5 Tips on Boosting Workplace Safety for Small Businesses

Being a business owner means becoming a Jack of all trades. You need to be an effective leader, marketer, and financial manager. However, one of your most important roles is being a safety officer.

The safety, health, and well-being of your staff and customers depend on your due diligence. It’s up to you to provide a safe and secure work environment.

However, we understand that this might not be your area of expertise. As such, we’ve created a quick guide for boosting workplace safety to get you started. Keep reading for everything you need to know about preventing workplace accidents.

1. Make Sure Employees Have Access to All Necessary PPE

Some jobs are inherently dangerous. For example, people that work in construction or inside factories face many more threats to their safety than your typical office worker. These types of employees must have access to the necessary personal protective equipment.

If you’re not providing your employees with the equipment they need to conduct their duties safely, you could be held liable for the resulting injures. Providing PPE is one of the foundations of any effective workplace safety strategy.

2. Invest in Employee Training

Workplace safety training is vital for boosting workplace safety. Once again, this is especially important in industries that have common workplace accidents.

However, even employees who work desk jobs can benefit from employee safety training. For example, learning how to protect their eyesight, neck, and back while sitting at a computer all day can be valuable.

Regardless, every employee should be trained how to do their job effectively and safely.

3. Conduct a Thorough Risk Assessment

The best way to establish a safe work environment is by identifying and mitigating potential risks. Conduct a thorough risk assessment of your workplace and take notes of any discrepancies. We recommend hiring a professional safety officer to ensure you don’t miss anything. OSHA Lockout Tagout must be used for the machinery that is out of order or under maintenance to caution employees not to use it.

Something as simple as a sharp corner or low-hanging shelf could result in serious injuries.

4. Regularly Clean and Declutter the Workspace

Next, understand that a messy and cluttered workspace can lead to common workplace accidents. For example, if a regularly used walkway has clutter, debris, or obstacles, it could lead to slip-and-fall accidents.

If you’re the victim of such an accident, you can look here to find a personal injury attorney. If you’re trying to prevent workplace accidents like these, invest in a cleaning company to come by once or twice a week to clean. Otherwise, make sure it’s part of your employees’ regular duties.

5. Encourage Proper Procedures and Safety Gear

Finally, let’s talk about boosting workplace safety by ensuring your employees are doing things properly. When it comes to day-to-day procedures, people tend to start cutting corners. The more comfortable they are doing their job, the more likely they are to skip parts of the procedure they don’t find necessary.

While this might make them more efficient, it could also be putting them in danger. Encourage your employees to follow the proper safety procedures by offering rewards for incident-free weeks. You should also have consequences for employees who are caught cutting corners.

Want More Tips for Boosting Workplace Safety?

As you can see, there’s a lot you can do to ensure a safe working environment. As a business owner, preventing workplace accidents should be one of your top priorities. Follow our guide to take positive steps toward boosting workplace safety.

And if you’re looking for more personal, professional, or safety advice, read through some of our other articles before you go. Our blog is full of valuable insight created to help people like you live happier, healthier, and more successful lives.