What you need to know about workplace safety
What you need to know about workplace safety
Many entrepreneurs don’t always realise they need to consider health and safety in the workplace. It’s only when an accident happens, and the company must pay out thousands of rands in compensation that they get the Health and Safety policies in order.
Don’t wait for that to happen in your business, be prepared from the start. Here’s what you should know…
What is a health and safety advisor?
A health and safety advisor inspects your business premises and reports any major risks facing your employees. They are experts who can spot potential risks that you may not even be aware of. A good health and safety advisor can help you mitigate these risks by suggesting corrective procedures and policies that you can use to make sure that your employees work is a safe environment.
What you should look for when choosing a health and safety advisor
Communication skills are at the top of the health and safety advisors skill set. Some of the risks involved in employee safety are extremely complicated. A good health and safety advisor must be able to write comprehensive reports and procedures to help you understand the level of risk so that you can address these problems effectively.
Find an advisor that understands your specific industry. The risks facing a factory worker are different than the risks facing a drill operator in a mine. So make sure that you advisor know exactly what industry you operate in so that you have the right level of protection in place.
What services should you expect from your health and safety advisor?
Legal compliance audits – This is where the professional checks your premises for hazards and lets you know if you’re legally compliant or not. Once an assessment of your business is completed, you should get a full action list of long- and short-term improvements that you need to make.
Risk assessments and hazard identification – Admin offices, production floors, vehicles, fire risks and chemical dangers are just some of the potential risks you may need to address. A good health and safety advisor should be able to spot issues that you’ve missed.
Audits and surveys – This is a great way for you to identify the short falls in your work environment. The following formal audits is important for your business:
- Fire prevention and evacuation procedures
- Handling hazardous chemicals
- Safety notifications
- Occupational hygiene like noise, dust and first aid training
Remember, there are many benefits to having excellent health and safety practices in your business. If you take this seriously, you’ll find that your employees remain healthy, happy and motivated. This will increase individual performance and the profitability of your business because people won’t be taking time off work to recover from illness or injury.
You’ll also find that your employees will appreciate your concern for their safety more. This means that you’ll have a lower staff turnover and a committed workforce that can focus on doing their jobs without worrying about getting hurt.
By far the most important benefit is to you. If you don’t have the proper health and safety procedures in place, you could be forced to pay compensation or even spend time in prison for not taking your employees’ working environment seriously.
Here’s how to action your health and safety audit…