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5 Tips for Improving Workplace Safety

John McMalcolm

August 05, 2013

Minimizing the risk of accidents in your workplace does not only provide a safer environment for your workers; it can also help you prevent a lot of unnecessary problems.

Work-related accidents can lead to injuries that can undermine your employees’ abilities to perform their work duties, resulting in lower productivity. Some serious accidents can even cause permanent disabilities or death, and they can lead to lawsuits and substantial financial loss.

Here are a number of tips that can help you create a safer work environment for you and your workers:

Identify Hazards

If you look carefully around your workplace, you may be able to see some fixtures and circumstances that can potentially cause an accident.

Wet floor is a common hazard that can cause slips, trips and falls, which can in turn lead to sprains and strains, back injuries, head injuries, fractures and even death. In order to minimize the risk of slips, trips and falls, you should instruct your employees to place warning signs on or around wet areas in your business premises.

Making sure that hazardous objects and fixtures are properly placed can also significantly reduce the rate of accidents in your workplace.

Other examples of workplace hazards include uneven surfaces, sharp edges, overhead hazards, loose cables and others.

Create an Emergency Action Plan

When an accident happens, being able to act appropriately and promptly can reduce the severity of the consequences or even save a life.

As such, it is essential that you have an emergency plan for responding to accidents. Your employees should know exactly what to do when an accident occurs, such as who is responsible for calling the ambulance, which number to call, which medical facility they should send the victim to and what paperwork they need to prepare.

To ensure that all your employees know how to deal with an accident, you can give them constant reminders and post emergency numbers around the workplace.

Make Sure Your Machines are Properly Maintained

Faulty machines are one of the most common causes of workplace accidents, and you can prevent such accidents by ensuring that your company’s machines undergo routine inspection and maintenance.

All machines should have a safety checklist, which your employees have to check before they start operating the machines.

Machines that are poorly lubricated or have faulty blades or belts are more likely to cause accidents.

Screen Your Contractors or Vendors

If you are using contractors or vendors to handle the needs of your company, it is important that you screen them properly before you engage their services.

Find out the measures they take to prevent accidents, their safety track records and their insurance information.

Also, make sure they know your company’s safety program and emergency plan. Effective communication between your company and your contractors or vendors can go a long way in preventing workplace accidents.

Try Not to Overwork Your Employees

When your employees are overworked and tired, they have a higher tendency to disregard safety procedures and make avoidable errors.

Try to create a work schedule that does not require your workers to do too much work continuously and allow them to take more breaks during busier times.

Short breaks enable your workers to refresh themselves physically and mentally, making them less susceptible to errors and accidents.

A safe and healthy workforce can contribute greatly to the success of your business.

Therefore, you should do all you can to minimize your employees’ exposure to the risk of workplace accidents.

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