How To Stay Safe at Work
The global pandemic has seen individuals, employers and organisations face unprecedented times and overcome difficult challenges. As such, it’s important that workplaces develop strategies to strengthen Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) protocols and implement systems to build resilience and future-proof processes.
Events like the World Day for Safety and Health at Work (Wednesday, 28 April) aim to raise awareness and encourage important dialogue on how to create and build resilient systems that not only prevent the spread of COVID-19 in any workplace but also ensure risks are minimised and employees are protected. Accidents can be costly. From the loss of life to substantial compensation expenses, by taking action we all can ensure practices prevent hazards, injuries and death.
Below, we’ve collated some general workplace practices to improve health and safety in the workplace. Try implementing these techniques to limit your organisation’s exposure to risk and ensure you’re ‘working with ease…’.
Create a safety plan
With any work or job, you need to know and evaluate the potential risks on hand. This allows you to take the necessary steps to ensure measures are in place to control, minimise or even eliminate any risk altogether. By introducing a Safety Management Plan, your workforce will have access to comprehensive and detailed processes. In this prepared document, clear risk factors should be outlined and demonstrated to highlight how your workplace is routinely assessing risks, minimising exposure, evolving new and existing hazards, and updating plans of action. Furthermore, these plans should be available to all workers, contractors and visitors.
Ensure a safe work environment
Whether it’s reducing clutter, clearing tools or cleaning spills, a clean working environment is incredibly safer. By clearing problem areas and working on ongoing solutions to ensure a hazard-free workplace, the risk of things going wrong will be significantly reduced. Actions should be both on small and larger scales – i.e., installing more bins or hand sanitiser stations to introducing a complete storage solution. Good practices start from management down and need to be supported in their efforts. These will help ensure your employees and customers stay safe at work.
Improve training and qualifications
To help ensure safety is managed around your workplace, employees should receive regular training and assistance. That is, provide refresher or further development courses if necessary and really assist with providing the need-to-know training. Having qualifications in OHS Management will also help employees understand their requirements as and in a workplace. You can also utilise your Safety Management Plan to aid in keeping track of documentation and skills and to further ensure contractors and professionals have the right qualifications to complete required tasks.
Inspect, maintain, review and record
Routine maintenance and inspection is fundamental to workplace safety and preventing dangerous equipment. Checking equipment and reviewing tools regularly can ensure they are still in good condition and are still the safest choice for the job. Also, maintaining records, not only of equipment but of incidents and causes can help assess risk factors and assist in mitigating them in the future. Try introducing a safety officer to inspect, maintain, review and record to safeguard the workplace from any hazard.
Try assistive devices where you can
Lifting equipment and safety solutions can make light work of some very heavy and hazardous tasks. From conveyors, carts, trolleys and pallet jackets to vacuum lifting devices and automated unloaders, there are many devices available to help you move loads and avoid manual handling risks or physical injuries. Such aids can really make workloads easier, improve ergonomics and increase overall abilities by handling twice the load. What’s more, they can help hold, rotate, move, manipulate and lift goods to desired locations.
Need assistance with how you can stay safe at work? Contact our Sales Team and learn about some of the most innovative solutions on the market, which are improving many processes. Alternatively, view our wide range of Safety Equipment to get started.
