When you start working for a new company, personal injuries are the last thing that crosses your mind. Even worse, people often delude themselves by thinking everything will be ok, even when a brand is notorious for its workplace accidents.
“In 2022, there were 125,000 major workplace injuries in the US,” warns The Barnes Firm, a Los Angeles personal injury attorney. Aside from trips and slips, employees might also suffer due to explosions, vehicle accidents, and getting caught in machinery.
As you can presume, these injuries are awful for everyone involved. This is why it’s crucial for businesses to implement certain security measures that would prevent such mishaps. In this article, we will review 7 ways to avoid accidents in the workplace.
1. Don’t allow risky practices
As an employer, your main task is to prevent any type of risky behavior or practices. Sometimes, employees try to impress each other with their strength and proficiency leading to tragic accidents. This is especially common among younger, inexperienced workers.
Whatever the case, it’s your responsibility to teach these workers how to behave on the premises. Among others, you shouldn’t force them to be more productive if that can lead to injuries.
2. Review safety procedures
It’s also crucial for companies to review their policies and procedures once in a while. This is especially true when you introduce new machinery or production processes. Moving your factory to another place might also force you to review safety procedures. Obviously, this would allow you to adjust to a new plant layout.
Make sure that everyone gets a memo. Send an email to all your employees on top of organizing a company-wide meeting. If necessary, you should also implement training that would teach workers how to behave in a new-found situation.
3. Spend money on inspections
If you’re dealing with hazardous substances or work with dangerous machinery, you need to perform regular inspections to ensure everything’s in order. Inspections are crucial for companies that have lots of old equipment. They will break down sooner than later, so malfunctions might seriously injure your workers.
However, it’s not only important to perform inspections. You should also act on recommendations. Many companies make the mistake of not listening to their experts. They continue using the same old machines knowing the potential hazards. Don’t try to save a few dollars on equipment to lose them in court cases!
4. Place focus on control
In certain lines of work, there will always be innate dangers. For example, if you’re climbing a long pole, you know there’s always a risk of falling down. And while we can’t do anything to change the nature of the work, there are ways to increase safety through control measures.
The set of measures will, of course, vary based on a specific work. If you’re transporting toxic barely, you need to make sure employees have protective gloves, suits, and other items. You’ll also need fire extinguishers and a working ventilation system.
By implementing these measures, not only are you insulating yourself from a lawsuit, but you’re making your employees feel safer.
5. Provide training
Even if you hire a veteran that already worked the same job within the industry, you still need to give them proper training. Among others, this will teach them about specific of your work environment. For example, you might be doing things the better way, and they’ll still stick with the old methods.
Training is also your legal obligation. By teaching workers about company policies, you can prevent any issues down the line. Of course, you should always provide new training when they become available.
6. Provide supervision
No matter the type of business you’re in, you should always provide supervision. Even small teams of five or six people need someone in charge. That person should not only give orders, but they should oversee everyone’s safety.
Supervision isn’t just about preventing injuries. It’s also a fantastic way of preventing unsanctioned behavior. That way, you can rest assured that workers don’t cut corners, potentially damaging equipment or creating unfinished products.
7. Rely on software
Nowadays, companies use different types of software to monitor the situation on-premises. For example, using case management software is an excellent way to perform investigations after accidents and determine culpability. More importantly, these programs help save lives.
These programs are also important for spotting risky behavior. Even if you have supervisors, some employees might be behaving against the company’s policies. You can use software to detect this and take appropriate actions.