Every year, thousands of employees suffer from accidents while they’re on the job. These on-the-job accidents can result in expensive lawsuits and fines for an organization. As a result, many organizations opt to avoid reporting these accidents to the proper institutions. However, the best way to avoid these lawsuits and fines is by preventing these on-the-job accidents from occurring in the first place. Here are a few tips you can’t afford to miss if you’re looking to make your office or workplace as safe as possible.
Avoiding Slips and Falls
Without a doubt, slips and falls are some of the most common causes of accidents in the workplace. Fortunately, these types of accidents are fairly easy to prevent. Your workplace should have an efficient system in place to ensure that all spills are cleaned up promptly. Of course, this system doesn’t have to be complex in any way, but it does have to timely. Many slips and falls occur because someone in the workplace didn’t consider cleaning up a spill as a priority. Have a policy in the workplace that encourages people to report a spill rather than just walking right by it.
If your employees work in conditions in which they will be commonly walking on slippery surfaces, you should not allow them to work unless they are wearing nonskid shoes. Some work areas that often have slippery surfaces include kitchens and the outdoors.
Offer the Necessary Tools for the Job
To ensure workplace safety, it is necessary to avoid skimping on the purchase of necessary tools for the job. For example, if employees will need access to items placed far above reach, you should purchase a quality ladder. Otherwise, your employees will be forced to climb or stand on storage units and shelving units to reach these items. You should offer mechanical aids for use by your employees if possible. Some examples of mechanical aids include forklifts, wheelbarrows, cranes, and conveyor belts.
For further safety in the workplace, you should only authorize some of your employees to use these tools and mechanical aids. The vast majority of these tools require proper training to use. Therefore, while these tools have the potential to increase safety in the workplace, they can also hinder safety significantly.
Routine Drug Tests
Another common cause of workplace injuries is alcohol and drugs. No matter what you do to make your workplace safe, your employees will still be prone to accidents if they are not sober on the job. This is especially true if your employees are expected to handle heavy machinery, such as forklifts and cranes. To promote a drug-free and alcohol-free workplace, you should hold routine drug tests. Not only will a drug-free workplace improve safety, but it will also improve the productivity of your workplace.
Of course, you shouldn’t give your employees a warning in advance of each of these drug tests. Simply one overall warning that they will have to take routine drug tests should be enough.
Fire Safety
Many workplaces deal with instances of fire every year. In some cases, these workplaces are completely destroyed by the fire. Unfortunately, thousands of employees die every year from workplace fires. Therefore, you should purchase fire safety materials, such as those provided by FireProtectionOnline.co.uk, for your workplace to enhance safety. Some of these materials include fire extinguishers, fire safety signs, fire exit signs, smoke alarms, and more. In an event of a fire, these fire safety materials will make prevention of tragedies easier.
As you can see, many workplace accidents can be avoided by taking some simple preventative measures. Protect both yourself and your employees by making sure these are in place.