Safety in the workplace is paramount to business success and longevity. It’s also essential to remain on the right side of the law, so as not to risk receiving fines or potentially having your operation shut down for a time, or permanently.
In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at some practical tips to ensure your business is a safe place for everyone and that workplace health and safety guidelines are followed.
#1 – Everyone Needs To Be Aware of the Rules and Regulations
In general terms, maintaining a safe workplace comes down to common sense much of the time. However, each industry in Australia has rules and regulations that businesses, owners and employees must abide by at all times. The problem is, oftentimes, people involved in the day to day running of the business are not fully aware of what the rules are when it comes to health and safety in the workplace.
Unless every single person employed in the operation of a business is fully aware of the laws, then how can everyone be expected to follow those laws if they don’t know what they even are?
Guidelines for workplace health and safety need to be provided to every member of staff for their perusal. Only then can your operation have a good chance of remaining compliant with the laws and become a safer place to be.
#2 – Hold Regular Staff Meetings
Maybe once a month you could get all your staff together for a discussion. At least a part of the meeting should focus on health and safety, with everyone who has any concerns being free to discuss those concerns with the group, managers and owners.
This way, if something has been detected that presents a danger, it can be brought to everyone’s attention and plans can be put in place to rectify the issue before it presents a safety problem.
Obtaining feedback from all staff members is critical in avoiding problems that can result in injury or issues for the business in general. Your staff are your eyes and ears on the ground, so to speak, so it’s important to listen to their feedback.
#3 – Everyone Needs To Be Properly Trained
Whether it be the routines and processes of the business, operating machinery and equipment, or even driving the business vehicles, every member of staff needs to be properly trained in their job role. Training leads to correct operation of equipment and vehicles, thus reducing the likelihood of a mishap occurring.
While not all accidents and incidents can be avoided 100%, the better trained your staff are, it reduces the chances of accidents exponentially. Staff also need regular breaks to have a rest, as tiredness and fatigue lead to a loss of concentration. It doesn’t matter how well-trained someone is, if they lose concentration due to fatigue, an accident could be the result.
#4 – Hire a Health and Safety Professional
You could task health and safety to a manager or other member of staff, creating a part-time or full-time health and safety role for them. If your organisation is large enough, this is a wise idea to remain on top of things and also ensure compliance with the rules and regulations governing your industry.
Alternatively, you might be better off hiring a trained professional who is already abreast of what’s required to ensure your business and its employees are compliant with workplace health and safety regulations. These people make a career of health and safety, so if you have the budget to employ an expert, it will only benefit your business moving forward.
Something else you should seriously consider adding to your operations is WHS software. It only makes sense in the modern world to purchase software that helps in this regard and also assists in general risk management for your business.
If you combine having a workplace health and safety professional on your team and arming them with WHS software, there’s every chance your business will avoid incidents and move toward an even more prosperous future.
The Takeaway
The first step towards a safer workplace is ensuring everyone involved understands what’s required. Follow the rules, remain diligent, charge someone with the responsibility of ensuring compliance and buy software to assist with WHS management. This will give you peace of mind moving forward.
Leave a Reply