It’s not only a legislative responsibility of all employers to provide a safe working environment for their employees, it’s also in their best interests for so many reasons – here are three of many.
- Better relations between employees and employer will naturally ensue
- Employees are a business’s greatest and most valuable asset
- Many fiscal benefits are provided to employers by providing a safe workplace
But they’re far from all the reasons why employers should be making a greater effort to provide a safe and secure working environment for their employees. As by doing so, they’re also minimising the chances of finding themselves on the business end of a claim for compensation filed by one of their employees with the assistance of a team of experienced injury lawyers – that’s surely something that no employer wants!
Providing a Safe Working Environment is Easy
It’s often said that employers are often unable to provide their employees with a safe and secure working environment because a) doing so is difficult because of the line or work they’re involved in, or b) that providing a safe and secure working environment is expensive. Neither statements are true, and in fact, the truth is just the opposite.
Provide uniforms for employees (retail environments, etc.)
A proper dress code has been proven – by a variety of studies – to reduce the chances of workplace accidents occurring. Wearing a uniform may seem trivial, but it has been proven to work, especially when employees are also required to wear personal safety equipment, for instance, aprons, goggles, gloves, helmets, etc.
Conduct regular workplace health and safety checks
Depending on the workplace and the degree of danger inherent to it, workplace health and safety checks should be carried out at least once a year, maybe even twice a year. Dangerous worksites, like factories or construction sites, may need to have health and safety audits performed more frequently, for instance, quarterly.
Create a workplace safety program and ensure it’s followed
Every workplace should have a safety program and ensure that it’s followed at all levels, including at a management level.
Create an emergency response team and provide training
Having an emergency response team handy may not be essential, however, you should ensure that training is provided to all employees.
Ensure warning signs and rules are clearly posted
If warning signs and rules aren’t clearly posted and an employee has an accident, employers can expect to have a compensation claim filed by UK claim lawyers on the injured employee’s behalf.
It really doesn’t take much to provide your employees with a safe working environment, even if the line of work you’re in is considered dangerous, like construction or manufacturing, for instance.
What’s more, it really is in your best interests to make sure your workplace is as safe and as secure as possible, so make sure you adhere to your responsibilities and put yourself in a position where you’re sure to reap the benefits of being a top boss.
