All businesses should have a focus on employee safety. Aside from being a legal requirement with specific rules and regulations dictated by OSHA, a safe working environment can be productive and allow employees to focus on the job at hand rather than avoiding unnecessary risks and hazards. In 2019, over 5,300 workers died from a workplace accident, and the ramifications from workplace-related deaths can be huge for both the families, colleagues and indeed your company.
You can avoid the risk of workplace accidents and death by ensuring you focus on keeping everyone on your premises safe at all times.
Risk Assessments
As an employer, you must adhere to a reasonable standard of care, which means that you must place your employees’ health, safety, and welfare at the forefront of your considerations. Starting with a thorough risk assessment of the region in which your workers operate to identify potential risks, you can ensure that your employees are protected. Your risk assessments must be completed frequently and updated regularly to ensure that your personnel is protected from any dangers in the workplace.
Equipment Maintenance
Always check to see that any machinery or equipment is in proper operating order and that any necessary safety guards have been installed. Some people believe that this only applies to industrial machinery such as a towable boom lift.
However, some office equipment, such as photocopiers, can cause eye damage if exposed to excessive amounts of light. It is critical to maintain any machinery and equipment regularly, but it is even more imperative that only individuals who have received the appropriate training utilize them. A piece of machinery that is operated by someone who is not correctly trained can have catastrophic repercussions.
Record Accidents
To comply with regulatory requirements, employers should establish an injury reporting method for employees to follow in the event of an accident. This procedure should also include an incident log, in which employees can submit all injuries and maintain a record of them. And this data can allow you to analyze your working environment further to assess when and where changes can be made.
You should make a note of the following in the incident log:
- Near miss incidents
- Workplace deaths
- Workplace accidents
- Major injuries
- Workplace related diseases or health conditions
Spot Checks
The primary goal of OSHA and other similar organizations is to limit the number of significant injuries and fatalities that occur in the workplace. They have collaborated extensively with businesses during the last five years to address these issues, and there has been some progress.
Personnel may show up at your place of business to do a spot inspection. This will be done without prior notice and carried out by safety and health inspectors who have received extensive training. The authorities have the power to order you to cease operations until the problems have been resolved if you are found to violate the rules and regulations that apply to your trade or profession.
To make sure you are prepared for this, perform regular spot checks by outside agencies or visitors to identify any failings or areas of concern before they become a significant problem for your business.
