As a business owner, you’re responsible for providing a safe workplace for your employees. It’s kind of part of the job. Sure, you have workers’ compensation insurance, but isn’t it better not to have to use it? By committing to safety at your business, you lower the chance of someone getting hurt, which means fewer workers’ comp claims – and saving money on workers’ comp insurance.
But this all begs the question:
How can you improve workplace safety?
Well, we’ve come up with a handy list of eight ways to improve workplace safety.
1. Train your employees.
Your people can’t do their job safely if no one shows them how. Make sure to spend ample time on training and emphasizing safety. Encourage questions. Explain clearly. Show everyone proper protocol and safety practices – for example, how to use a ladder properly. You can’t throw someone into a pool and expect them to do the butterfly, right? It’s also important that you have continuing education and training – even your experienced employees need a refresher.
2. Identify workplace hazards.
Take a good, hard look at your workplace and take note of anything that could be done more safely and any risks that your employees face. You can’t protect your people if you don’t know what the danger is. (And make sure you’re telling them about the risks they face on the job.)
And remember:
You’re not in this alone. Ask your employees for their suggestions or concerns. They’re the ones on the front lines – take the time to have a chat with them.
3. Make a safety plan.
Once you’ve talked to your employees and taken a walk around your workplace to look for hazards, create a plan for eliminating or reducing the hazards you find.
Take steps to make your workplace is as safe as possible, and communicate your plan to your employees. Take the suggestions and concerns your employees have into consideration and make sure they feel like they’re being heard.
Hey, that actually leads us to our next point…
4. Talk about safety.
Make it a habit to talk about safety at your workplace. Even outside of training, your employees should feel comfortable voicing their thoughts about safety and looking out for each other. Communication is key, and discussing how to make your workplace safer should be an ongoing thing.
5. Evaluate your safety plan.
You also have to keep tabs on how the safety plan is going. Is it doing its job? Do you have to make any adjustments or changes? Are there ways you can improve it? Is the plan being put into action in the workplace? Look out for the little things that can make a big difference.
6. Show that safety is Priority A.
Create a workplace culture that puts safety at the forefront. Acknowledge those workers who show that they put thought and effort towards safety, not those who put efficiency over doing the job safely. Also, be careful of incentivizing zero injuries – that could lead to a culture where workers don’t report injuries at all.
And that would make it difficult for you to carry out our next tip…
7. Investigate any accidents or near-misses.
If there is ever an accident (or a near-miss) you’ve got to get out your magnifying glass and do some detective work. Launch an investigation and unleash your inner Sherlock Holmes. Talk to witnesses and try to get to the bottom of what happened and why. That way you can do everything in your power to stop it from happening again. Conduct your investigation promptly – your witnesses will have a better recollection of how things unfolded.
But don’t stop there – carry on with improving safety by using our next tip…
8. Make sure your employees are reporting claims promptly.
It’s important that you encourage your employees to report any claims promptly. You don’t want your employees to be under-reporting workplace injuries, as this can have serious consequences. Make sure your employees feel safe coming forward and speaking up about workplace incidents and that they don’t a negative outcome from reporting them.
So, those are our eight ways to improve safety in the workplace. Preventing workplace injuries can help you lower your workers’ comp costs, but it’s also about looking out for your people. Your team is a vital part of your business, and they deserve a safe workplace. So. Go forth and make your workplace safer.
And if you want to save money on business insurance, we would be happy to help. Our team can help you shop for the best coverage at the best possible rate. All you have to do to get business insurance quotes is fill out our online form or give us a call. We’re here to help with any of your insurance needs.