The first week of May is Occupational Safety and Health Week, and there’s no better time to focus on the safety practices at your place of business. Workplace injury is one of the most common unnecessary expenses for businesses, in terms of both medical costs and downtime. Here are some ways you can make your business a little safer:

Offer Extensive Training

For co-workers to be safe at work, they need to know how to do their jobs safely. When dealing with equipment, crowds of people, or any other potential hazards, co-workers need to be fully informed of potential risks and how to avoid or handle them. This starts at the top with engaging and informative training procedures. Trainers need to know every aspect of workplace safety and pass that knowledge down to the new co-workers. Training should be prioritized, as the best way to keep co-workers safe is by keeping them informed. 

Post Safety Procedures

Another way to inform co-workers of safety procedures is posting them in highly visible areas. Safety procedures relating to a specific piece of equipment should be posted near the area where the equipment is used. While training can help employees operate equipment safely, it never hurts to have a reminder posted nearby. Seeing safety procedures posted around the workplace keeps safety top of mind for co-workers at every level. 

Provide Protective Gear

Some jobs require protective gear to be done safely. This gear needs to be available to co-workers whenever they perform a task that requires it. Much like any other equipment, employees need to know how to use protective gear for it to keep them safe. This can be covered in training and in hands-on instruction with co-workers. Depending on the complexity of the gear, having someone nearby to assist may be the best option to ensure a secure fit and optimal protection. 

Maintain All Equipment

Whether or not co-workers directly interact with the equipment in your facilities, all of the equipment needs to be properly maintained to keep co-workers safe. Faulty equipment can lead to electrical hazards, uncomfortable conditions and several other issues. Make sure that all equipment in the workplace is maintained according to the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule, possibly more often depending on the age and how much it’s used. 

Assess Safety Practices

Are your current safety practices working? How long have those policies been in place? If you’re struggling with co-workers refusing to follow safety procedures, more thorough training may be necessary. If the current policies are being fully utilized, but they’re not keeping co-workers or guests safe, it may be time to update the policies. Policies can also be updated for unforeseen circumstances, like storms or disease outbreaks. 

At the end of the day, workplace safety is all about having the right processes in place and following them whenever possible. With a culture focused on safety, we offer the highest standard of safety products to keep your coworkers safe every day.  Contact Pollock Orora to place your order today.