Managing Safety In Your Small Business

Creating a safe work environment leads to some very essential benefits for your business. Employees are generally happier. Production is typically improved, and you’ll commonly get a lower insurance premium once safety is proven.

Your small business may not have hundreds of employees to look after, but you’re still going to be held to the same safety standards as any other operation. OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) requirements are fairly standard and don’t shift much based on the size of a business.

If you’re looking for ways to boost the safety of your business environment, you’ve come to the right place. Check out a few tips for managing the safety of employees in your small business.

Create a safety standard for your operation

There should be a structured safety program created to inform all new (and current) employees about vital safety regimens and standards within the business. Depending on the industry in which you operate, your safety courses will be a bit different.

Alongside your training program, develop a place in the budget for safety and set safety procedures. When your employees are safe and healthy, production is much easier and more efficient.

Do an honest analysis of your current safety

It’s important that you take a very honest account of the current safety situation within your business operation. Seek out ways in which you can refine your plans for an injury-free workplace, and never stop double/triple checking.

Create an easy way for employees to report safety hazards they see or experience, and keep a close eye on reporting histories. If there is an injury “trend,” you’ll know that your operation needs improvement in that area.

Have the right equipment for the job

Are your employees stacking or accessing crates high-up? Make sure they have rolling ladders or platforms (which are often in stock and ready to ship from many suppliers in the event you do not) with which they can access items easily and safely. Do you deal with heavy crates? Make sure there are enough forklift trucks to go around. Health and safety is better maintained when employees have the correct equipment to carry their tasks out safely. If there is not enough safety equipment for each employee on a task, do not be surprised if an injury occurs.

Take those extra steps towards safety

Even when you’re following all of OSHA’s guidelines, there may be other measures you can take in the workplace to assure the health and safety of your employees. The goal for safety is always a zero-incident finish line, so it’s worth the extra effort.

For example, you may want to set up a special authorization system for access to the more hazardous jobs and materials present in your place of operation. You may also benefit from intermittent emergency preparedness drills.

Use documentation to learn from your mistakes

Keep clear documentation on all safety hazards and injury occurrences to make certain the issues are handled appropriately. Learn from the trends and mistakes that become clear when you take account of your incident reports.

Talk to your employees

When your employees feel that their thoughts and opinions are valued, they are more likely to be vocal about potential safety hazards and other issues in the workplace.  Communication should feel comfortable for all parties involved.