In the midst of the chaos that has somehow become our reality, it’s important to underline some of the behaviour and bad habits that negatively affect the health and safety of your current workspace. Whether your company has taken the necessary precautions to ensure your working environment is safe or you’re fortunate enough to be working from home, promoting workplace health and safety requires consistent effort.
What constitutes health and safety in the workplace?
Health and safety rights in the workplace refer to the fact that you as an employee have a right to be safe at your place of work. It is a responsibility shared by both the employer and the employee. For employers, one of the fundamental principles of workplace health and safety is risk assessment, which identifies all the hazards and potential for harm whilst working.
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“Good planning without good working is nothing.”
Dwight D Eisenhower
Below are some examples of how health and safety in the workplace can be compromised:
- ➥ When an employee sends inappropriate messages to you personally and continues to do so despite you expressing your discomfort. If you’re currently experiencing this, it’s important to escalate the matter and ensure your safety is taken care of.
- ➥ When employees are not trained/briefed correctly before entering a potentially harmful environment. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure the safety of employees whilst at work, and that proper training is conducted for more demanding positions.
- ➥ When employees are faced with health and safety hazards (such as communicable disease, transportation accidents, workplace violence, slipping and falling, and the like).
Thankfully, there are a number of steps that can be taken to increase workplace safety. Here are some tips on how employers can ensure that their employees are protected:
1. Staff training
Perhaps the most influential way employers can achieve fewer injuries and increased workplace safety is through clearer, more accessible, and more thorough training programmes for their employees.
2. Insist on safety in the workplace
It all starts with you. If you as the boss enforce the safety rules and regulations and stand behind them 100%, your employees will take the cue from you that they need to put safety first.
3. Give your workers the tools and resources they need to be safe
Whether it’s referring your employees to psychologists or providing tools to ensure that their safety is taken care of, making these tools accessible immediately will further encourage safety compliance.
4. Continuously find ways to improve
Safety on the job is not a static thing. There’s always room for improvement, so it’s important to brainstorm with your employees to find out ways you can all promote a higher level of safety awareness for all.
5. Keep a clean house
If you are working from home, messy areas could breed decreased motivation and a lack of concentration. Make sure your work area is relatively clean, neat and dry to boost safety and – particularly right now – sanity. Make sure your employees also know the value of a clean workspace and encourage them to do the same.
Ultimately, the goal of World Day for Safety and Health at Work is to create a national occupational culture in which the right to a safe and healthy working environment is respected at all levels.
We would like to encourage YOU to stay safe this World Day for Safety and Health at Work.
For more info on this day, visit:
