Reducing the Risk of Employee Accidents

It is up to employers to make sure a workplace is safe from hazards. Of equal importance is making employee safety a company's priority.

The size and scope of a business have great influence on the scope of a company’s safety plan. But, each company’s employee safety plan has several common features. They include:

1. Write a plan that tells employees about safety issues and how they can keep themselves safe at work. Make sure employees know where a first aid kit is – large facilities should have more than one kit.
2. Take a tour of the workplace. These walk-arounds should take place often, on a schedule. Tools and equipment need scheduled maintenance. If you discover broken or hazardous materials, isolate and remove them from service. Don' use them again until after they've had repairs. Places used for storage need inspections too. This is to ensure that boxes and other items are secure. Dangerous items need proper labeling and storage.
3. Employee safety training is another crucial element to a safer workplace. Group meetings are great for teaching workers general facility safety tips. When a worker uses special equipment or tools, separate individual training should occur.
4. Use scheduled safety meetings to reinforce safety training. Meetings allow for a two-way conversation about employee views and suggestions about safety.
5. Even if there is no injury or property damage be sure to investigate all safety incidents. These investigations serve as a guide to finding out what caused the incident and how to prevent it.
6. Keep records. Proper record keeping helps in identifying trends in unsafe working conditions. Once identified, management can take the right actions to reduce or end the risk. Records to keep include safety inspection reports, incident investigations, and first aid treatments. Also, keep safety training records. Businesses need these records to show compliance with safety regulators.
7. Business leaders should stay current on safety issues by joining organizations that promote safety. Attending group meetings is a good way to keep up with safety topics. Another source for safety tips is association and professional journals.

Safety needs to be an important aspect of your business. Making safety part of your business plan helps keep visitors and employees safe.

Ask your business insurance company if they offer free safety audits. Their expertise comes from experiences based on claims made to the company. Usually, either the company's workers compensation or general liability insurers offer the service.

We've got you covered. Call Buschbach Insurance at 708.423.2350 for a fast, free business insurance quote.