7 Ways to Prevent Injuries in the Workplace.
Over 2 million employees are injured in the workplace each year. Many of them are hurt so severely that they’re unable to return to their place of employment. They may also need long-term medical care to help them cope with the injury. As a business owner, it’s your responsibility to protect your staff from accidents and injuries. The following are 7 tips to help in your prevention.
Integrate a Safety and Wellness Program
The basis for a protected workplace environment is the development of a safety and wellness program. Human resource staff and department managers are ideal candidates to lead the cause. Based on the right budget, identifying the company mission and assessing the employee’s needs, the team will be able to develop ways to alleviate stress and provide a safe atmosphere where employees can work each day. The program should also be in written form and handed out to each employee upon hiring.
Perform Pre-employment Screenings
Common tasks such as heavy lifting, pulling and pushing may make an employee more susceptible to neck and back pain injuries at work. Diagnosing and treatment plans are put in place to help the injured employee, so they can receive the highest level of care and get on with their recovery. Since a large amount of workplace accidents are caused by an employee’s inexperience, you can reduce the numbers by performing pre-employment screenings to all applicants. This allows you to better determine where an employee should be placed based in the company on their physical and mental capabilities.
Continuing Education Courses
Continuing education safety courses should be mandatory at your place of business. It allows you to properly train your employees on the importance of safety once they are hired. As products, machines and other equipment changes, your staff should also be provided with updated safety measures.
Put Safety Vulnerabilities to Good Use
Each business is different and may not have similar safety hazards. Although your company wants to do everything that they can to prevent accidents, you can put past mistakes to good use. If you’ve had setbacks with an employee injury, develop new strategies to keep the accidents from reoccurring.
Provide Personal Protective Equipment
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is critical to ensuring your employees safety. Although some of the gear may prove cumbersome or costly, it should be enforced within the company. Take the time to instruct your employees on how to properly use the equipment. Department managers can provide a checklist before work is started at the day to determine if an employee is wearing their ear plugs, hard hats, goggles, gloves, safety shoes and face masks. The proper protective equipment may also need to be reassessed based on certain weather conditions during the winter and summer months.
Meet Adequate Staffing Limits
Overtime hours are typically implemented when a company is short staffed. But employees who are overworked may be at risk for stress and exhaustion. If they are expected to put in longer hours, they may also cut corners to get the job done. Hiring seasonal and part-time employees can help reduce workplace accidents.
Employee Reward System
Your managers should be performing regular safety checks throughout the day to monitor both your employees and equipment. Since they can’t be everywhere at once, an employee incentive program can help in preventing safety hazards. Whether they notice a broken machine, missing part or obstructions littering the floor, the rewards can be handed out to those who report the dangers.
Injuries in the workplace can be serious and lead to a reduced workforce. The ongoing medical care and lost employment could also lead to lawsuits and lost revenue for a business. With the above tips, you can eliminate accidents and put your employee’s safety and wellness at the forefront.
