Tips for maintaining a safe workplace for your employees

Every day, employees go to work and by doing so, put their safety in the hands of their employers. Many employers take this responsibility very seriously, but accidents do happen, and they can, on occasion, be catastrophic.

To ensure the safety of your employees, it is important to understand the hazards that are present in your premises and take action to lessen them. There are a number of steps all employers can take to ensure staff are safe whilst carrying out their work.

Start with a risk assessment to identify the potential hazards in the workplace. Once you have established what the risks are you can plan the steps you need to take to minimise or eradicate them. This risk assessment is not a one off but should be carried out regularly as changes in the working environment will inevitably take place over time, potentially creating new risks that need to be addressed.

Once the risks in your workplace have been identified, you should put procedures and policies in place to reduce them. These should be aimed at protecting staff from accidents and injuries. It is important that these are not overly complex and are easy to understand so that they are adopted by all employees.

Regular inspection of the workplace plays an important role in maintaining safety. These inspections can incorporate formal inspections such as electrical checks and testing but should also include a more general review. This would include checking for fire hazards such as boxes or packaging material being stored incorrectly, as well as checking that there are no trip hazards such as trailing cables present. Any issues that are identified should be promptly addressed.

While the overall responsibility lies with the employer, it is important to keep employees engaged and educated when it comes to keeping the workplace safe. Invest in the appropriate training and ensure that skills are kept up to date as well as making discussions about how to manage potential hazards a regular thing. You should also encourage employees to follow safe working practices according to their role. For example, those using computers throughout the day should be encouraged to sit correctly and have regular ‘screen breaks’, those in more manual roles should be aware of how to handle items safely, such as safe lifting practices. If additional equipment, such as wrist supports or protective footwear is required, this should be provided promptly.

Strive to keep the lines of communication open so that employees, who have any concerns regarding safety, can feel comfortable in drawing attention to them. It is often the staff on the factory floor that are the first to identify any potential hazards.

Emergency lighting plays an important role in keeping your workplace safe, for both employees and any visitors. Enabling people to leave the premises quickly and safely in case of an emergency. If you need emergency lighting installed in your premises, we’d be happy to analyse your needs and offer an affordable solution.