Safety within the workplace is key, and as a business owner, there’s a responsibility to ensure that the workplace is free of any dangers and that there are processes in place to keep the staff protected as best as possible. So if it’s staff safety that’s of concern, here are some tips for keeping your staff safe within the workplace.
Give Staff Detailed Building Inductions
Whenever a staff member starts at the business, they should be receiving a detailed building induction. This is to make them aware of how the building operates and the basics of the building in regards to their safety. This should ideally be given by the operations or buildings manager who can run through the procedures so that anyone in the building, knows what they’re doing in an emergency or when something bad happens. These detailed inductions are worth making available in document form too so that the staff member can look back on it if needed. If your employees are getting these building inductions, then they could be posing a risk to themselves and to others by not knowing about the building in full.
Legal Aid On Hand When Needed
Getting legal aid is very important to a business to ensure everything is being done by the book. A personal injury lawyer is something that staff members will look to get when they’ve been injured within the workplace. You should have your own insurances in place that helps protect you and if you’re not sure, then they definitely need to be a legal department. If you’ve not got the finances or resources to have a legal department in-house, then outsourcing those services is useful.
Have Plenty Of First Aiders On-Site
With injuries, a lot of them will tend to happen at home, rather than in the workplace. However, that doesn’t mean it won’t happen at all. From small cuts to collapsing, a company needs to prepare for when one of their members of staff is in danger or needs urgent assistance. There should be an emergency phone to hand or at least a phone that’s close to communal areas. Not only that, but you’ll need plenty of First Aiders on hand to assist with some temporary help until emergency services would arrive. Training your staff in first aid is a choice that’s made by the person, and you can’t force someone to do it. Once you are trained in First Aid, it’s your duty to help anyone who is in need.
There are plenty of local courses that emergency services will run, and you should have plenty of first aiders trained. Depending on the number in your building, one first aider for every five to ten people should be enough. However, it’s never an issue to have more than you need.
Safety Procedures Should Be Displayed
When it comes to safety procedures and practices, not everyone will adhere to them all the time, and therefore, when accidents do happen, it’s worth having physical evidence for your business. This can be in the form of safety procedures that are displayed around the workplace. By having a list of rules and safety practices in areas like the kitchen and in regard to the basic safety of electricity etc. you protect yourself as a business from anyone who chooses to ignore the advice given. It would help your business, should you ever find yourself in a battle between you and the employee. Having procedures displayed and well documented are essential. So stick up safety procedures in the kitchens and in the general areas of where your staff are working.
Do Regular Fire Drills
Just like First Aiders, Fire Wardens are important to have in the building. Even more so, there should be regular fire drills taking place throughout the year to time, how quickly your staff are able to get out of a building. Everyone should know where their meeting point is, and the Fire Wardens should be doing their duty by checking in rooms and areas on their floor for anyone who may be injured or who not heard the alarm going off. In terms of the number of fire drills, once a month is ideal, but one every three months is still good if the office is too busy to do them too often.
Keeping your staff safe is always going to be a priority, so protect yourself as a business and then look at the ways you can help improve the safety of your workplace.
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