How to Keep Your Employees Safe at Work: Unsplash

No employer wants to think about potential disasters or incidents that could happen while people are working beneath them. Unfortunately, without the proper precautions in place, your employees could get hurt or become ill. In 2018/2019, 581,000 workers in the UK reported a non-fatal injury in the Labour Force Survey. 

While it’s impossible to know how all of those employees got hurt on the job, it’s likely there were some things their company could have done to protect them. 

What can you do to keep your employees safe at work and establish an environment of security and wellness for everyone? 

Educate Everyone

Safety starts with having the right information and the right education. It’s important to have policies in place within your business that include safety regulations. Make sure everyone understands the policies and procedures of your safety plan; respond personally to any questions or concerns your employees might have about their safety. 

Larger businesses may even benefit from hiring a full-time safety director to ensure everyone remains compliant with the regulations set in place. Some key things your policy should include are: 

• Open communication
• Continuous training about safety practices at work
• A system that identifies hazards
• Managers that can lead others in safety practices

Hold Your Employees Accountable

When you present a safety plan to your employees, it’s important to make sure they understand how much you value their overall health and wellbeing. When they feel supported and cared for, they’ll be more likely to follow the rules within the plan. 

Additionally, you should encourage employee involvement as much as possible. In this way, you can create a more positive environment, get workers motivated and energized about keeping each other safe. 

You should set safety goals for your employees. Also, make the ability to follow safe work practices a factor in workplace evaluations. It’s a good idea to periodically recognize those who are taking the practices seriously; who go above and beyond to keep the office safe. 

Creating a Culture of Safety

Again, the more employees are aware of your commitment to safety, the more likely they are to be on board. You can show your employees how serious you are about safety in the workplace by listening to every health and safety concern that comes up, reviewing your policies regularly, and evaluate how effective your safety training is. 

Understand that there’s always room for improvement. Short of keeping everyone in a bubble, there will always be risks out there in the real world. Trying to think one-step-ahead to keep your employees safe will reduce your risk of something disastrous occurring within your business. 

If an employee gets hurt on the job because you didn’t have a safety plan, they may call a personal injury attorney. So, your business may end up having to pay a rather large sum of money to cover any medical expenses or legal fees. That’s why it’s so important to remain transparent with your employees. Also, make sure they know the ins and outs of staying safe while on the job.