Small business safety management tips to live by
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There are many aspects to running a business. Some aspects, such as managing your business’ finances and productivity, have a more direct impact on your company’s profitability. Others such as business safety are often overlooked, but can have dire consequences that can significantly impede your business if neglected. Neglecting the safety of your business not only endangers the lives and assets you have at your business site, but according to the slip and fall lawyers from Hasbrook, it can also create legal problems that could drain your resources rapidly. These are some safety management tips that you need to follow in order to avoid these unnecessary complications.
Establish a safety program
While there are general safety guidelines that all businesses should follow, it’s important that you’re able to create safety programs that cater specifically for your business’ needs and culture. Each business has its own set of hazards and it’s important to account for these dangers. For example, a business that operates around toxic chemicals should have safety guidelines that require employees to always wear personal protective equipment at work.
Worksite analysis
A worksite analysis is an OSHA-recommended investigation that identifies unsafe conditions and potential hazards around your business area. There are many ways to perform a worksite analysis whether it’s in creating a safety investigation team, encouraging workers to report workplace hazards, or asking safety experts to evaluate your workplace.
Train your staff and workers
Another way to mitigate the risks of work-related accidents is to train your workers and staff on proper safety procedures. Much like your safety program, the training that your workers receive will vary depending on their expertise and tasks. Make sure that everyone at your company understands these policies, whether they are data security measures or fire safety measures. Safety training classes have been found to mitigate the number of accidents by a significant amount.
Consult with OSHA
Very few businesses are aware that OSHA offers voluntary compliance programs for small businesses. This means that OSHA will provide free workplace safety and health training as well as technical assistance to businesses that request for it. This service is not treated as an investigation, and therefore, should any violations be found, no citations and penalties shall be imposed as long as the employer demonstrates a serious effort to correct the hazards discovered during the evaluation.
Update policies and protocols
Finally, it’s important to always keep your policies and protocols updated as situations change. A prime example of this is in how all businesses are now required to implement a set of minimum health standards such as the wearing of face masks, regularly disinfecting the workplace and equipment, and maintaining a physical distance of at least 12 feet in response to the threat posed by the COVID-19 virus. This not only shows that you care about your employees, but it also shows solidarity among your community.
We need to take workplace safety seriously in order to avoid needless accidents. As we continue to recover economically, the last thing we need are workplace accidents that hurt our business’ productivity and result in the loss of life of valuable workers.
