As a Human Resources employee, one of your main responsibilities is to help prevent workplace injuries. Unfortunately, over workers are injured while on the job every single year. We spoke with business insurance experts from Anthony Clark Insurance Brokerage of Calgary about how businesses can better prevent injuries to employees in the workplace. They gave us these seven tips for keeping personnel safe and sound during the workday:
1. Clearly and routinely communicate safety procedures to all employees and managers. During this time, also remind your staff that if they notice a hazardous situation, they should report it to their supervisor. Conduct safety training every few months or years (depending on the type of training) so that all employees, both long-standing and new, know exactly what to do in an emergency.
2. Always make sure the workplace is clean. If necessary, hire a cleaning crew to come in during the evening, when employees are home, to clean up for the following day. Throughout the workday, spills should be cleaned up immediately. Also, any possible hazards, like boxes or electrical cords, should be cleared from walkways. On the same note, make sure all ice and snow is removed from walkways during the winter.
3. In file and inventory rooms, boxes shouldn’t be stacked too high. Heavy items shouldn’t be stored on high shelves, either. Stacking items high and close to the ceiling poses two main problems: they could topple over and hurt somebody and it’s also a fire hazard to have items so close to the ceiling. Overfilling the top drawers in file cabinets can also cause the drawer to fall out when somebody pulls it out.
4. Make sure that the workplace is ergonomic. Providing the proper chairs, desks, computer setups and accessories is important to the health of your staff members. They should also be in the correct lighting and temperature conditions. Caring for their health is just as important as preventing physical injury.
5. If there are stairs in your building, make sure they’re not damaged. If they are, close off the staircases and put a sign up to prevent people from walking that way. The same goes for damage to sidewalks and pavement outside.
6. Hire daily garbage removal and ask that they also clear the sidewalks and walkways of debris.
7. During the winter, it’s important for businesses to have the proper equipment to clear snow and ice. This includes shovels, salt and sand. There should also be a snow and ice removal routine setup so that everyone knows what to do after snowfall or an ice storm.
Businesses that are exiting the start-up stage and entering the small to medium business stage will want to pay special attention to the areas where they are potentially liable. Work place injuries holds some of the biggest potential for hurting your business. It’s always better to be safe rather than sorry when it comes to workplace injuries.
If you are loyal to your employees, they will be loyal to your company. The benefits of this loyalty are enormous. So invest in employee safety.