The worst-case scenario many businesses can imagine is a serious workplace accident. It can impact your employee’s life forever and even that of his or her family. The other side of the coin, of course, is productivity. Putting in safety measures is important, of course, but having the work shut down while it’s implemented can cut down on the company’s productivity while things are shut down.
Many safety measures are easy to implement. Taking away the fact that they are required by law, you should be looking at how to make your worksite more secure.
In this article, I will give you some ideas on how to go further than what is required to make sure that your site is safe for your employees and even visitors.
Make Sure Your Fire Alarm System Is Maintained:
Having your fire alarm systems regularly maintained is very important when it comes to the safety of your employees. Having your fire alarm system maintained regularly is a legal requirement and can lead to hefty fines and in some cases imprisonment. This is because a faulty fire alarm system can be fatal. In the event of a fire employees are reliant on a fire alarm notifying of the danger so that they can exit the premises to safety.
If employees are not notified in good time, the inhalation of smoke can cause long term respiratory issues and in extreme cases death.
Make sure the railings are sturdy
We all know that stairways need to have railings to hold onto. Even if they weren’t required, businesses would still install them because they are essential for people to walk up the stairs. We expect stairs to have them, after all.
What people don’t think about is how railings can be helpful even in other areas. Anyplace where there is a step up or down can have a small one. Or, even along the side of a parking lot or pathway leading into a building is a good place to put a railing. Some people like to have them for balance and in case the roadway is icy.
There are key clamp handrails that don’t even require any special tools to install. Anybody can install them with just an Allen wrench. So, you don’t have to spend a fortune and there is no need to shut down operations to install them since there is no need for a work crew to do this.
Hold safety meetings
People tend to get complacent when it seems like there is nothing to worry about. When there hasn’t been an accident at work for a while then people start to feel like they can let their guard down.
To prevent this complacency from setting in, it pays to hold regular safety meetings to discuss issues that may have been cropping up that could lead to an accident. Maybe some people have been skirting safety rules and this needs to be brought up. Or, you simply want to review how people have been doing regarding the rules and how they are being followed.
The aim here is not to make anybody feel guilty or put on the spot. The idea is that these meetings will keep safety at the forefront of their mind and will lead to a safer environment.
Make it fun to be safe
Try to make a game out of the safety culture of your business by giving prizes for things like somebody coming up with an innovative way to stay safe. Or there can be a sort of scavenger hunt to find the potential safety issues around with the winner getting a front row parking spot for the week.
This will encourage safety and will make a culture of safety.
