Work Safety Tips to Save Lives and Profit

Canadian Workplace Safety Campaign

The workplace should be one place an employee can expect to feel safe. Maintaining a safe workplace should, therefore, be a primary goal of any business owner. The easiest way for an employer to prevent injuries in the workplace (and the associated costs that inevitably come with them) is to ensure that every eventuality is considered, and appropriate safety measure are put in place. The twelve Workplace Safety tips below are a good start.

Workplace Safety Tips:

1. Encourage your employees to maintain a clean and tidy workspace. This will have the dual effect of improving safety AND productivity by removing any potential hazards or distractions from your working area.

2. When working with heavy machinery, use specially constructed guards and engineering solutions combined with PPE (personal protective equipment) to protect your employees from injury.

3. Recognise employees that conform to the safety standards that are set, and ensure appropriate discipline is handed out to employees that flout these rules.

4. Give clear work instructions. Make sure your employees know the right way to do what is expected of them. Include safety instructions in every procedure you write.

5. While you should consider every aspect of your workplace safety, you should focus on the most common problems for your particular workplace first and foremost. You should keep a log of any workplace accident, which will allow you to identify and solve the most pressing issues.

6. Try to care for your employees more than your profits. If a machine is unsafe shut it down. If an expensive repair job is required, or a project delayed because of this, then so bet it. Better that than and injured employee.

7. Spend time getting to know the details of the work your employees do. Even if you once did that job, it is likely it is done differently by different people. By knowing the details of your employees daily work routine, you can help to ensure it is done safely.

8. Do not wait for your machinery or work tools to become defective before repairing them. Many times employees get into dangerous situations by having to compensate for a machine defect or wear. In the case of wear, it may have occurred so gradually that they think it is normal. Regular maintenance of your equipment will ensure optimum safety and productivity.

9. Ensure unavoidable hazards (such as wet floors or hot surfaces) are clearly labelled.

10. Ensure your workplace is well lit, allowing your workers to see what they are doing and reducing eye strain, which can be damaging over time.

11. Ensure your workplace is well ventilated, ensuring a fresh supply of oxyggen and removing any contaminents from the air.

12. Ensure optimum visability in your workplace. If possible, keep areas open and opsticles at eye level and above to a minimum. In some cases, however, reduced visability will be unavoidable. This can be improved with the use of observation equipment, such as cameras or convex mirrors, which can provide wide angle views on blind turns caused by tall obsticles. These safety mirrors are also useful as security mirrors, reducing shoplifting by providing better overall visibility on the shop floor.