How to Ensure Workplace Safety and Protect Your Bottom Line
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, at least 2.8 million non-fatal injuries were recorded in 2017, costing businesses billions of dollars in liabilities. That being said, it’s important now more than ever for business leaders to prioritize workplace safety by adopting best practices and investing in mitigating measures in a bid to comply with workplace safety standards.
Regardless if you’re a startup that has just been established weeks ago or a big name corporation, workplace safety should always be a priority. The consequences, on the other hand, can be fatal to your bottom line. But more than, there is always a moral responsibility to protect the health of your employees.
No doubt, workplace safety has to be the responsibility of every company. All it takes is to adopt a zero-incidence mindset. On that note, let’s look at a few ways you can improve workplace safety and protect yourself from situations that can affect your operations.
- Designate a safety compliance officer
The first thing you will have to do is to find someone within your team who can handle the paperwork when it comes to complying with federal and state safety procedures and policies. Usually, the building administrator can serve as your compliance officer. If you’re renting out commercial space, you can have a member of your administrative team fill the role of safety officer. No doubt, ample training has to be provided for the person in this position, especially if your business has equipment that requires specialist skills.
- Educate your staff
Again, workplace safety is everyone’s responsibility, so it’s important that you keep your employees up to speed of important principles and procedures. You can hold monthly or quarterly training sessions that should update your employees with new knowledge about workplace safety. You can invite people over to teach your employees about new approaches and techniques for handling equipment.
- Do an inventory of safety equipment
Whether you are a restaurant that offers made-to-order pizzas and cakes, or a woodworking shop that specializes in making decorative wood statues, you need to keep tabs on the assets that you currently have. That said, doing an inventory can help you make a complete list of your assets, determine if any of them need servicing, and mark those that do for maintenance. Doing this often will help you identify and resolve technical issues that could otherwise lead to a serious workplace injury.
- Get legal representation
When a worker gets injured at work, your business could get sued for it. As per state laws, workers who are injured in the line of duty are entitled to compensation. However, there are cases in which the company is not directly liable for an injury. At any rate, businesses will have to choose between settling an agreement for worker compensation or have the case decided in court. With the right defense attorney by your side, you could avoid paying beyond what you’re actually liable for.
Workplace injury can happen any time, so you will have to make sure your business is fully prepared for anything that could happen.
