As an employer, you will want to do all that you can to create a safe environment for your employees. Not only is this your legal responsibility, but it is also important in order to help staff to feel happy, comfortable and safe so that they can perform to their potential each day. Even an office-based business has hazards, so what are the key ways to manage hazards in the workplace?
1. Assess the Risks
First, you need to have a risk assessment completed. A professional should be used to identify the risks in your workplace as they are not always obvious. This should help to identify and evaluate anything that could cause injury, illness or damage to health for you and your team. You should ask yourself how severe an injury could be, what the worst possible outcome is and how often are people exposed to this hazard so that the right solutions can be found.
2. Wear PPE
PPE is essential in certain industries for protecting people against various hazards. This can include a PPE high viz vest, masks, goggles, ear defenders and gloves just as a few common examples. You need to make sure that your staff has easy access to high-quality PPE and staff are trained on how to use PPE and its importance.
3. Create a Safety Culture
Creating a safety culture is key to preventing accidents and injuries from occurring. Many incidents occur when people stop paying attention or thinking about safety. You can prevent this by creating a safety culture with regular meetings, training, signage and encouraging people to report any issues or near misses. You can also include health and safety information in any company emails or other correspondence to keep it at the forefront of people’s minds when at work.
4. Keep Reviewing
It is also important to keep reviewing health and safety. This will keep it at the forefront of people’s minds and also allow you to make any necessary changes or improvements that are required. Remember to document who is responsible for what and appoint a risk owner as well.
These are 4 of the best ways to manage hazards in the workplace. This is something that employers need to take very seriously and it is vital that you take action to reduce the chance of someone suffering an accident or injury at work while also helping to create a culture of safety in the workplace.