In the United States alone, over 2.6 million employers reported injury and illness cases in 2023 and there were over 5,000 workplace fatalities. Workplace accidents reduce productivity at the very least, and at worst incur costly legal battles, a staff exodus and damage to your reputation. Protect your business against these negative ramifications by building a strong safety culture that guards against the chance of injury and illness.
Begin by conducting a thorough risk assessment covering all areas of your organization. Identify hazards, outline how they could cause harm and propose control measures to minimise risks. Hazards range from immediate risks like the chance of falls and falling objects or food contamination to slow-acting dangers such as prolonged noise exposure and repetitive movements.
Once you’ve identified workplace dangers, implement protocols to reduce or remove these risks. In offices, this might look like putting up fire safety posters and placing signs beside slippery surfaces. In factories, you could fit machinery with emergency stop switches and upgrade the PPE provided to your staff.
All workplaces should have an accident logbook accessible to all. If an employee suffers an injury, this should be filled in immediately with details of what happened so you can neutralise any risks as quickly as possible. It is also important evidence in legal proceedings.
Appoint team members to be health & safety champions within the business. Using trusted workers to lead by example encourages all employees to follow suit and prioritise safety in their day-to-day movements. These champions should monitor how employees conduct themselves in the workplace and report back on any potentially dangerous behaviour.
Building a comprehensive safety culture requires employees to be actively aware of hazards, the correct procedures and related company goals. Send out surveys asking employees to flag concerns about their well-being and the processes in place, leaving space for full feedback. Emphasise regularly that ensuring wellness is a core company value, verbally and in writing.
Running regular training sessions will also help embed health and safety risks and requirements into the employee psyche, and demonstrate to your workforce that you take their protection seriously. Build-in time for sessions spread evenly throughout the year, and clarify that everyone must attend regardless of workload, position or how long they’ve been at the company.
Utilise online resources for engaging training sessions specific to your industry, led by experts. Combine this with in-person sessions run by people in your company which have scope for live demonstrations and question-and-answer elements.
