Safety is of the utmost importance for any business. Employees are one of the most valuable assets of a company, and it is essential to protect them. Employers can ensure health and safety by implementing some simple precautions. Here are some tips to help you better protect your employees' health and safety on your premises.

business owner reviewing safety measures

Identify your hazards

For any business, safety hazards are inevitable. However, there are some steps you can take to identify them and reduce the risk of harm.

First, identify hazards that could cause physical harm or injury. Make sure any dangerous equipment can only be accessed by those equipped to deal with it, and any areas that employees or visitors shouldn’t access are locked at all times.

Once you've identified those hazards, remove them or put safeguards in place, so they don't become a problem. For example, if you have an onsite car park or outdoor space you are in charge of maintaining, identify any hazards such as cracked paving or damaged concrete causing holes in the road. Pavement preservation can reduce any accidents on your premises.

During winter and harsh weather, it’s imperative to plan ahead to remove snow, ice, and winter debris from any walkways or sidewalks, as well. (Investing in a mini snow plough is a wise move!)

In addition to these steps, be sure to communicate with your workers about potential health and safety risks and preventative measures. If you do this regularly with your employees, everyone will be aware of what needs to be done to have a safe workplace.

Reduce the risks of injury

One way to ensure that your employees are protected is by making sure they're wearing appropriate clothing and equipment. This includes ensuring that your employees have the proper safety gear and providing them with a comfortable work environment that allows for easy movement. Providing your employees with clean equipment, including cleaning their tools after each use, will also help to reduce the risk of contamination from bacteria or other harmful contaminants.

Another way you can protect your employees is by having an emergency plan in place for each situation where someone could be injured on your premises. Your emergency plan should include specific information on how you would handle each type of emergency and if there are any training requirements for different types of emergencies (i.e., fire extinguisher training).

Provide training and information on safety to employees

When employees understand the importance of safety, they are more likely to take precautions and avoid potential dangers.

Some examples of training your employees in a safe work environment include:

Ensuring that each employee understands their role in the work process and how to perform it safely
Teaching them what hazards are present on the premises, how to recognize them, and how to avoid them
Training employees about all the steps that they must take before embarking on a project or task
Discuss important details about fire, evacuation routes, first aid, and other safety procedures.

Keep a written record of accidents and near-misses

Every workplace has its own set of risks. If you have a large business, safety can be a difficult task. One way to ensure that health and safety are being addressed in your workplace is to keep a written record of accidents and near-misses.

A log will allow you to see how often these things happen and what steps were taken to reduce them. It will also be easier for others on your team to identify areas where you can make improvements or where more precautions need to be taken.

You should also keep a record of injuries to monitor the frequency of incidents over time. This will help you see how often occurrences like falls or slips in your workspace happen each month and how they affect the number of people they are injured.

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