Regardless of the type and size of the business, it is required by the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation to have an effective safety program in the firm. The purpose of such is to prevent work-related injuries and health problems for all stakeholders. This also goes for those who have direct interactions with the business. As a business owner, therefore, it is vital that you are aware of your obligation to maintain and improve safety and health within the workplace.
This article will discuss the steps you can take to ensure that your workplace is free from diseases and injury and further improve the program. Here are the things you should consider doing now:
Determine areas of improvement
You may already have a health and safety program in place; still, it is also necessary to continuously improve it as the challenges in the workplace continue to change as well. The first thing you should do is to identify the hazards and find ways to remove or minimize them so that they won’t cause any problems later.
Once you identified these potential risks, you should discuss with your employees the necessary steps that you should take to ensure their safety. Also, safety is everyone’s responsibility, thus make sure that your personnel understand their role in the program as well.
Provide proper training for all employees
Other than regularly engaging them in health and safety seminars, it’s best if you provide them career and skills development training so they may improve their job efficiency. The more that they are efficient with their jobs, the more they will be concerned with their workplace.
Practice proper waste management
The habit of keeping the workplace clean has a positive impact on the health of all employees. Adequate waste management includes practices such as segregation, de-cluttering, and getting rid of unwanted items from the workplace. Your company should also partner with businesses like Junk Haulers Evergreen to ensure that all your garbage is hauled away regularly to prevent bacteria from developing and to keep pests and rodents away.
Inspect your workplace more often. It is not enough that you put the health and safety program in place; it’s essential that you regularly check that everyone follows it accordingly. The employees may tend to forget sometimes to practice safety because of work focus; thus, it is your responsibility to remind them.
Create a reward program. Employees will also appreciate the incentive or rewards if zero incidents of health and safety are achieved in a specific time frame. Although you may have given enough time to create awareness about the matter, it’s also best if the employees are commended on their efforts in keeping the workplace safer and more secure. Rewards may come in monetary form, vacation passes, gift cards, or leave incentives.
Just like any other aspect of the business, such as financial projections, inventory, sales, and strategy, health and safety should be as important as well. Maintaining a safe business does not only protect your assets, but also one of the essential resources you have, your employees.