Your employees keep your business running smoothly, so their safety is a key factor to take into account when planning and operating your business. 

Where to start with health and safety

Health and safety ensures that yourself, your employees and any visitors are protected from incidents in your workplace and that if they do happen the damage is minimised. Carrying out a risk assessment helps you start in the best possible place by highlighting even the smallest of risks and putting protocols in place to stop these from happening.

Take preventative steps

Rather than having to handle an accident, it is far better to prevent it happening in the first place. Comprehensive workplace training is the best way to ensure all employees know the proper way to use their equipment and the correct protocols should something go wrong. Make sure to enroll your employees in the OSHA training program and keep them safe in the workplace. Training should be kept a record of and regularly revisited to ensure it is up to date. Training your staff may even be a legal requirement. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 requires employers to provide any information, instructions, training and supervision that is necessary “to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety at work of your employees”. 

Have the correct safety equipment

Providing your staff with good quality safety wear and equipment is key to keeping injuries to a minimum should an accident occur. Tools such as eye protection helps ensure that employee’s sight is cared for should there be an incident but should also be mandatory if you work with chemicals or high-speed tools. Even the basics such as hi-vis if you work among vehicles and safety shoes for heavy equipment help ensure injuries are at a minimum regardless of ‘high-level’ incidents.

Have regular workplace meetings

The best way to know what dangers your employees are facing and what safety measures are needed is to talk to them! They handle the equipment every day so will be able to pick up on any risks that may have been missed and can also point out if anything has stopped working or seems to pose more risk than it’s worth! 

It might seem difficult to organise health and safety training courses at first but as time goes by you will be able to develop a system that works for your employees and your business.

Author

Sumit is a Tech and Gadget freak and loves writing about Android and iOS, his favourite past time is playing video games.

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