Equipping your staff for proper safety protocols
When we think of ‘safety’ in our business, we often think of the standard issues that can come no matter where we may work. For instance, a trip hazard is a trip hazard no matter if we work in an office or warehouse, while fire evacuation protocols are essential and plans must be put in place no matter how open the interior environment is.
Equipping your staff to follow the most essential safety protocols, then, means more than just telling them what to do and how to do it. It means ensuring they get top-of-the-line training, that their safety equipment is properly maintained, and that they are able to refer to immediate action rather than academic pondering when a safety issue is caused.
This also translates to any and all guests you may welcome into your premises. For this reason, we have decided to discuss how to properly equip your staff to follow those safety protocols, and how you can identify flaws in your safety planning:
Protocol repetition & dry runs
Sometimes, repetition is key. There’s a reason why we make sure to practice fire drill evacuations each year, not so we tick any boxes, but because in the event of an actual fire, those who have already experienced a walkthrough will know what to do. The same goes for any kind of safety protocol, such as having staff members walk through donning safety equipment and checking the equipment of their partner, or learning how to report an issue over the radio. Dry runs can make a massive difference regarding how familiar with the process everyone is.
Equipment maintenance
Equipment maintenance is, of course, absolutely essential. For instance, learning how to properly ensure a cherry picker is working after taking the best Working at Height Training courses, ensuring that hard hat damage is noted, as well as how to keep certain equipment clean, such as boots and gloves, can prevent an issue from taking place in the future. This way, everyone can feel confident in the preparation of a given practice, knowing how to spot faulty equipment and making sure it’s secure enough for the next person to use.
Logging & reporting
Logging and reporting errors ahead of time can help you avoid making small problems into large problems. Not all companies are this competent at making sure the higher-ups are made aware of issues, and that can be a problem. Often, when safety issues occur, it’s because maintenance hasn’t been addressed, equipment hasn’t been properly handled, or errors were ignored. For this reason, proper reporting systems, stop buttons, emergency communications, and point of contacts should be in place to ensure the protocol moves smoothly, and those times where it doesn’t, a professional will be on hand to find a solution.
With this advice, you’re sure to equip your staff for their necessary safety protocols, in the best possible sense. No matter how successful we are as a business, at least we can say we curated a stellar safety record.