Each and every employee deserves to feel safe and healthy at work; not only that, but it is a legal requirement for every workplace, too. The health and safety of employees must be maintained at all times by employers, but this doesn’t mean that employees shouldn’t contribute, too, by acting accordingly, sensibly and whilst following the rules.
There are a variety of factors and measures which constitute a safe working environment.
Ensure the Workplace is Free from Hazards
Hazards come in many forms, whether it’s a physical hazard or obstacle which could cause an accident, or an environmental hazard such as harsh chemicals. Depending on your business, hazard prevention techniques need to be formed around the hazards most likely for your specific business. Hazards don’t just appear through the everyday running of the business itself; they could also appear through other internal workings, such as a cleaning routine from an external cleaning company, or a delivery company who have unloaded goods in a hazardous manner. Slips, trips and falls are the most common accidents at work, and can be caused by any individual working or visiting your business premises.
If your employee suffers a workplace accident, they are entitled to make a claim through a compensation company such as the-compensation-experts.co.uk. That is why it’s crucial to prevent accidents before they happen.
Provide Suitable Equipment
If your business deals with construction or warehouse work, for example, then your health and safety equipment will be on a much larger scale in the form of ear protection, eye protection, gloves, and high-visibility vests, to name a few. You need to ensure that all workers not only have access to the correct health and safety equipment and gear, but fully understand how to wear or use them through adequate company training.
Suitable equipment extends further into office-based jobs, as workers will also need a safely set up desk station. This can include proper chairs, footrests and correct monitors to ensure no work-place injury is suffered in the form of repetitive strain or back problems, for instance.
Suitable health and safety equipment applies to any worker in any job position.
Have Safety Procedures in Place
Any workplace needs to have an identifiable safety procedure, and all its employees need to be aware of what this is. The most important of this is what to do in the event of an evacuation or fire. All employees need to be aware of the quickest evacuation route and where all the emergency exits are. These also need to be labelled and signposted easily and correctly. You should also ensure that fire exits are never blocked or obstructed, even temporarily.
Your business should also install items such as fire extinguishers to increase workplace safety. There should also be a designated first aider on-site at all times, and relevant first aid kits in more than one location to refer to should an accident occur or first aid treatment is needed for any individual.