Improving health and safety in the workplace is pivotal in ensuring that it’s better, safer and more productive. Here are ten ways to do just this and make it a better place to work.
1. Pay Attention To Your Surroundings
You must fully understand the hazards in your Workplace while you are on the job. Make a conscious attempt to learn which situations have the most potential to be hazardous and keep clear of those areas. You should always be alert to potential problems with machinery.
2. Maintain Good Posture For A Healthy Back
In order to avoid back problems if you work at a desk, your shoulders should line up with your hips. To protect your back from getting hurt when you pick things up, use correct form. Do not twist and stoop. Use safety equipment and furniture with a good ergonomic design so that you won’t have to over-reach.
3. Take Breaks On A Regular Basis
When workers aren’t alert to their surroundings because they are burned out, they are at an increased risk of having a work-related illness or injury. To stay fresh on the job, take regular breaks. Consider scheduling your most difficult jobs when you first arrive on the job. You will stay more alert.
4. Machines And Tools Should Be Properly Used
Never take shortcuts when you are using tools and always take the proper precautions. The leading cause of workplace injuries is when workers take a shortcut on the job. Don’t use a tool that has not been specifically designed for the job. Your chance of being injured in the workplace dramatically decreases when you use tools the right way.
5. Keep Emergency Exits Clear
You need to be able to access the exits quickly and easily when an emergency occurs. Equipment shutoff access should be kept clear as well, in case you need to quickly shut them down.
6. Ensure people are Health and Safety Trained
First aid training is very important in the workplace. The reality is that you never know what will happen and you need to be sure that you can treat issues. Ensuring you offer first aid training can add a level of comfort for businesses and assures them that if the worst should happen you’ve gone as far as possible to deal with it, suggests Andrew Young of We Do Training.
7. Inform Your Supervisor Of Unsafe Conditions
Make a point of telling your supervisor about any safety hazards or risks in the workplace. Legally, they have an obligation to ensure that the working environment for their employees is safe. Once informed, they can take care of the unsafe condition.
8. Whenever Possible, Use Mechanical Aids
Even if you just want to save a little time, don’t try to lift or carry something that is very heavy on your own. Take a few extra moments to use the forklift, conveyor belt, or wheelbarrow. Trying to lift heavy objects is a major cause of workplace injury.
9. Don’t Drink And Work
Alcohol and drugs cause about 3% of all fatalities in the workplace. When a worker’s alertness level, concentration level, motor control, coordination, or judgement is impaired, the risk of injury and death in the work dramatically increases.
10. Handle Stress In The Workplace
Problems with concentration and depression are often linked to high levels of stress. Reasons for stress include conflicts with managers or coworkers, job insecurity, heavy workload, and long hours. Talk to your supervisor if you are experiencing high levels of stress at work to find a solution.
11. Always Use The Right Safety Equipment
You increase your chances of injury when you fail to wear the correct safety equipment for the job. Your job may require equipment such as a full-face mask, gloves, safety goggles, hard hat, earmuffs, or ear plugs.
By: Tilly Kidman. Tilly is passionate blogger and writer, she loves blogging on business and finance, career, self-employment and business related stuff.
