While unwelcome, accidents in the workplace are more common than we think. As per a report by the National Safety Council, every seven seconds, an American worker is injured on the job. That is quite a disturbing statistic.
And these accidents can have a drastic impact on your business. It can even endanger the lives of your employees. On top of that, they also result in lawsuits, expenses on accident lawyers, and other hassles.
The best way to avoid all these hassles is to prevent workplace accidents and injuries in the first place. So, in this blog, we have discussed seven methods that can help prevent workplace injuries or minimize damages in case workplace injuries happen.
1. Have A Workplace Safety Program
A safe and secure workplace is built upon preventive measures guided by a well-defined, robust workplace safety program. This safety program needs to cover all aspects regarding the safety and wellness of each individual at the organization.
There are various workplace safety programs available, such as a behavior-based safety program, that organizations can adopt to improve the company’s overall safety culture. Besides implementing these safety programs, it is also essential to train your employees about the same.
2. Identify Safety Risks And Hazards
A crucial step in reducing workplace accidents and injuries is identifying the potential risks and hazards at the workplace. For that, you will need to carry out a thorough survey and audit of the entire workplace to identify such elements.
Once you’ve identified them, ensure that you take corrective measures to eliminate them to ensure that workplace safety of the highest level is achieved at the workplace.
3. Provide Workplace Safety Training
Numerous workplace accidents occur because the employees are not trained adequately regarding safe work practices and overall workplace safety. Therefore, train employees regarding the importance and steps to following workplace safety.
Ensure that every employee attends the training programs held at the workplace to ensure that there are no lapses in workplace safety in the future. You can have your safety officer oversee whether the employees adhere to the safety procedures taught during the training process.
Similarly, hold the safety training programs periodically and ensure that every new employee is provided at least basic workplace safety training before starting working for the organization.
4. Provide Personal Protective Equipment
Personal Protective Equipment(PPEs) are essential to increase the overall safety standard at the workplace. Thus, provide every employee at the organization with the necessary PPE kit. They include safety helmets, fluorescent clothing, safety shoes, protective goggles, among others.
Furthermore, train the employees to wear, use, and remove PPEs correctly to prevent injuries during the process. Also, have your safety officer monitor employees periodically to ensure that they are wearing PPEs at all times while working. Penalize employees who fail to follow the rules regarding PPEs to minimize accidents and reduce injuries and damages caused in case an accident does happen.
5. Monitor Workplace Safety Measures
After providing employees safety training, personal protective equipment, and reinforcing other safety measures, ensure that every aspect of workplace safety is followed diligently. Thus, you will need to inspect safety measures continuously to ensure that there are no lapses in any aspect.
The inspection sessions can be carried out during safety training sessions, meetings, and at random during work hours. Furthermore, to encourage employee participation in improving workplace safety standards, you can have a reward system for employees who diligently follow the workplace safety rules.
In addition to monitoring employees, you will also need to inspect machinery, equipment, and tools at the workplace to ensure that they are functioning correctly and don’t threaten employee safety.
6. Don’t Let Employees Skip Steps
Most accidents happen at the workplace due to employees taking shortcuts to complete the task at hand. To avoid such scenarios and prevent the worker from getting injured, provide clear and strict instructions to employees regarding how to carry out their workplace tasks. This will help minimize workplace accidents and also improve the work output quality.
7. Keep Improving Safety Protocols
You need to review your workplace safety plans and other protocols constantly. This will help in finding drawbacks in the current system. You can, then, take steps to improve them that will eventually help minimize or prevent workplace accidents altogether.
No matter how good the current safety standards are, there is always room for improvement.
These seven steps will reduce accidents at the workplace. That being said, no matter how much you prepare, workplace accidents can happen. And when they do, make sure that you have the suitable measures in place to provide prompt and effective treatment for faster recovery.