If you are an employer, there is no doubt that you will face issues you need to address. This is particularly true if you have recently joined the business. One of the principal issues that you will need to address will be how to prevent injuries in the workplace. Work related injuries are a common occurrence and can have serious ramifications for business.
An employee injured in the workplace may take legal action against the company. This is a problem as it will draw negative attention to the business. It may also result in financial losses for the company.
There are a lot of opportunities nowadays for employees to seek legal action if they suffer workplace accidents. Many firms have a personal injury lawyer who specializes in cases of accident and injury. If possible you want to avoid the possibility of legal action.
Furthermore, an employee off work with injury costs the business money. It will be necessary to replace the injured employee to manage their workload. And on top of this the employee will receive pay for sick leave.
Workplace injuries are bad news for everyone, so the more often you can avoid them better.
Luckily there are steps you can take to prevent injuries in the workplace. Here are three:
Compliance
Now there is nothing you can do about acts of God like storms or earthquakes (depending where you work). But you can ensure the business maintains compliance levels.
What this means is that you can ensure that employees are compliant with the rules of the business. This might entail wearing protective clothing where relevant. Or lifting boxes in the correct position.
You can also take steps to control hazards. This may involve keeping areas of the workplace clean, tidy and clutter free. Take steps to ensure that there is as little risk of personal injury as possible.
Training
Training goes hand in hand with compliance. Ensuring that your staff have had the relevant training for their position is important. It protects employees by making them aware of factors or surroundings that could cause their injury. But it also protects the company as it means the business has shown due diligence.
This is important if there is a workplace injury related to the training. It means the company covers its back and makes it more difficult to sue.
Most businesses provide in-house training. You might decide to go this route. You may want to have an expert speaker come and speak to your staff and ensure they have been advised. There is also the option of online training modules. These are often updated every few months to incorporate new legislation.
If you and the company don’t provide in-house training, you will want to consider external training. This will involve sending staff members on courses where they will learn what they need to. They will sometimes take a test at the end to certify what they have learned.
Signage
Making sure that signs are in place is another important part of preventing workplace injury. It is also another element of due diligence.
If there is a wet floor being ensure that wet floor signs are on display. If an area is off limits to staff make sure signs are in place to say so. Often you will already have been given signs, but if not you can always make temporary ones.
Drawing employees attention to risks in the workplace reduces the risk of accidents and injuries. This ensures a more harmonious and productive workforce. It also means less stress for you and helps the business run at its best.
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