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By Maggie Hammond

If you own a functioning small business, you know how important it is to save money everywhere you can. A workplace accident, regardless of how minor it is, can have a significant impact on your business’s finances. Not only that, but it can also be detrimental towards morale and employees’ attitudes to work. There are steps that you can take which will minimize the risk of a workplace accident.

Though these tips are helpful when it comes to minimizing risk, they aren’t airtight. The chance of a workplace accident is always going to be there, so in the off chance it does happen, it is incredibly important to be open with your employees. Refer them to a helpful solicitor’s firm such as Adendorff Attorneys if they wish to pursue a claim so that they can get back on their feet as soon as possible.

Have a safety and wellness plan

Working in a secure environment has a huge effect on accident prevention. If this environment is guided by a wellness program, then its benefits are only increased. The program you end up creating should go over all of the employee’s safety and health needs while also promoting the best behavioral practices and also encouraging employees to keep an eye out for potential hazards and point out any that they might see.

Educate your workforce

In a similar vein, you need to ensure that your workforce is well and truly educated in the potential risks around the office and what they can do to avoid them. Continued discussions and lessons surrounding safety should be frequent so that people have a true grasp on how they can properly adhere to different safety measures.

Identify safety vulnerabilities

Most businesses are constantly trying to set themselves apart from the competition. In fact, being unique is probably at the forefront of most company’s business plans. It is that uniqueness that means that each company will have different safety concerns. That being said, the basics are usually reasonably common things, and these need to be addressed immediately using various mitigative strategies.

Provide protection equipment

Personal protection equipment is important for any business but especially if the work you do is manual in nature. How to use this equipment is what will need to be covered at your regular meetings regarding safety. Common items will include the likes of gloves, earplugs, earmuffs, face protection, hard hats, and safety shoes.

Provide adequate staffing times

When there are lower staffing levels, overtime hours are usually introduced. When you have fewer employees and need to introduce over time, people will become tired and are more prone to accidents due to the fact they may start to cut corners as a means to meet or exceed their current targets. It could be a good idea to hire seasonal workers as this will allow staff to work reasonable hours and prevent exhaustion-related accidents as a result.

Maintain an orderly workplace

If you have poor housekeeping, then you are inciting safety hazards. You need to be organized and make sure floors are clear, wires aren’t exposed, and everything is working efficiently. Being organized is an important part of any business but especially when it comes to ensuring the safety of your employees.

Monitor safety measures

Once your workforce is sufficiently trained, as was previously stated, you need to make sure that you are checking the safety measures that have been taught are being correctly implemented. These don’t have to be incredibly time-consuming or strict but can instead simply be done during routine education sessions, general supervision, and also in staff meetings. It might also be a good idea to introduce a reward program for the employees to encourage people to implement the safety measures.

Discourage shortcuts

You are much more likely to have accidents in your workplace if staff are trying to cut corners when doing their work. This should be heavily discouraged, not only because it means your employees are not fulfilling their roles completely, but these shortcuts create further hazards and make it much more likely people will end up suffering accidents. Give clear instructions to staff on how they should work so that you minimize the risk of accidents.

Inspect and maintain vehicles

Company vehicles can cause accidents if they are not maintained to a high enough standard. Whether it is an operating vehicle, one for deliveries, or simply a car for your employees to use to get around, regular inspections and upkeep of company vehicles is crucial to ensure the safety of your staff.

Conclusion

The safety of your employees is paramount, so you need to be doing all that you can to minimize risks in your workplace. The above is a good checklist to follow when it comes to minimizing risks, and if there is an accident, be open with your staff about it and rectify what the problem was.

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Maggie Hammond, a proud mama to two little people, has one too many furry friends. She is passionate about alternative medicine, education, the great outdoors and animal welfare.