In Focus: Top Priorities in Ensuring Employee Safety at the Workplace

Employee safety at the workplace is fast becoming a priority for organizations everywhere. This is because, for many companies, the rise in costs as a result of medical allowances and drops in productivity due to increased absenteeism are damaging their chances of attaining their long-term goals. In addition, many businesses are concerned that unless they are able to provide a safe work environment for their employees, they will have a tough time finding people who will feel comfortable working for them.

Fortunately, there are a number of measures available for companies that are looking to improve the overall safety of their employees at the workplace. These include:

Identification of Hazards:

From wet floors to damaged walkways, hazards can be anywhere. It is important for managers to educate their employees on how to identify hazards and equip them with the knowledge of what to do when encountered with a particular hazard. The different ways in which employees can be made aware is by installing signs pointing to the hazard in question along with training exercises that educate them on the best way to deal with such situations.

Lead from the Top:

You cannot expect your employees to follow safety rules if you are not leading by example. By demonstrating your commitment to maintaining the health and safety of everyone in your organization, you are creating a safety-conscious work environment where employees will be able to identify unsafe behaviors and make informed decisions on how to keep themselves and others safe.

Conduct Safety Audits:

Audits are always helpful as they help companies detect issues well before they pose any kind of danger or threat. The best way to conduct a thorough safety audit is by making a checklist and assessing your work environment for any kinds of hazards on a frequent basis. By doing so, you will be able to reduce the risk of your company facing any kind of liability and even improve its performance.

Maintain all Equipment:

A large portion of accidents that happen at the workplace are due to ineffective equipment. It is therefore necessary to implement a routine maintenance procedure for all equipment on-site. Each piece of machinery or equipment must show the safe procedure in which it must be operated. Also, keep a record of all the maintenance procedures and checks that you have conducted so that you are able to keep track of its performance.

Review Your Safety Training:

In many cases, knowledge is key. If your employees possess the awareness needed to protect themselves and others from possible injury or illness at the workplace, then you will be able to maintain a safe work environment for all. By reviewing your training exercises on safety, you will be able to determine if you have covered all potential threats faced by employees while on the job.

Environmental Service Systems takes the safety of its employees very seriously and hence, has invested great time and effort in developing an effective safety training program. Our Environmental Health and Safety team performs on-site training programs across the United States and educates employees on the safety best practices. Employees are also given awareness on the proper and safe handling of cleaning chemicals and equipment as well as the best way to identify potential hazards while working in different environments. Through these measures, Environmental Service Systems has been able to keep its employees safe at both the workplace and on-site.