Workplace safety is paramount to ensure that all employees and visitors are kept safe when on your premises. Workplace safety isn’t something that just happens though, it’s something that should be strategically mapped out. Having a health and safety plan for your workers is something that should be considered with an independent health and safety advisor to ensure that you’re meeting The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 which requires employers to provide sufficient training, equipment, and the necessary information required to help keep employees and workers safe in the workplace.
In this latest blog, we’ll be outlining our top SIX ways to make your workplace safer…
Invest In Health & Safety Policies
If you run a business that currently employs more than 5+ people, you are legally obliged to have a health and safety policy in place. Essentially, a health and safety policy is a statement of intent that outlines your intentions and plans for keeping workers safe in the workplace. An example of what a typical H&S policy might include may be; identifying all potential risks and hazards, setting our clear health and safety targets, and ensuring that employees have all the necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Train Your People
As part of the onboarding process, it’s essential to train new employees and set out high standards from the offset. Training staff doesn’t have to take up hours of your time but can be the difference between keeping an employee safe, or not. You may have the best PPE and practices in place but if the employee doesn’t know how or when to keep themselves safe, this is potentially setting them up for an accident or injury. Training employees can also have a positive impact on overall productivity.
Consider Health And Safety Audits
Health and safety audits may be considered when you have just relocated to new premises with a multitude of potential hazards. On the other hand, you may have neglected health and safety for longer than you should have, and are looking to review health and safety standards. Choosing an accredited health and safety advisor to perform a health and safety audit would be highly recommended. A typical audit will analyse the following; management team competence, frequency of safety checks, system for reporting hazards, and current fire risk assessment.
Labels & Signs
This is especially important for businesses that require manual handling such as recycling, warehousing, and industrial. Labels and signs place around various areas of your premises is a great way to reinforce the important of health and safety. Placing labels and signs are a fantastic call-to-action to keep workers safe and improve overall safety throughout your workplace. This can be easily implemented throughout your workplace and cost can be kept at a minimum.
Hold Quarterly H&S Meetings
Holding quarterly health and safety meetings can be a fantastic way of reinforcing the important of health and safety throughout your workforce. These meeting don’t have to be lengthy and half an hour to an hour is more than adequate to recap on the main points of your health and safety policy. Quarterly meetings can also be a good way to reassess health and safety targets, and discuss any potential changes that need to be implemented whilst also answering questions from your workers.
Clearly Identify Workplace Hazards
The very first step to improving workplace safety should be clearly identifying workplace hazards. The extent of potential hazards will largely depend on the type of industry you operate in. For example, if you run an office, there will be less risks than a typical warehouse that involves handling heavy objects daily. To identify workplace hazards, you may want to consider enquiring with an independent health and safety advisor to ensure you have all angles covered.
Our Services
We offer bespoke health and safety services for the following;-
•Health and safety audits
•Health and safety policy statements
•Fire risk assessments
•Competent person
•COTC training
•Safe operating procedures
Contact Us Today
Looking to improve workplace safety? Business Safety Solutions provides several dedicated health and safety services including health and safety policies, audits, fire risk assessments, and formulating comprehensive health and safety plans. For more information or to enquire with us today, please call 01244 455277.
