Did you know that, in 2018 alone, there were over 2.8 million non-fatal workplace accidents? While it’s not fun to think about, as a business owner, you have to do everything in your power to prevent these accidents from occurring in the first place.
This is, of course, easier said than done for some businesses, especially ones where safety hazards are quite common. But as long as you, the business owner, treat safety in the workplace as a big deal, your team will too, helping cut down on accidents greatly.
So, what are some workplace safety ideas that you can implement to cut back on accidents? And what are the steps you need to take to create a workplace safety plan?
We’ve got all of that information, plus more, in this article! Now then, let’s get started!
1. Perform a Job Hazard Analysis
Before you can ensure that your workspace is as safe as possible, you need to identify any hazards that currently exist in that workspace. The best way to do this is to perform a job hazard analysis (JHA) to locate and identify all potential safety hazards in the office and on job sites.
What is job hazard analysis exactly? Well, it’s a simple procedure that allows you to identify safety hazards so you can come up with a plan to help prevent any issues.
It’s without a doubt that the most important part of the process and should be treated as such when performed.
2. Create a Safety Plan
After you’ve performed a JHA, it’s now time to create a safety plan for your business. It goes without saying, but in order to get the best results, you need to take your time and plan for anything and everything that could possibly happen in your workspace.
Be thorough and create a team that is in charge of working on and completing this plan. Having people involved who know your business the best is a great way to ensure that you’re accounting for all potential hazards.
3. Train Your Employees Well
Identifying potential hazards and planning for them isn’t going to keep you and your team members safe. Proper training, to ensure that your plan is executed at a high level, is the only way you can reduce the chances of something bad happening to someone at work.
Routine training sessions, to keep things fresh on the minds of your employees, are recommended. Having safety tests and drills is also a good idea, that way you can make sure that your team knows your safety plan well.
So, how often should you be doing the training? Well, that depends on what type of business you run and how dangerous it is. At worst, monthly safety classes and reminders are recommended.
4. Use Labels and Signs
While training is essential if you want to cut down on workplace accidents, there are other steps you can take to ensure the safety of your team. Using labels and signs, for example, is a great way to make sure everyone is better aware of their surroundings.
The best part is, getting labels and signs made, especially for dangerous pieces of equipment or hazardous areas, is quite affordable. That means you don’t need a big budget to start making safety changes to your workplace.
5. Keep Things Clean and Clutter-Free
Again, labels and signs can help keep your workplace safe and prevent injuries. But another useful tip to help you prevent workplace accidents is to keep things clean and clutter-free.
After all, people are much more likely to get injured if the area that they’re working in is messy, and thus, filled with safety hazards. On top of that, a clutter-free workspace can help improve the mental health of everyone on your staff, which of course is a good thing.
6. Maintain an Open Dialogue
We touched on this earlier, but nobody knows your workplace and the hazards that exist in it better than your staff. They spend more time working in your workspaces than anyone else and know what risks exist, as well as how to avoid them.
This knowledge makes them a valuable resource to your safety efforts, which is why you should communicate with them often.
Maintain an open dialogue about safety with your staff at all times. Listen to feedback and let them help you tweak your safety plan so you can ensure that you’re set up for success.
7. Reward Safe Behavior
If you’ve been running a business for a while, you know that positive reinforcement is one of the best ways to keep your team on track. After all, everyone loves to be told when they’re doing something right.
So, if you haven’t already, start rewarding your team for maintaining a safer workplace. Something as simple as free breakfast or lunch for no accidents the previous month is more than enough to keep everyone on track and encourage safe behavior.
On top of that, positive reinforcement reduces stress in the workplace and creates a better, healthier working environment. This can also keep accidents from occurring, as well as just make your team happier, which is what you want as a business owner.
7 Workplace Safety Ideas for Your Business
Well, there you have it! Those are 7 workplace safety ideas that businesses need to implement today!
Remember, workplace safety starts with a good plan. And in order to create a safety plan, you first need to perform a JHA to locate all hazards in your workplace.
Once you have those hazards located, and a safety plan in place, be sure to train your team members on that plan thoroughly. That way you can have peace of mind knowing that they know how to stay safe when working!
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