Regardless of its size, no business is safe from workplace compensation claims. Most people have the misconception that workers claim compensation only for instances such as crushed body parts, complex injuries resulting from falls, and life-threatening health issues. Still, the reality is that anyone who suffers a minor injury due to the employer’s negligence can claim compensation.
As a business owner, your priority is to keep yourself and your workforce safe. Accidents can happen at any time, but there are several things you can do to boost your workspace safety. Instead of adopting a band-aid fix approach, you can focus on preventing workplace accidents in the first place to ensure that your operations run smoothly.
Understand the risks your workforce is exposed to
Specialists agree that the most common type of workplace accidents in any kind of work environment are trips, falls, slips, and instances involving being stuck, carrying, lifting, or handling a heavy or moving object. If you operate in the transportation, manufacturing, or construction sectors, your employees are at a higher risk of suffering injuries due to hazards associated with their tasks.
Conversely, if you’re operating in an industry that isn’t considered dangerous, your workplace can still pose an injury risk to your workforce’s health. Your employees might be susceptible to mental health stressors depending on how safe the work environment is.
Discourage risky behaviour
Often, workplace accidents result from employees who don’t follow regulations or push themselves too hard. Sometimes, they get injured because they want to impress other workers with their skills. They may want to be more effective at work and neglect following the established rules. There are even instances when workers get hurt because they return to work before recovering from a health issue.
Your role is to encourage your workforce to be as creative and productive as possible, but you must ensure that they don’t get involved in risky situations that could harm their health. It’s crucial to emphasise that safety is a priority, and you don’t accept any behaviour that doesn’t meet workplace regulations.
Have a written safety policy everyone knows
Another effective way to protect your workforce from work-related injuries is to create a safety policy and ensure everyone knows it. The regulations should provide information about your expectations from your workforce in terms of safety. Including a guide for how employees can report incidents and accidents is essential. When you create a comprehensive safety policy, you ensure that everyone in your company follows the same guidelines and is on the same page when it comes to workplace safety.
A compensation policy is also recommended so you can handle workplace accidents compensation claims. At this link: https://www.howmuchcompensation.co.uk/, you can learn more about the process and how it can impact your business. The compensation policy ensures that your workers are cared for in case they get injured at work.
Review your procedures and policies regularly
Reviewing your company’s procedures and policies at least once a year and after any workplace incident is recommended. Ensure they apply to the work conditions and risks your employees face. If you changed how, you complete your operations, asked your employees to perform tasks differently, moved to a new location, or bought new tools or equipment, ask your healthy and safety team to update the documents and review the procedures.
Make sure to inform your employees when you update the work procedures and policies so they can adapt to the changes. You can send emails to inform them of the changes in policies or provide training in case the way they must complete tasks changes significantly.
Train your employees
According to experts, training and investing in your employees’ health also helps reduce the number of work-related injuries. When you hire new talent, ensure you provide them with training to teach them how to lift heavy objects safely, use tools and equipment properly, and identify possible work hazards. When you educate your employees, you ensure they are prepared to avoid workplace injuries and accidents and protect your business from being held liable.
When employees lack proper training, they can unknowingly put themselves in danger and expose themselves to hazards. Even though training employees requires spending extensive resources, it will protect your business from a potential lawsuit.
Additionally, it’s essential to conduct regular training to ensure that your workforce is up to date with the latest policies and regulations.
Create a safe work environment
Making sure your workspace is safe is paramount. Apply the necessary safety measures to ensure your workers aren’t exposed to any danger when completing their tasks. Install adequate lighting, clean and maintain the premises clutter-free at all times, and ensure the equipment functions flawlessly to minimise the risk of accidents. In addition, you should conduct safety audits periodically to identify any possible hazard that could lead to an accident. It’s essential to have a system in place so your employees can report incidents and accidents. To encourage employees to report possible risks, install a box on the premises where they can anonymously report any situation they find threatening to their wellbeing. This could help your team leaders prevent accidents and remove the hazards before they lead to an unfortunate accident.
Provide your employees with proper safety equipment
Purchasing high-quality equipment for your employees is also crucial because it protects them from common workplace accidents. Depending on the type of tasks your employees complete, you can customise the safety equipment they wear. For example, if some of your workers load and unload heavy equipment, you should provide them with back braces to protect their spine.
If you’re running a construction business, you must invest in reflective vests, safety glasses, and scaffolding.
Final words
Workplace accidents are an unfortunate reality businesses deal with every day. They result in both pain and suffering for the workers and financial and operational losses for the companies. Therefore, both parties must be proactive in preventing them.