EMPLOYEE SAFETY AT WORKPLACE

WHAT IS EMPLOYEE SAFETY? 

Employee safety or workplace safety can be defined as providing a safe working environment and safe equipment, and the implement safety policies, procedures, and practices to ensure the employees’ safety. After covid-19 pandemic, many employers around the world prioritize more on employee safety more. This has become a major aspect of HR that ensued.

IMPORTANCE / BENEFITS OF EMPLOYEE SAFETY

Ensuring employee safety is a legal obligation of many employers. And in return, they will be benefited in many ways by keeping their employees safe at the workplace.

1. High Employee Retention

When the employees feel that they are safer and have fewer health risks at the workplace, they will be more loyal to the organization and stay for long periods with the organization. This will reduce the recruitment cost of the organization also.

2. Increase Employee Productivity

If employees are concerned about the employees’ safety and eliminating workplace hazards, the employees feel more confident and focused more on their tasks. This will increase the productivity of the organization.

3. Reduced Health and Insurance Cost

When the workplace follows good safety practices it ensures the better health of the employees and there might be fewer accidents in the workplace. Ultimately it will cause to reduce the health & staff insurance cost.

4. Company Reputation and Branding

In the modern world, most companies market their workplace safety to develop their reputation and brand the company’s name. Workplace safety has big impact on a company’s reputation because it will attract new talents and new market towards the company.

STEPS TO DEVELOP WORKPLACE SAFETY

It is a top priority for organizations that operate in high-risk industries to value their employees’ health and wellness to place well-structured & designed safety strategies in their workplaces. However, size or industry does not matter in implementing a safety strategy.

Following steps can be identified as the best practices for developing employee safety in the workplace.

1.     Identify all the safety requirements

 

Identifying key safety issues is the first step to protecting employees in the workplace. Employees will be exposed to mechanical problems, hazardous chemicals, noise pollution, the danger of falling, etc. Mitigating actions should be taken by identifying possible safety hazards.

 

2.     Define safety policies and educate employees

The safety guidelines and practices needed to reduce potential risks should be defined. These guidelines/ standards should be published, and it is the employer’s responsibility to inform and follow up with employees to ensure compliance.

 

3.     Providing proper training to employees

 

Proper training will lead to fewer accidents in the workplace. New work methods and techniques should be introduced & only the trained staff should be permitted to use new types of machinery.

 

4.    Using protective safety equipment

 

Work with machinery, chemicals and electronic items will increase the safety hazards that cause significant workplace injuries. Employers should provide employees personal protective equipment such as gloves, protective eyewear, clothes, shoes, earplugs, etc., to minimize the injuries. Personal protective equipment should be safely designed, constructed and comfortable for employees.

 

5.     Help managers and employees to always stay connected

Managers must have the authority to tell staff members of potential safety risks. Employees should be able to contact their supervisors to alert them to safety risks and workplace dangers. Communication channels need to be developed between managers and employees to share knowledge about workplace safety.

 

6.     Promoting regular breaks

 

Employees should be encouraged to take regular breaks. Taking frequent breaks will help employees to stay refreshed. This will help to further ward from accidents and illness. Employees that take breaks are more alert and focused.

 

7.     Reducing workplace stress

Working productivity and employee health can both be significantly impacted by working stress. Reducing work stress will ensure employee safety in the work place.

USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN ENSURING EMPLOYEE SAFETY

It has never been much simpler to make sure that safety information is current and readily available thanks to new technology and digital workplaces. Employers may efficiently communicate safety information and increase productivity. To ensure that the right message is delivered to the right employee at the right time, technology can combine numerous internal communication channels in to unified platform. A digital system enables rapid and easy access to the most recent safety documents, enabling effective reaction to urgent solutions.

WORKPLACE SAFETY THREATS

 

Followings can be identified as the most common issues that cause hazardous workplace environment.

 

1.       Forklifts

2.       Hazardous communication

3.       Electrical wiring methods

4.       Guarding openings

5.       Mechanical power transmission

6.       Respiratory protection

7.       Fire Extinguishers

8.       Lockouts

WORKPLACE SAFETY TIPS FOR EMPLOYEES

Although it is the employer’s obligation to ensure employee safety, it is also the duty of every employee to adhere to all workplace safety regulations. Following safety tips can be followed by employee at the workplace.

1.     Be aware of the surroundings

There are inherent risks in any workplace. The best method to ensure your safety and the safety of others is to identify hazardous at work and be conscious of your surroundings. It will be easier for employees to reduce risk and injury if they are aware of their surroundings and potential and potential hazardous.

 

2.     Keep correct posture

Even if employee work at a desk, it’s crucial to keep body in a neutral position to reduce the tension exerted on it. Employees need to make sure they have good posture to avoid back problems, neck pains etc.

 

3.     Take regular breaks

Employees that are overworked are more likely to cause an accident. Employees should strive to plan more challenging tasks towards the beginning of the shift when they are most awake in order to keep them fresh by taking regular schedule.

 

4.     Never take shortcuts on procedures

It is employee’s responsibility to comprehend safety procedures and apply them correctly. If employee is unsure of safety techniques, always get clarification before using a new machine or equipment.

 

5.     Report unsafe conditions

The best method to prevent unsafe working conditions is to inform supervisors/ managers as soon as you become aware of them, and then take action to help with the solution. A safe workplace must be provided to all employees by the employer, but this can only happen if employees inform them of the conditions. it is crucial to always report any potentially dangerous situations or behaviors right away in order to keep all the employees safe.

6.     Always wear personal protective equipment

When working with various machinery and hazardous goods, it is important to wear personal protection equipment (PPE) that employer provides. A good method to create a safe workplace is by wearing the appropriate PPE. 

HOW TO MEASURE EMPLOYEE SAFETY AT WORKPLACE?

“Of course, this will be highly specific to the business and organization, but here are some ideas:

1.    Calculate the incident rate and compare it with industry bench marks.

2.    Conduct safety audit/ inspections.

3.    Conduct safety observations watching employee behavior and unsafe acts.

4.    Tracking of incidents and then treat those as items to pin point root cause & reduce the number.

REFERENCES 

Ahmed, S.A. (2019). Workplace Safety: Importance, Benefits and Ways to Create a Safe Workplace. [online] Vantage Circle HR Blog. Available at: https://blog.vantagecircle.com/workplace-safety/.

Anon, (n.d.). Available at: https://blog.amequity.com/longshore-insider/article/the-6-key-safety-responsibilities-of-every-employee.

Colliers.com. (2022). Colliers | The Importance of Employee Safety. [online] Available at: https://www.colliers.com/en-in/news/the-importance-of-employee-safety.

Eddy. (n.d.). Employee Safety: How to Create a Safe Working Environment. [online] Available at: https://eddy.com/hr-encyclopedia/employee-safety/ [Accessed 7 Apr. 2023].

Martic, K. (2020). The Importance of Workplace Safety and How to Keep Employees Safe. [online] Haiilo. Available at: https://haiilo.com/blog/workplace-safety-importance-best-practices/.

Young, J. (2017). 8 Workplace Safety Tips every Employee Should Know. [online] eSafety Training. Available at: https://www.esafety.com/8-workplace-safety-tips-employees-should-know/.

Thanks for reading

Chamara Perera