Creating a safe working environment is so important if you are an employee. It doesn’t matter what size your company is or what industry you work in because there are so many ways that you can go about improving your business safety. This includes keeping your businesses well-maintained and having solid flooring put down. At the end of the day, if you can do this then you will soon find that you are better for it.

Eliminate Hazards

Ensure that your workplace is free of hazards if you can. Remove anything like trailing cables or various other hazards if you can. You also have to make sure that people don’t fall over anything around the workplace. Creating a safe working environment is paramount for every company and at the same time it is one aspect that is often overlooked. The type of flooring that is used in workplaces can really impact your overall safety and wellbeing too, so make sure that you opt for an appropriate flooring system so you can stop slips, trips and falls.

Absence Management

Make sure that you implement a solid absence management program so you can keep track of which employees are taking the most time off. You also need to take note of whether this is for injury or whether it is for illness. A program can help you to stop your team from having too much sick leave that relates to burnout and it also helps you to implement systems that relieve pressure on your team too. If you know that several team members have been injured at work then reviewing your safety measures and protocols could well help you here. You also need to take the time to review protocols and hold training sessions as this is the best way for you to get the result you want out of your business.

Lighting

This may sound peculiar at first, but you have to remember that having good lighting is the key to a good working environment. Where possible, you need to make use of natural light. At the same time, you also need to remove glare. If you have employees who are working at their stations then having focused lighting is one of the best ways for them to see their work clearly so they do not have to strain. In terms of moving around the building, employers also have to make sure that the stairs are lit and that there is emergency lighting on the outside of the building. Additional light from the outside can also help employees who may be working nights, so be sure to keep that in mind.

Make it Easy to Move

When it comes to moving around the workplace, you do have to make sure that there is always a safe passage. Floors in the building have to be even and they have to be smooth yet not slippery. If you have hazards such as spills then this will put your team at risk in more ways than one. Floors and stairs have to be clean and they also have to be free from hazards, such as clutter or anything else. At the end of the day, containers for waste should be provided at regular points and this should be done throughout the workplace. If you can do this then you’ll soon find that people have somewhere to put all of their waste which is great, to say the least. If you have nowhere for waste to go then this will make it harder for teams to put their rubbish away which can lead to even more issues at a later date.

Include High Standards

Similar hygiene standards apply regardless of the workplace you are in. If possible, you have to ensure that you are always giving your team toilets that are clean and that you give them good access to things like sinks. They should have hot and cold water access along with access to hand sanitizers and soap. They should also have a means of being able to dry their hands. If you don’t think that you are providing your team with this then you may find that you end up with even bigger issues later down the line. For workplaces with much dirtier work, you have to give your workers access to showers, along with facilities to dry wet work clothes. If you have a workplace that requires your team to change their clothes then you have to give them a private space to do so. 

Comfortable Working Conditions

You have to make sure that you are giving your team comfortable working conditions. If your team is uncomfortable all the time then this can be a huge detriment to their safety. The team’s workplace should be at a comfortable temperature and it should also be at a reasonable temperature. On top of this, you have to make sure that it is well-ventilated and with lots of fresh air. It is also important that you check to see if every employee has enough space to work. If your team doesn’t have space to work then this can be a detriment to them. It may even cause more hazards which is the last thing you need when you are working so hard to keep everyone safe.

Health Training

It is so important that you have people to hand who are able to give your team the help they need should they be injured. If you have someone who hurts themselves and you do not have any staff who are trained in first-aid then this can have dire consequences. If you want to do something about this then you need to make sure that your team has access to the right kind of first aid help. If you haven’t done so yet then one thing you can do is send your team on a CPR class online. When you do this, you can feel confident knowing that they can give help to anyone who may need it, whether it is someone who is your customer or whether it is someone at your place of work.

Check-In

If you haven’t done so yet, you have to make sure that you check in with your team on a regular basis. Ask them how they are doing and see if there is anything you can do to give them the support they need. If your team is telling you that they do not feel as though their workplace is safe or if they are complaining about tripping hazards and numerous other issues then you need to deal with this urgently. If you don’t then you may find that you end up compromising their safety and this can lead to them ditching your business in favor of your competition. Sending out an anonymous survey is always a good thing here, so try and take the time to do this if you can. By sending out a survey that is anonymous you give your team the chance to respond with their true thoughts and feelings which is really so important if you want to make a positive change across your business. Things like this can make a major difference so make sure that you keep that in mind.

So as you can see, you can create a safe business environment with ease if you know what steps to take. Why not see if you can improve your company today, by taking the time to listen to your team and by making sure that you are always putting your safety first?