10 Things You Have to Stop Doing at Your Workplace for a Safe 2019

As you ring in 2019, we wish you a happy and safe workplace. In the first blog post of this year from Safix, we give you tips on how to make your workplace the safest in 2019. When it comes to workplace safety, there are practices that you may be following that are hindering safety.

To assist you, Safix has created a list of ten things that you have to stop doing. Let’s get started.

10 Things You Need to Avoid Doing in 2019, To Improve Workplace Safety

1. Making Quick Hires

Hiring workers quickly without a comprehensive interview process is something that all businesses are guilty of. Very often, when companies are pressed for time, and an important deadline is fast approaching, businesses make quick hires, without a thorough vetting process. This is a costly mistake, one that could endanger the safety of your employees.

This year, take a pledge to slow down the hiring process. Give yourself more time to evaluate whether the person you are adding to your team is a good match for your company and suits the safety culture at work.

2. Rushing Onboarding and Training

Just like making quick hires, this is another huge mistake. Make sure that you provide adequate training and proper onboarding before introducing new employees to the job. With proper training, you teach recruits with the right company values like – quality control, safety, timeliness, and accuracy.

By slowing down the training process, you help recruits pick up key skills efficiently, which is a major benefit for your company. Additionally, proper training also helps to reduce and eliminate fatal injuries and accidents at the workplace.

3. Improper Communication

A lack of communication among employees at the workplace is another potential safety threat. If your workplace lacks proper communication, here are a few ways to fix it:

• Conduct regular monthly meetings – Discuss everything related to the workplace at these meetings. From mundane housekeeping discussions to other important details like the performance of the company. The idea of conducting regular monthly meetings is to increase communication among employees and management and provide a platform for employees to address their concerns.
• Toolbox Talks – Just like monthly meetings, conduct regular Toolbox Talks. As the name implies, these are team-specific meetings, where teams can get together to discuss potential safety hazards and share safety techniques.

4. Workplace Clutter

A cluttered workspace is in danger of potential safety hazards. When you have clutter lying around the workplace, the chances of accidents like falls, trips, slips and even fire hazards are high. Make sure that the workplace is organized and clutter-free. Remove debris and other extra furniture blocking emergency exits.

5. No Safety Plan

A safety plan is essential for all businesses irrespective of the size, nature of the business and industry. All your employees must be aware of the safety precautions to take during an emergency like a fire, electrical short circuits, chemical emergencies, and other natural disasters.

Here are the basic elements that all employees must be aware of the safety plan:

• Able to recognize and identify emergency exits
• Know the established escape route
• Rescue authorities contact numbers, if something were to go awry
• Be able to stay calm, assess and take control of the situation

6. No Safety Posters

Make use of the walls in your workspace to hang colour coded posters, signs and other labels that warn employees of potential hazards in the workplace. These posters will guide employees on what to do during an emergency.

For instance, you may have a fire extinguisher in the workplace. But, it’s of no use, if your employees don’t know how to use it during an emergency. By having the instruction manual pinned up near the extinguisher, you can ensure that employees have the right guidance on hand, on how to use the safety equipment, when needed.

Additionally, safety signs promote the message that you are committed to safety. This motivates employees to take safety seriously.

7. Making Employees be Afraid of Safety by Demonizing It

As an employer, it’s your responsibility to ensure that employees don’t look at safety as a burden or a chore. You can make safety fun for your employees, without reducing its efficiency. When your employees have a positive outlook on safety, the more likely they comply with it.

Safety at the workplace can be efficient while being fun. Try inculcating a safety culture at work by creating safety-themed quizzes, safety demonstration videos that are fun to watch. By adding a fun quotient to safety, you are likely to get your employees more involved in the whole process. Additionally, by hosting fun safety pep talks, you are likely to improve workplace relationships and build a sense of community.

8. Depending Too Much on Manual Labour

To improve the safety of your workplace, you have to reduce jobs that place an unnecessary strain on your employees. Instead, of using manual force, employees should opt for tools and machinery, that simplify the process.

Make sure that your employees are aware of the ergonomic hazards of the following:

• Frequent lifting
• Exerting too much force
• Poor posture
• Nonergonomic workstation and chairs
• Frequent movements
• Vibration

9. Lack of Reporting

Provide your employees with the right mechanism to report unsafe behaviours. For instance, if an employee sees a co-worker involved in unsafe pranks at the workplace, the first employee must feel comfortable in reporting the issue and bringing it to the notice of the manager.

Remind your employees that unsafe behaviours on the job will meet strict penalties.

10. Alcohol and Drug Abuse in the Workplace

Several studies report that drug and alcohol abuse is one of the main reasons for the majority of workplace fatalities. Make sure that your employees know that the company has a zero-tolerance policy to alcohol and drug abuse on the job.

Remember that an employee who is under the influence of alcohol or drug is not only harming themselves but also poses a deadly safety risk to all around them.

Wrapping Up

Avoid these ten things in the workplace to make 2019 your safest year ever. Safix is one of the leading workplace safety solutions company in India. Our mission is keeping your workplace – employees, and infrastructure safe. Check out our other blog posts on tips on keeping your workplace safe, and get in touch with us to create a custom safety audit and safety plan for your business.