What you need to know about safety in the workplace: 7 points of consideration
Health and safety regulations help protect workers from accidents. Employers from lawsuits and reputation loss.
It can range from knowing how to operate a machine, to understand the specific rules of that business. Knowing health and safety regulations can help with safety in the workplace.
There are certain laws and regulations a business needs to follow
Within the UK, there are certain regulations that businesses need to meet, including certain things that they need to be able to provide to their employees. The Health and Safety at Work Act enforced from 1974 is the main legislation that helps govern workplace health and safety.
These regulations help explain the key policies and procedures that you need to utilise to help keep your workplace safe. It’s possible that the government or an affiliated company will send an inspector from time to time to ensure that the regulations are being followed to the book.
There are certain things an employee needs to do
Employees will need to ensure that they are well trained in health and safety rules in the workplace, asking for help when they are unsure. They should be provided with occasional training to keep them up to date with the latest trends. Importantly, they need to take health and safety rules seriously so that they don’t get into an accident.
What to do when there are problems
If you are concerned about any problems that are arising in the workspace in regards to your health and safety, then you have a few options. Firstly, consider speaking to your employer or any supervisor you work with about your concerns to see if they can change anything immediately. It may also be possible that your workspace has a health and safety representative, either in house or external.
There are a variety of online third-party safety sites that you can turn to for advice if you’re unsure how to approach management about it. It could also be the case that you are the manager and don’t know what changes to implement, whereas there will be experts that do.
You should ensure that any machinery or technology that you use is safe to do so. Have a look around and do a bit of research on how your manufacturing process can be improved. For example, there are companies like Banelec which offer manufacturing process improvements designed to make them safer and more efficient, as well as being sustainable with the future in mind. They will help with monitoring hazardous areas and other high-risk elements of the business, helping give you and the business peace of mind.
Importance of regular breaks
You’d be surprised at how much a regular break can help with safety for employees. It can come in a few different forms. For office workers, taking regular breaks from the screen will help protect their eyesight and allow them to stretch their legs.
Whereas for factory and manufacturing-based workers, they will be able to relax and keep their minds strong. Tired workers are workers who will be the most prone to mistake and injury, so allow them more time away from work, even if it’s ten minutes every hour, to allow them to recuperate and keep focus when they return.
You could hand out tasks and do tasks that are usually more difficult at the start of your shift when you’re most alert, or whenever you feel that time is.
Importance of knowing your surroundings and being aware
That’s another reason why you should be aware of your surroundings. Most jobs will have some sort of danger if health and safety issues are not properly handled. It could come in the form of heavy machinery that could crush someone if not properly tied down, or it could be machinery that cuts metal, which you will need to keep limbs away from.
Even offices will have dangers, from tripping hazards to electrical short-circuits to be aware of. That’s why you should always be aware of any surroundings that have dangers so that you know how best to avoid them.
Follow procedures by the book – Don’t take shortcuts
Your organisation will have, or at least should, certain safety procedures that you need to follow. It is important that you follow these guidelines by the book, as they are there for a reason. Even skipping one step could put you or your team in peril.
Consider using training courses regularly as a way to ensure people know the safety rules, to best protect themselves. It’s also important that you use the right tools for the right job, as misusing tools could lead to accidents.
Understand where the emergency exits are
Lastly, you and your business will benefit from knowing and appreciating where the emergency exits are. This is crucial, as an emergency exit and a strategy for evacuation, in general, can help save lives.
Consider using more than one emergency exit so that there are options for different areas of the building. This will stop people wandering into potentially dangerous spots just to get across to the exit and help with safety in the workplace.
