Regardless of the type, size, and location of your company, there’s one thing every entrepreneur needs to know – making sure your staff is safe in their workplace is one of the most important things in the world. If you can’t make this happen, nothing else is going to matter, and you’re just going to jeopardize their health, safety, and well-being for no good reason. Luckily, there are lots of ways to improve your company’s safety potential, and all you have to do is pick a few moves that might make the most sense in the long run. Still, if you’re having trouble finding these ideas, here are a few suggestions that might work for you the most.
Ease the situation
Working long hours and having to complete tons of work in a short amount of time might seem like an ordinary thing to you, but you need to know that this is far from the ordinary. This is a recipe for disaster because all work and no play will make your employees go mental – and if you’re trying to take your company to the next level, this is the last thing you’ll want to do.
That’s why introducing a new dose of relaxation in their everyday lives is always a great idea, and that’s something you need to start doing as soon as you can. Encourage them to dress casually on Fridays, take them golfing, give them an unexpected gift, and simply show them that you care for them and their mental and physical health. This might not seem like a lot at first, but it’s a great way to make them feel relaxed and focused on their work, and that’s going to boost their safety and help them feel more protected than ever before.
Promote safe practices
Another idea you might want to explore is promoting safe practices whenever you can and making sure every person you employ knows what to do if they wish to stay safe. Doing this won’t be easy, and you’ll have to organize lots of meetings, seminars, presentations, and other forms of education that will help your staff turn into a group of people who know everything there is to know about workplace safety.
Also, you should consider organizing drills from time to time and testing your staff’s theoretical knowledge. These drills will show them how dangerous situations can occur in a matter of minutes, and they’ll also teach them how to react in these scenarios. Of course, you need to tell your staff that you’re thinking about organizing a drill because you don’t want them to freak out – they need to be alert and on their toes, though, but they need to be relaxed and able to react as soon as they notice something might be wrong.
Use safety equipment
In addition to knowing how to react in case of an emergency, your employees need to wear proper equipment and clothes that will allow them to do so. They don’t have to wear all of these things all the time, but they need to remain as protected as they can, because sometimes even the slightest mistake – like forgetting your safety glasses, for instance – can cost them their lives or result in an injury.
In addition to these, you need to provide everyone with some durable work boots that will keep them safe wherever they go, some safety helmets that will protect your neck and your head, and some protective work attire that will help you stay away from injuries and avoid potentially dangerous situations that might occur. Also, you shouldn’t just provide them with this equipment and let them figure everything out on their own – you should teach them how to wear it and use it from day one. Finally, you need to upgrade this equipment once in a while and always have the newest models near your employees at all times.
Praise and criticize
This might seem too simple and juvenile to work, but telling your staff what they’re doing right and wrong is one of the best ways to keep them alert and protected no matter what’s going on. This doesn’t mean you should give them massive presents or boost their salary every time they do something right for their safety, nor should you punish them severely whenever they do something wrong, but you just need to establish a system that’s going to work for you all.
The first thing you should do is learn a few useful phrases that will help you express your opinion and tell your employees what they did right or wrong. These statements need to be precise and clear, but also emphatic and compassionate, so you need to start learning them right now.
Improving your workplace safety won’t be easy, but as long as you stick to simple solutions that don’t require too much time, but that are effective in real life – you’re doing something positive and helpful to your staff’s safety potential.
