Workplace safety is essential because you spend most of your day and time in your office. Employers have the responsibility of keeping the workplace safe for the employees to ensure that business operations are running smoothly. Ensuring the safety of employees can also minimize their risk of getting involved in work-related accidents and injuries.
How to Make a Workplace Safer
A safe workplace is difficult to achieve, but it can be done. You can apply safety measures to ensure that your employees are not working in a hazardous workplace. Here are some ways to improve the safety of your employees:
- Ensure that all floors are even. Uneven floors are workplace hazards because they are usually the cause of slip and fall accidents. Poorly maintained flooring can cause your employees to slip, fall, or tumble.
- Keep the work area and office clean. It’s essential to remember that maintaining a clean work area helps prevent accidents from happening. Employees might trip on things that are scattered on the floor.
- Place warning signs around uneven floors or water puddles. If there are water puddles present in the area, building maintenance should place warning signs around it so employees are aware and avoid the area. Warning signs must also be set around uneven floors.
- Put signs up on newly mopped floors. Floors are extremely slippery right after they’re cleaned and mopped. Instruct your maintenance team to place signs, so your employees are extra careful when walking on the mopped areas.
- Ensure handrails are correctly installed on staircases. You should also double check the stairs if they’re free from any hazards such as uneven floors, faulty handrails, and puddles of water.
- Check the area for loose cables. Loose cables and ties are common causes of trips and slips in the workplace. You must make sure that the wires are tied together to avoid causing an accident. It’s best to place them in areas where employees don’t usually walk by.
- Be prepared for any emergency. Accidents often happen when you least expect them. Therefore, you must be prepared at all times. Ensuring your employees’ safety even during accidents and emergency requires you to prepare for them. First aid kits must be readily available for every floor or department in your workplace.
- Train your employees. It’s also essential to train your employees on how to respond to accidents and emergency cases. They must have the initiative to report any hazards in the workplace. They must also be aware of how they can help during times of emergency.
- Reduce workplace stress. Stress can also be a factor why employees have an accident in the office. Too much pressure prevents workers from thinking rationally. They let their emotions get the best of them. Therefore, reducing stress can help keep the workplace safer.
- Comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration protocols. Ensure that your building is a safe place to have an office. It must be compliant with the OSHA protocols so you can protect your employees from the accidents in the workplace.
Employers, as well as their employees, have the responsibility of keeping the workplace safe. Employers may have the duty to ensure that their employees are working in a safe environment, but the workers also need to play their part. Both parties must work together to ensure that nobody is hurt while they’re in the office. If you’re a victim of a workplace-related accident and you have proof that your employer was negligent in maintaining the office safety, you can consult with a lawyer here.
