Why Safety in the Workplace Matters

As an employer, you’re responsible for providing your employees with a safe working environment. If you’re not aware of how to go about creating safety policies for your company, then find ways to get proper training to be able to identify hazards in your particular kind of business. 

Alternatively, you may need to recruit a health and safety specialist to make sure that your business provides employees with the right safety training and hazard reporting processes. Naturally, this will depend on the nature of your business. If you have a factory, warehouse, or laboratory then it’s a legal obligation. Of course, if you just have a small office, with a few employees who work in front of a computer most of the day, then you just need some basic safety training on how to prevent and deal with accidents.

Regardless of the type of business you own, you must ensure that hazards in your workplace are isolated, minimized, or removed. If it’s a relatively safe environment, then you can learn to supervise safety procedures yourself, and if it’s an environment that has many potential dangers, then you need to hire a specialist.

With that in mind, let’s look at safety issues in an office, the use of safety equipment, and creating policies to increase safety awareness.

Safety Equipment

Safety equipment in the workplace is categorized as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) category.

Here are three examples of when it is necessary.

1. If employees work in an environment where there is dust, chemicals, wind or other elements hazardous to their eyes, they will need safety glasses, and if they normally wear prescription glasses, then they will need rx safety glasses.

2. If employees do any type of welding work, then they will need dark welding helmets.

3. If employees do any type of construction work, then they will need hard hats, coveralls, and proper footgear.

4. If employees work in a kitchen, then they will need potholders or oven mitts, as well as a fire extinguisher.

In short, employees need the appropriate safety equipment for the type of work that they do. The absence of the right safety equipment is the cause of injuries, casualties, and even fatalities.

Safety Issues in an Office

If you run an accounting firm, you may not have to take as many safety precautions as a restaurant owner who has kitchen workers surrounded by such potential hazards as coffee makers, pressure cookers, and microwaves, but you do have to identify any potential hazards in your comparatively safe environment. The leading causes of serious injuries in the office are due to falls and strains, falling objects and sharp objects, and faulty electrical devices or office equipment.

Policies to Increase Safety Awareness

Regardless of the type of business you run, you need to have safety policies in place. Often your employees are not fully aware of coming to terms with reality. For instance, when hanging decorations for a Christmas, a worker may reach too far on their ladder and topple over. So while it might seem that some things are common sense, you sometimes have to point out the obvious. The ideas of workplace safety policies are to teach awareness. In order to develop sound policies, get expert advice to identify hazards and establish controls that comply with government safety standards for ongoing employee safety education. You will also need to develop safety plans for how to deal with an emergency and organize drills to make sure that everyone knows what to do.

The Importance of Safety in the Workplace

Although there are government regulations to ensure worker safety, there are many gray areas and many employers dispense with taking even simple safety precautions. For instance, a small, frantically busy restaurant kitchen may not have enough oven mitts so short-order chefs make do with hand towels or dishcloths. However, neglect of safety procedures can result in workplace accidents, ranging from minor burns and minor electrical shocks to disabling injuries or even death. These accidents cause immeasurable human suffering, affecting not only the person who was injured, but also coworkers, family, and friends. Many occupational injuries and illnesses can be prevented by employers who have taken the time to familiarize themselves with workplace safety issues.