3 Simple Ways To Keep Your Employees Safe

February 24th, 2021 | Updated on May 19th, 2022

Creating a safe working environment should be a top priority for every employer. Workplace accidents can have a serious impact on employee morale and make it difficult for you to attract and retain skilled staff.

Accidents and injuries can also harm productivity levels and cut into your profit margins. With that in mind, you must focus on workplace safety and take steps to minimize the risks. Here are some simple ways to keep your employees safe in the workplace.

1. Perform A Health And Safety Risk Assessment

One of the most important steps in creating a safer workplace is to perform a health and risk assessment. Health and safety assessments are not just good practice, they are also required under federal law.

According to business advice on mscdirect.com: “Failure to assess workplace hazards and keep employees safe can lead to expensive prosecutions.”

To perform a health and safety assessment, you should walk around your workplace and identify potential risks to employees.

This may include things like poorly set up workstations or exposure to chemicals and other hazardous materials. Potential risks should be recorded, and you must take steps to eliminate the risk or reduce it to an acceptable level.

Health and safety risk assessments should be performed regularly to ensure that the information on workplace risks is up to date.

2. Take Out Worker’s Compensation Insurance

Accidents can still happen in the workplace, even when you have taken steps to significantly lower the risks.

Worker’s compensation insurance is in place to cover any costs resulting from an employee being injured at work.

This may include medical bills, lost wages, and emergency treatment. Not every state requires companies to take out worker’s compensation insurance — i.e. it is not required in the state of Texas.

However, worker’s compensation cover should still be viewed as essential insurance in Texas. Without this insurance, your business will be held responsible for costs incurred if an employee is injured at work.

Having a worker’s compensation insurance policy also demonstrates your commitment to the health and well-being of your employees. This may help you attract and retain quality staff for your business.

3. Provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Or Hazmat Suit

Provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Investing in the right PPE equipment or Hazmat suit can significantly reduce the risk of workplace accidents and injuries. If workers are working in areas with hazardous materials, they should be provided with a hazmat suit, which will help protect them from hazardous waste that could be harmful to them.

The type of PPE equipment you need will depend on several factors including your business operations and workplace conditions.

For instance, warehouse workers operating large machinery will typically require PPE like gloves, hard hats, and protective hearing devices. On the other hand, people working in an office environment may not require PPE in their job roles.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, accidents and injuries can occur in the workplace even when you have a solid health and safety policy in place. Workplace accidents can have a damaging impact on productivity, profits, and staff morale.

Every employer should make health and safety a priority and take steps to protect their workforce. Try some of the above suggestions to help keep your employees safe and healthy in the workplace.