How to protect your employees at work
It’s important for business owners to protect their employees from accidents at work. Find out what you need to have in place for health and safety.
Doing risk assessments, providing PPE and making sure everyone has the necessary safety training is all part of being an employer in the UK. These preventative measures reduce the risk of workplace injuries and keep your team as safe as possible in their environment.
Accidents in the workplace
Slips, trips and falls on the same level are the most common type of workplace accidents. These accidents can happen in any workplace, whether it’s an office building or an agricultural site. A loose carpet corner could trip someone up, or a wet kitchen floor could cause someone to fall over and break a bone. It’s your job as an employer to protect your team against these incidents.
If you work in manufacturing or a construction site, lifting and handling heavy objects are also common causes of accidents. You also need to be careful with working at a height as your team members could fall and injure themselves.
Preparation
As a business owner, there are steps you can take to prepare for accidents. You could display a health and safety poster warning people of the different risks in their environment. This helps everyone to be more aware of their surroundings and what they can do to prevent injuries themselves. For example, you could display a poster reminding workers of the PPE they should be wearing and why it is important.
You also need to have a health and safety policy to outline what you, as an employer, are doing to protect your team and what they should do to protect themselves and one another.
Finally, by law, every lawyer should carry out a risk assessment of any risks to the health and safety of their employees or others on site. Identify where the risk factors are and what you have done to reduce them. You also need to outline what you will do if someone injures themselves.
Equipment
Every business should have the equipment to deal with an accident or incident. Legally, you must have a first aid kit on site. The content will depend on the nature of your business and the risks present. You also need a fire extinguisher and signage for fire exits and hazards. Keep an incident reporting book to log any accidents with a detailed record of what happened.
If you fail to provide the correct safety equipment and training, you could be liable for negligence, and the employee may make a claim against you.
Training and procedures
It’s important to train staff on health and safety procedures and what they should look out for. They need to know what to do in the event of a fire or accident as well.
Keep your team safe with these tips for your workplace.
