10 Tips to Prevent Workplace Injuries

Workplace injuries can be hugely costly to a business. They often result in absent workers and reduced productivity, but can also lead to compensation claims, legal fines and reputational damage. So, it stands to reason that preventing workplace injuries makes a huge amount of business sense. However, the trick is managing safety in the right way. To give you a head start, here are ten things you can do to prevent injuries and protect your business:

If you are going to manage the risk of workplace injury and illness, first you need to know what hazards you are facing. You should regularly check equipment and tools and review how your workers are performing. Only by identifying hazards and completing a thorough risk assessment, can you put the necessary measures in place to prevent them.

Once you have identified the hazards in your workplace, you’ll need to put a risk-based plan in place to control and, ideally, eliminate them. You should ensure that your program of measures, controls and processes is clearly documented and that it covers all levels of employees and contractors.

There is no good having a safety program if no-one knows about it. You need to ensure that you have buy-in from the leadership team so that your company leads by example. Next, you need to use a variety of communication channels to ensure your workers know how to work safely at all times.

You can’t expect your workers to rely on common sense when it comes to safety. It’s vital that you offer regular training to ensure that safety stays front of mind. Workers should know the importance of safety and what they should do in the event of a safety incident.

As well as communicating your safety message to your workers, you should give them a way to report concerns, and let them know that their ideas are acted upon. Workers are much more likely to be on board with safety if you make them feel valued.

While you can’t stop every accident from occurring, by investigating those that do, you can put measures in place to stop them recurring. This should go for near misses too, if everything that happens is clearly recorded and investigated then you can learn from mistakes and, hopefully, keep everyone safe in the future.

You should document all safety-related activities. This includes incidents and accidents, but also reports and concerns that are raised by your workers. By ensuring safety is visible and transparent, you should be able to build a higher standard of health and safety.

Never have we been more aware of the importance of wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). It is vital that we give our workers the tools and equipment they need to protect themselves from workplace hazards. Whether it is safety shoes, face protection or ergonomic office chairs, the right equipment can make all the difference.

There is no good creating safety processes, training your workers and then letting them get on with it. By assuming everything is fine, your workers may well assume the same and complacency can result. Make sure safety stays on the agenda. Bring it to everyone’s attention in meetings and reward workers who work safely.

Achieving workplace health and safety compliance can be challenging. However, you don’t have to go it alone. By using technology, you can automate processes and facilitate communication, and by getting help from compliance professionals who know legislation inside-out can take away some of the pressure.

Preventing workplace injuries can make a substantial impact on your business, not least the health and safety of your workers. And, by taking these steps to avoid injuries, you can also avoid the associated costs and business impact. Protect your greatest resource, your people, and you’ll be protecting your business.

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