Employees are an indispensable part of any company. They’re the reason why businesses are able to function and grow and not prioritizing employee health and safety has consequences like decreased productivity and high insurance costs. While it can be tricky to know how to go about  ensuring optimal employee health and safety, there are some key things to keep in mind. 

Here are a few tips to get you started.

Conduct Routine Risk Assessments

Every company is different. Working conditions differ, so company A may need to have a confined space rescue team on hand while company B may instead need slip resistant flooring. Conducting routine risk assessments is how you ensure that you’re always up-to-date on the potential dangers your employees face in the workplace.

This is an important first step in keeping your employees safe as it’s only by knowing what risks are present can you then take steps to mitigate them.

Develop Safety Policies

Once you’ve identified potential risks in the workplace, it’s time to develop policies to address them. These policies should be designed to prevent accidents and injuries from occurring in the first place.

For example, if one of the risks identified is the threat of falling materials, your policy should include safety measures like the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) or the installation of netting around work areas.

Provide Training 

Your employees can’t follow safety policies if they don’t know what they are, so take steps to make everyone in the company aware of the safety policies and procedures that have been put in place. 

First, ensure that new hires receive safety training as part of their onboarding process. Then, provide regular refresher courses for all employees. You can do this through in-person training sessions, online modules, or a combination of both.

Encourage Reporting

It’s also important that employees feel comfortable reporting any unsafe conditions or practices they witness in the workplace. If employees are afraid of retaliation, they’re less likely to speak up, which can put everyone at risk.

Make it clear to employees that they can report safety concerns without fear of reprisal. You can do this by establishing an anonymous reporting system or by designating a specific individual (like a safety manager) to whom employees can go with their concerns.

Encourage a Culture of Safety

Last but not least, you need to foster a culture of safety in your workplace. This means that safety needs to be a priority for everyone in the company, from senior management on down. 

One way to do this is to make sure that safety is built into all aspects of company operations. For example, you can create a safety committee that meets regularly to discuss ways to improve safety in the workplace or you can give employees incentives for reporting unsafe conditions.

Prioritizing employee safety is not only the right thing to do, but it’s also good for business. Healthy and safe employees are more productive and less likely to file workers’ compensation claims, which can save your company money in the long run. By following these tips, you can keep your employees safe and healthy on the job.