How to maintain a strong health and safety record in the workplace

Keeping the workforce healthy and free of injury needs to be a top priority for every employer. Unsafe premises that contribute towards accidents either for employees or visitors quickly become a problem for everyone involved. Claims are often made by the person who’s suffered the injury and measures must be taken to assist them. Also, the cause of the accident must be determined and resolved to prevent its reoccurrence.

This kind of headache is avoided when companies take their responsibilities seriously for the health and wellbeing of anyone on their business premises. Here are a few suggestions for how to go about doing that.

Harness for Workers when Performing Maintenance or Repairs

When either a worker or a visitor is on an upper level or where they’ll be hanging above the ground to fix a piece of machinery or even to paint a wall, they should be supported with a safety harness like the Harnessland DBI SALA model.

A harness fits over their clothing and when hooked onto something secure, will prevent them from falling. For instance, they could be working on the roof of the building and a harness along with a safety line hooked in properly would prevent them from going over the edge of the building if a strong gust of wind blows them in that direction. Similarly, fixing something on the side of the office building and losing their footing wouldn’t be problematic if hooked in the same way.

Using Non-Slip Mats or Flooring

Floors can get awful slippery under different circumstances. It might be snow on the ground that’s turned to slush or just a naturally slick floor surface that was there when leasing the building. In either case, laying down some non-slip mats or flooring with a web-like grid provides extra grip for boots or other footwear. That extra bit of grip can make all the difference in avoiding an employee slipping up while hurrying from point A to point B.

A Walk, Never Run Policy

While in the rush of business, it’s possible that an employee forgets about their own safety and picks up their pace. The company must have a “walk, never run” policy firmly in place. Whether racing through the office risking colliding with a colleague coming around the corner or moving too quickly in a warehouse with many moving objects, forklift trucks, and goods coming in and out, proceeding too fast is likely to eventually cause injuries to people and damage to valuable business assets too.

A policy to walk and not run needs to be maintained with consequences for people found to be not adhering to it. After all, their going too fast endangers other people when doing so.

Other things to consider include changing out the filters in AC units in the office to keep the air fresh from contaminants and offering healthier options for employees. The healthier options might mean a nutritious menu in the canteen or catered lunches, or a discounted gym membership as a perk to encourage good habits.