emails, because this is a common tactic that people use to get information or install viruses.

PPE and Equipment

Some industries are more inherently dangerous than others. Construction, for example, is one of the most dangerous jobs out there, as workers are dealing with powerful machinery and unsafe working conditions.

As an employer, while you might not be able to prevent every accident or injury, it’s important to do what you can to protect your employees and mitigate any damage.

This often means enforcing a PPE requirement on-site, as well as providing PPE to your employees. PPE refers to personal protective equipment, and generally includes a hard hat, safety glasses, steel toe cap boots, and high visibility clothing. This massively reduces the chance of injury.

Certain jobs might require extra PPE. For example, ear defenders are good for employees who operate loud machinery, as extended exposure to this machinery could cause deafness. Dust masks can protect workers from lung issues if they’re dealing with a lot of dust or hazardous materials. If an employer is working from a height and you don’t have a proper scaffolding system in place, they should be fitted with a harness to make sure they’re safe.

PPE needs to be not just present, but also checked to make sure that it’s suitable for work. Helmets that are damaged are nowhere near as protective as helmets that are relatively new.

As well as PPE, it’s important to make sure that any tools and equipment that are used are in good working order. If heavy machinery breaks down or malfunctions, it can cause major issues that don’t just slow production, but can injure or even kill someone on-site. Make sure that everything is well-maintained and, if something is broken, it shouldn’t be used until it’s repaired or replaced.

Appropriate Training and Procedure

Speaking of equipment and tools that people might use at work, it’s important to make sure that your employees are trained and certified to use the tools and equipment. For example, in a warehouse, forklifts are often used to transport pallets and heavy materials. But a forklift operator needs to be certified to use that equipment.

As well as training for site-specific tools and equipment, it’s a good idea to make sure that you have some people on your team who have other training. For example, first aid training can patch up small injuries and keep an injured person stable while emergency services arrive. Even in a relatively safe workplace like an office space, it’s a good idea to have at least one first-aider at the workplace at all times.

As well as a first-aider, many workplaces also have a safety officer. This is someone who is trained in safety procedures who can take charge in the event of an emergency.

Speaking of which, you should also implement workplace policies and safety procedures for varying situations. For example, if there’s an evacuation order due to fire or another emergency, people need to know where to go and where to congregate once they’ve left the building. Drills can help people to react more quickly and calmly in these situations.

Some policies also prevent these accidents and emergencies from happening. If your employees have to work in a certain way to be more safe, putting policies in place helps them to know the best way to work. It also protects your company legally, as if something does go wrong because these procedures weren’t followed, you can prove it. Even something like a harassment policy protects your employees and your company alike.

Creating a Safe Workplace

Another thing to consider is how to make the actual workplace a safe environment. Part of this comes down to the design of your workplace.

While workplace designs and layouts will vary depending on the industry you’re in, there are some common denominators that will determine how safe your workplace is. For example, you should always have at least two exits, so people can leave quickly in the event of an emergency.

Another common thing to consider is walkways. Obstructed walkways and corridors can cause issues even in a relatively safe office space, because people might trip and injure themselves. While this seems like a minor issue, a bad fall could result in a surprisingly severe injury.

If you have any areas that are at a height, including stairs, commercial railing systems will keep these areas safer for your employees to navigate. It only takes one bad fall to injure an employee and damage your company.

You should also ensure that the workplace is appropriately lit. Poor lighting can lead to mistakes which, as well as slowing the workflow, could cause injuries and other issues for your employees, such as eye strain as they try to work in lower light conditions.

Another way to keep your workplace safe is to keep it clean. Good layout and design will only get you so far if your office has spills that aren’t cleaned up, as well as other issues due to never being cleaned.

Implement policies to encourage employees to clean up after themselves, especially in the case of a spillage. You should also hire a commercial cleaning team to regularly clean and tidy the office, which makes sure that trash and clutter don’t build up. A cleaner office is also a more hygienic office, so employees are less likely to get sick.