Simple Workplace Safety Tips Many Business Owners Overlook
Workplace safety is not something to overlook when you own or manage a business, as a business owner can be held liable for unsafe working conditions. It's also good if owners and managers are simply concerned about the overall safety and wellbeing of their workers so that no one suffers injury while on the job. Note a few simple but often overlooked workplace safety tips that you might want to implement in your own company:
1. Avoiding heaters and fire hazards
Check your office and note if there are space heaters or heaters for coffee mugs in use. If so, are they near drapes, wastebaskets full of paper, or papers on the desk? These are fire hazards; the heat from these appliances alone can easily ignite a fire. Note too if space heaters are especially dusty, as they collect dust in their coils and this dust can also ignite. Put restrictions in place as to how and where they can be used; keep space heaters in open areas and insist that coffee mug heaters be used away from files and papers.
2. Mark traffic lines
If you have a warehouse or production area, note if there are traffic lines in the floor for pedestrians and forklifts. It's very easy to apply reflective tape on a cement floor that directs pedestrians and that works as a boundary for forklifts. Just as with traffic lines in the street, this can help to avoid collisions and alert others as to the need to look out for oncoming traffic, even if that traffic is a forklift or pallet jack.
3. Educate your staff
There are many safety programs that your staff can go through online, making it very easy to keep them properly educated about safety in the workplace. This can be an instructional program about working at heights or working with chemicals, and even staying safe while in the office. Since it's easy to have your staff sit in a conference room and sit through such a program you dial into online, there's no reason to overlook this simple step in keeping them safe.
4. Have assessments
It can also be beneficial to have a workplace safety assessment done. This type of assessment can be for particular areas of your workplace such as the production area or a commercial kitchen, or it can be for the office and delivery areas. This assessment can tell you simple changes you might make to improve worker safety and reduce the risk of accident and injury.
If you want an assessment done or need other help, contact a company like Robson Environmental Pty Ltd to learn more.
