Having an accident can change lives forever; the life of a family, friends, communities and co-workers. Everyone who goes out to work every day should expect to return home safely. Making sure husbands return with their wives, wives with their husbands, parents with their children and friends with their friends is the most important reason to create a healthy and safe work environment but it is not the only reason why businesses should look for ways to ensure it. It can also save a lot of money to companies.
 

Job security is a topic of great importance that concerns both employers and workers. Having the means and equipment necessary to perform a job safely is an employee’s right and a responsibility on the part of the employer. In recent decades, the trend has changed and the number of work-related accidents has decreased considerably. However, for four years this figure has grown steadily. It was in 2012 when the lowest number of occupational accidents in the last decade was registered (2,949 accidents for every 100,000 employees) and since then it has been increasing.
 
For this reason, it is important to be aware of a key issue such as safety in the workplace. Taking into account some recommendations, we can help reduce these rates.

5 guidelines for making safety at work a priority

Are you worried about safety in your company or work and do not know what to do about it? Here at Gold Coast Edge Protection we take care of protecting the edges of the roof to avoid any kind of falling accidents. Nevertheless, let’s take a look at 5 guidelines that will help you make workers’ safety part of your company:

1. Inform yourself, know your rights and your responsibilities:

Knowledge is power, and in many countries, there are rules to be followed by employers, as well as laws that depict specific guidelines to be safe from sues. The purpose of said laws is to develop the activities necessary to know in advance the risks that may exist in any job. Keep in mind that if the task is well studied in advance, knowing how to do it and what means to use, you can also predict the risks that may arise.

Knowing the necessary safety procedures will help us work in a safer and healthier environment. It is very important to be informed of all changes regarding security regulations and to verify that their policies and procedures are updated and communicated correctly to employees. Involving workers in their own safety will favour the creation of a calmer work environment.

2. Identify possible risks at your workplace:

Potential risks can start from using a tool in poor conditions on a daily basis, walking on slippery soil or not signalising properly inside a building in construction. It is important to identify these potential risks and know how you can communicate them. In the same way, it confirms that you know the procedures of reporting and communication in the event of possible risks at work. This will help identify the problem and bring it to the attention of the employer, who has the obligation to solve it and ensure that the work environment is a place free of hazards.

It is necessary to know the specific regulations of your sector in terms of job security, especially if you are engaged in tasks or work in environments with greater changes of suffering from an accident. Regulations establish standards to perform this type of work in a way that guarantees safety.

3. Provide job counselling and job training

More than half of work accidents occur within the first 6 months of work. Training workers in health and safety is essential to certify that they achieve the appropriate knowledge when carrying out their work in a competent and safe way.

When hiring a new professional, it is important to offer specific guidance in order to prevent possible risks and accidents during the performance of their professional activity.

4. Having the specific personal protection equipment

There is a European regulation that establishes the minimum safety and health provisions for the use at work – by employees – of personal protective equipment. The employer has the obligation to provide appropriate equipment and to ensure that the worker receives the training required for the correct use of it. On the other hand, the worker has the right to demand that these tools be provided and the obligation to make good use of them.

5. Supervise how workers carry out daily activities

One of the most effective ways to ensure the safety of workers is through the instruction and supervision of their work. A task that can be carried out, in some cases, by workers with more experience and knowledge about safety procedures.

Having a healthy and safe environment to work is, as we pointed out at the beginning of the article, a shared responsibility between the employer and the worker that benefits both parties. Safety training is essential to change the trend of work accidents that has been recorded in recent years all around the world.

If a worker is injured during their workday, it costs the company in lost work hours, there is an increase in insurance rates, workers’ compensation premiums and possible litigation. Productivity is lost when other workers have to stop working to cope with the injury. Even after the injured employee is sent home or taken to the hospital, other employees may be distracted or need time off to recover from some shock.

Any company knows that employee desertion and absenteeism can be big obstacles, but when you create a safe and healthy workplace, you can reduce those problems in various ways. By investing in security improvements and making security part of your operational plan, you build trust. Involving employees in security decisions through reports, committees, trainings and meetings, shows that their opinion is important. Following their contributions and improving security, you demonstrate in a tangible way that you care about their well-being. In this way, workers respond by working better, showing pride in their jobs and remaining loyal.