Employers are responsible for their workers’ health and safety as well as that of any visitors to their premises, such as consumers, vendors and the general public. In addition to these responsibilities, there should be policies and regulations in place to deal with unique hazards that may occur in workplaces.
In this article, we look at how employers can better manage health and safety in the workplace.
Create a Health and Safety Policy
Developing a health and safety policy for your organisation is an extremely important step in preventing potential risks for your company.
This policy stipulates who will play the role of health and safety officer in the company and what his or her responsibilities are.
The appointed health and safety officer is not only strategically oriented but will also communicate with other workers and even visitors to ensure that everyone is aware of the health and safety rules on the ground and what to do in the event that an issue occurs.
Most importantly, this policy puts in place steps that should be taken to prevent, potential risks and actions that should be taken when a health and safety incident occurs.
For instance, if you are in an area with particularly harsh winters, you may wish to include the steps needed to minimize slips, trips, and falls, in any outdoor areas of your work site during icy or snowy periods. For example, clearing snow and using salt or grit spreaders to help avoid accidents on your premises. Some winter safety equipment can be found at: www.seton.co.uk/traffic-car-
While the idea of creating a health and safety policy may seem overwhelming, it does not need to be very complicated. A simple set of instructions printed out showing who is responsible for what tasks, and when and how they are to be carried out will suffice for small businesses.
Employee Training
It is your responsibility as an employer to provide appropriate training for all workers, especially when there is a risk of work-related injuries.
Provide written directions and safe work practices so that they can understand what is expected of them and how they should handle work-related hazards.
Apart from providing relevant health and safety education, employers should also test staff members to ensure that they understand the training and are well prepared to do their job properly and safely. When dealing with heavy machinery and tools such as ladder platform for stairs, it is imperative to make sure your staff are up-to-date with all the latest on how to safely use them, and store them, to avoid any accidents.
As an employer or business manager, if you don’t train your workers properly, you’re not only putting your employees’ safety at risk, but you’re also responsible for an incident that can have serious consequences.
Insure Yourself
If you have employees in your company, you must take out employer’s liability insurance.
It’s not just friendly advice. You are legally obliged to do this and therefore it is not optional.
This is because it protects your company from financial losses if an employee becomes ill or injured while working in a company.
If you run a family business or no one works for you, you may not need employer liability insurance.
However, there are other types of business in insurance, such as public liabilty insurance, that your business needs. It is important that you identify what your business needs and provide adequate protection. This way your business is protected and covered against financial loss.
Be HSE Compliant
Be compliant with HSE rules.
Health and safety rules are important because they protect the welfare of employers, guests and customers.
Businesses that are not HSE complaint put their workers at risk and stand the risk of increasing costs and reducing profitability.
HSE has many principles, guidelines and rules for occupational health and safety.
You should know everything in these guidelines and do everything in your power to ensure that your company adheres to them.
Have First Aid at Work
You should ensure that the relevant first aid equipment is available on your premises and that it contains all the necessary medical aids relevant to your business and industry.
You may also have to appoint someone to be in charge of this department or hire a trained medical practitioner. The size of your first aid system and the number of workers in this area should be dependent on the size of your organisation and type of work done.
Also, ensure all of the staff are aware of these first aid programs and know what to do in an emergency.
Stay on Top of Trends
Finally, keep up-to-date with news and events in your industry to ensure that you are fully compliant with any new safety plans and risk assessments brought on board by the government.
When you know what is expected of you, you’ll know how best to stay on top of your obligations for your workforce.