Apart from generating profits and keeping the company afloat, the second most important job of an employer is to ensure health and safety compliance across the workplace. Health and safety strategies should be given priority just like other business improvement strategies. However, these strategies only work when employees are made aware of the protocols and are also watched with a vigilant eye regarding the follow-ups on such protocols.
Complying with health and safety protocols also has a positive effect on an individual as well as the company’s financial situation. The risk of needing medical care physically and mentally goes down by a considerable amount.
To ensure workplace health and safety compliance, here are the steps you can take as a business for your employees.
In a nutshell, the 5 steps are,
- Recognising Hazards and Evaluating Risks
- Asserting Control and Following Protocols
- Training and Communication
- Monitor
- Strategies to Maintain A Health and Safety Management System
- Recognising Hazards and Evaluating Risks
Having a routine to thoroughly assess the workplace environment is one way to go about recognising the hazards. The best practice is to hire a professional who is educated and unbiased in this regard. Most common hazards that you can pinpoint yourself without a third-party help are, tripping hazard, wet areas, and such. Signs and warning boards can help a great deal, and strategies to let employees as well as clients know about the hazards is also prudent.
- Asserting Control and Following Protocols
Setting rules and protocols in place should be your second step. Every employee should be held responsible for slacking and not doing their part. Risks are mitigated only when all hands are on deck and all employees are on the same page. Workplace safety is a big deal, and should be treated so. Apart from implementing safety guidelines, the company should also take care of safety gear and first aid kits.
- Training and Communication
You can’t just implement rules and expect employees to follow like ducks, all will also need efficient communication and scheduled training to help the employees understand the risks as well as the benefits of maintaining workplace safety.
Your training and communication strategies should include information, education, comprehensive instructions as well as training to fight hazards when they occur.
- Monitor:
Don’t just sit back and relax when you have set all your ducks in a row, you will also need to follow up, monitor the performance and review them after a period. Seeing how the employees are following safety protocols is also part and parcel of workplace safety. Twice or thrice a year review is a good practice.
- Strategies to Maintain A Health and Safety Management System
Setting strategies, following up, and improving them every now and then is an efficient way to stay on top of your game. As management your involvement in such matters is regarded seriously by the employees, the minute you slack, they will follow suit. Assign responsibilities, question and review after every three months, have meetings and ask suggestions on how to improve. Effective management is when the team and the lead work together towards one goal.
Workplace safety is a crucial matter, and shouldn’t be taken lightly. It affects the image of the business as well as the lives of the workers.
