Employee health and safety risks you’ll definitely overlook

When you run a business, you need to make sure health and safety is one of the main focuses.

But, there are a lot of health and safety risks that many business owners overlook. This is a list of some of those, so you know to focus on them.

Loose cables

There are so many obvious hazards and risks in the workplace. But one you might regularly overlook is loose cables. Loose cables can contribute to tripping people and causing injuries. If you work with a lot of computers and machines, there are going to be plenty of loose cables around. You need to come up with ideas to negate the threat of loose cables. Things like cable ties and tubes would be perfect for this.

Falls from height

In the workplace, there are a lot of hazards for your staff as they work. You know that falls are a hazard, but you may not attribute this to falls from a height. In many ways, these are more dangerous because they can be fatal. You need to make sure that you have plenty of fall arrest protection equipment on hand. Stopping your employees from falling is the key to eliminating this risk. Every year people are killed at work due to falls from height. So you need to make sure you don’t overlook this hazard.

Scalding

When it comes to workplace injuries, you probably think about slips, trips and falls. It might not occur to you to check the temperature of water or liquids. Scalding is a very real hazard in the workplace. And it might come from the water being too hot, or even from someone spilling coffee. Make sure you try to regulate the water temperature where you can. And put signs up to warn people about the safety risks of scalding.

Hot weather

Believe it or not, the hot weather can be a health and safety hazard. If people are too hot, they can become dehydrated. They might suffer heatstroke and become unwell. So you need to make sure you have measures in place to counteract the hot weather. Making sure you have air conditioning throughout the building should be enough to keep the place at a good temperature. Also, try to have plenty of water on standby for the staff. Hot weather can hit at any time, so make sure you are prepared for it.

Flammable substances

You might be surprised by how many substances in your business are flammable. Whatever industry you work in you’re bound to come into contact with flammable substances. And you need to be extra vigilant because these could be a big risk. The last thing you want is a fire on the premises. This could be devastating for the company, not to mention the health and safety repercussions. So you need to make sure you have designated smoking areas on the premises. And that any flammable substances are handled with care, and stored in a cool, dry place.

You need to understand that in the workplace everything is a potential risk. There are so many health and safety risks that it’s easy to overlook particular things. Everyone focuses on the obvious ones. But you need to make sure you think about everything. As the employer, it’s your job to make sure health and safety is a major focus.