Until it happens at your workplace, a workplace injury seems like something that you only read in newspapers and articles.
However, the numbers associated with workplace injury are very real.
According to the Occupational Safety And Health Administration, 5,147 workers lost their lives on the job in 2017.
That’s an average of 14 deaths caused by the negligence of safety in the workplace.
There were a lot more injuries that took place during the same period of time.
The total cost paid by employers, governments, and individuals for workplace injuries totalled to a whopping $161.5 billion in 2017.
Most of these costs were paid by employers.
For this reason, most employers take workplace safety very seriously. However, the same cannot be said about the employees.
If you want to avoid injuries in your workplace, it is your job to reinforce the importance of workplace safety.
Here’s how you can start doing that immediately:
Make Training Compulsory And Comprehensive
For many industries, providing training to employees is mandatory, according to compliance requirements.
However, a lot of businesses view this training as a check in the box that is required before the employee can start earning their wage.
This shouldn’t be the case.
Remember, your employees will only take workplace safety as seriously as you lead them to.
For this reason, it is important to have a comprehensive safety training plan in place, along with the right safety training solutions to deploy training in an effective and easy-to-consume manner.
Pay Attention To The Tools Your Employees Use
Faulty or outdated equipment is a safety hazard for obvious reasons.
It is your job as an employer, to ensure that your employees have access to all the tools that enable them to carry out their job safely and efficiently.
Moreover, the equipment being used by your business should undergo regular safety and maintenance checks to ensure it is safe for use in the real-world.
Keep Your Workplace Organised
Spills, misplaced boxes, or simply too much mess are known workplace hazards. The logic behind this is simple.
Consider this example, when an employee is carrying out a task, say carrying a heavy box from point A to point B, they’re not expecting a box to be present in the middle of an aisle.
The employee doesn’t see the box on their path, trips, and falls. They break your merchandise, along with their finger.
Now you are left with broken merchandise and the responsibility to pay for the medical expenses.
To avoid such situations, it is strongly advisable to keep your workplace clean and organised at all times.
The importance of the same should also be communicated to your employees.
Label EVERYTHING
Labels are a superb solution when you want to communicate instructions.
A carefully placed label describing a safety hazard has the potential to prevent a lot of injuries.
Not to forget, a label will work as a reminder for those who did not pay attention to your safety training efforts.
Reward Safe Behavior
While true for any aspect of an employee’s job, rewards especially work really well with safety. This is true for two reasons:
- Employees will be motivated to follow safety protocols in order to reap the rewards
- A reward system for safety is clear communication of the importance your organisation puts in safety
Both these effects of a safety reward program will help you reduce workplace injury in record time.
Conclusion
Most accidents caused in a workplace setting can be prevented by taking a few simple precautions.
With proper training and enough emphasis on maintaining the safety standards of your organisation, you can ensure these precautions are always taken at your workplace.