With nearly 2 million American workers having been reported as work-placed victims of violence every year, as a manager or CEO of a company, it is your duty to keep your employees in a safe and friendly workplace. These are some tips to ensure the safety of yourself and those under your care at work during a day shift or night shift.
- Your Responsibility
Before hiring any employees, it is best to stop and think about what rights they are entitled to. Be Wiser Insurance will ensure your customers are the happiest and will make sure they get the best employee liability insurance. Happy workers are hard workers after all. With a respectable environment, a manager can expect higher quality produce and work from said employees, so be sure to make sure the area is clean and free of any dangerous objects or hazards. Keep on top of maintenance, whether that’s in the bathroom, any area where staff work, and even things they may take for granted or never think about, such as any door closers, so that minor issues can be taken care of before they have a chance to become bigger problems. Be sure to keep your cleaning staff up to scratch with their own supplies as well. A wet floor sign can never go amiss in a room full of busy people!
- The Law
In the UK, every employer must comply with the regulations presented by HSE to ensure the safety of their staff and customers. These may differ from physical labour environments to offices, as it all depends on the type of work that each person undertakes. Be sure to talk to your employees about their rights as a worker under your company and how they can ensure their own safety when undergoing their tasks for the day. The last thing you need is one of your employees getting hurt because of any negligence to explain how to remain safe in their work. Compensation costs a lot of money; thus it is economically beneficial to keep everyone safe and secure!
- Induction Sessions
So, you have found the perfect employee! But before you get them set up in an office, it is crucial to guide them through any safety procedures and building regulations. Some may make a guide book to read through with the employee, while others may think it easier to show a video with all the problems that could emerge and how to solve them. A video may be best reserved for a larger audience. Be sure to pick a method of explaining the basic safety messages efficiently and quickly to your new workers. Make sure to ask them questions about the rules as well! This will keep them alert and interested in the staffs way of work life.
- Drills and Safety Procedures
A basic safety procedure is crucial to the structure of any working environment. If a fire breaks out in your building, would your employees know where to go to ensure their wellbeing? As a manager, it is essential that you plan a number of drills to help your workers understand what to do in an emergency, how to get out of a building, the fire escapes and meeting points, as well as ensuring the safety of co-workers and potential customers. When you hire a new employee, be sure to take them around your building and show them each integral safety point, such fire hydrants and blankets, as well as to the emergency escapes. This way they will have a basic mental map of the building. Should they need an escape, they will know where to find it!
- Moments of Crisis
Do you have a plan for an emergency? What happens if an employee became incapacitated or critically hurt? Or what if there was a weather emergency? A good employer should always have a plan surrounding any problems that could interfere with the safety of their employees. Do not underestimate any situation and always assume the worst so that it can be avoided. By scheduling a plan in your head then you will always be ready for whatever work life throws at you.
- Replacement and Updates
Not all safety measures need to be in relation the employees. Sometimes it is necessary to observe the work environment itself. Consider replacing the batteries of your fire alarm to keep it up to standard with fire safety policies. In fact, fire extinguishers have a shelf life of around 10 or 12 years so, if you know yours have been in place for a long time, it might be time to think about replacing them. You can easily get hold of Lithium Battery Fire Extinguishers from STOREMASTA, as well as any other type of extinguisher (since different fires require different types of material within the extinguisher). It may also be useful to keep your security procedures up to scratch, arranging meetings with your security and viewings of the footage if any incidents should take place. There are even upper ledge locks that can be placed on the top of any doors to keep employees locked safely in a room while keeping dangerous individuals out. Being communicative with your staff is one of the best ways to ensure their safety.
- The Clocking System
While the clocking system is a fantastic way to keep an eye on blatantly lacklustre employees, it is also a fantastic tracking tool in a period of panic. Take for instance there is a fire in your work building, or you cannot find someone at work. To ensure their safety, any manager can check their clock system to see if said employee came to work at all or whether they are either off sick or, at the very least, in a safe environment. Use this as your secret weapon in both big panics and little troubles. It is a good means of keeping an eye on everyone.
- Dangerous Workers
When hiring employees be sure to make sure to keep an eye on their behaviour and interactions with the other staff in your workplace. Over 4,507 fatal injuries in the workplace have been caused by fellow employees. If your employee appears to be stressed, uneasy or displaying any odd, physical or verbal ticks, it would be best to speak to them privately and ask about their situation. They may be having problems at home or at work. To avoid any weapons being brought into the building, you may even consider hiring security to keep an eye on the staff or visitors. If you feel it is necessary, you could even insist on a bag search before anyone enters the building.