Often, employees on the floor see more risks and room for improvement than managers do. Keeping an online line of communication open between staff and management is essential. Make safety a regular topic of discussion. Whether that’s daily safety meetings or posting notices about visible hazards on bulletin boards.
Drug Testing
Drug testing guarantees the office’s security and safety. Regarding the caliber of an employee’s job, it aids in avoiding workplace issues. Additionally, it aids in ensuring the well-being and safety of all workers. Additionally, it raises the general staff’s motivation and morale. Random drug testing lowers workplace injuries and accidents – Drug testing can drastically lower workplace injuries and accidents by discouraging workers from reporting to work while under the influence.
Create a Reporting System
It’s hard to expect workers to follow safety rules when they don’t have access to any information on the subject. Keep your employees updated regularly with injury and illness data, safety inspection results, first aid log books, etc. It’s important to communicate this information in a way that makes sense for your team.
It could mean hand-out booklets, email updates and even video demonstrations of a particular task. A steadfast reporting process is one of the most effective ways to improve workplace safety. When an incident happens, supervisors should be able to file the appropriate reports immediately — and not wait for the next scheduled safety committee meeting.
A mobile reporting platform allowing supervisors to file reporting on the go can help. It can also be used to perform analytics and identify trends in the most common incidents, helping your organization avoid future dangers before they become serious accidents or equipment damage situations. Having this reporting system in place also helps cultivate an attitude of openness in your staff so they feel comfortable coming to you with safety issues.
Update Policies and Procedures
A business’s safety policies must be up-to-date to be effective. It includes enforcing standard industry compliance and ensuring that all employees know what they are expected to do, where they are supposed to go, and who they can report a problem to. It also includes having a structured process for checking employee progress, documenting when a policy is violated, and conducting disciplinary reviews.
Workers may be more receptive to procedures they have had a hand in shaping or updating, so it’s important to include employees on committees that make these decisions. It will help build trust and ensure they feel the company cares about their well-being. Once a new procedure is implemented, it’s important to communicate it with staff and ensure it is easily accessible.
It could mean posting the policy in a visible place, adding it to training schedules and tests, or providing easy access via a tool. It is also essential that any documentation related to a policy is accessible in multiple languages so that every employee can understand it.
Reward Safety
Rewarding safety can be a great way to improve workplace safety. Group incentives can assist in developing a team-oriented climate where everyone is invested in one another’s success. It can also be a powerful tool for encouraging peer pressure, one of the most effective ways to boost employee compliance with policies and procedures.
However, it’s important to avoid rewarding employees solely upon lagging indicators like not having any accidents or near misses. It can lead to underreporting and hiding smaller incidents, resulting in higher accident rates. Instead, use leading indicators to reward employees for reporting hazards and near misses, participating in training, or serving on a safety committee.
Additionally, it’s important to keep an open line of communication between managers and staff about safety statistics and how the company can improve its protocol in the future. Frontline workers can often see more risks or room for improvement than management, so it’s vital that they feel their opinions are valued and taken into consideration.
Provide Training
Having adequate safety training can help employees understand and follow protocols. It can also reinforce that they are supported when they speak up or ask questions about a procedure. Additionally, involving employees in decisions that affect their safety shows they matter and helps them feel more invested in the company’s health and well-being. Regardless of what type of work is being performed, every worker should receive basic first aid and fire safety training and specific safety training related to their job.
Workers in the food industry may benefit from a food safety training course, while those who work with computers and electronics might need cybersecurity training. It is also important to provide training when new equipment or procedures are implemented and ensure everyone understands the importance of reporting hazards.
Often, frontline workers see more risks and areas for improvement than management does, and keeping an open line of communication with them is vital. Whether through weekly GEMBA walks, one-on-one interactions, or regular meetings, let them know they are valued and their opinions matter.
Make Safety Information Accessible
A safety culture must be an integral part of your business operations. Creating a culture of safety starts with making sure your team has access to any information required to perform their jobs safely. Posting information about workplace standards, including policies and procedures, throughout the work area is a good way to ensure everyone can access this information. It includes putting up signs near equipment, break rooms and other high-traffic areas. You can also hold meetings regularly where employees can discuss and review safety standards.
Ensure all workers can access health and safety data, such as injury and illness reporting, first aid incidents, inspection results and training records. Consider posting this information on the company intranet or in employee handbooks. Providing this information in the languages spoken by your workers is also important.
It will help to prevent misunderstandings and increase the effectiveness of your communication efforts. It will also help to increase the level of compliance with safety rules. For instance, if an employee cannot follow workplace safety protocols and consistently fails to report incidents to management, that person may put the whole company at risk.
