Keeping employees happy and healthy is important, but so is keeping them safe. A happy, healthy employee is also a safer employee. Safe workplaces are productive workplaces. It’s even more crucial for small business owners since they usually have limited resources to manage their office space, hire additional staff or bring in contractors. To help you get started on the right foot, we’ve compiled some advice on how you can become a safer workplace with these simple health and safety tips for small businesses.
Hire A Health And Safety Officer
Every company should have a dedicated health and safety officer. Hiring a health and safety officer can be a great way to manage risk. The health and safety officer will be responsible for tasks like conducting risk assessments, developing policies, training staff, conducting audits, and monitoring and managing incidents. An experienced health and safety professional will know the best way to execute these tasks and keep your company compliant with relevant regulations.
Develop A Health And Safety Policy
This is the cornerstone of any successful health and safety program. A health and safety policy should be a top priority for your organisation and be followed by everyone, including owners. The policy should include many aspects, such as safety assessments, reporting and record-keeping, personal protective equipment (PPE), emergency response, and first aid. As part of developing your health and safety policy, you should also have a written method statement. The method statement is a record of the procedures and processes that are used in the workplace. It will make it easy for you to conduct risk assessments, evaluate compliance, and find areas for improvement. When looking to create a method statement during the health and safety policy development stage, you can find plenty of helpful advice and a method statement template at HS Direct.
Perform Risk Assessments Regularly
As part of your ongoing health and safety program, you should perform risk assessments on a regular basis. Risk assessments are vital because they help you identify all potential hazards in the workplace and let you know what you can do to reduce or eliminate them. For example, you might identify areas where proper storage of first aid supplies is lacking. Keeping essential medical equipment organized and easy to locate can significantly improve response times during workplace incidents, making it worthwhile to install secure and accessible Medical cabinets to ensure compliance and readiness in case of emergency.
Train Your Staff On Health And Safety Procedures
Employees must be trained on the proper way to do their jobs and how to protect themselves from hazards in the workplace. This can be done through online training modules, in-person workshops, or printed guides. Providing regular training can help employees stay focused on their work, make better decisions on a daily basis, and reduce the risk of them becoming injured or ill because they know what they need to be doing and how to avoid potential hazards.
Include Policies For Mental Health
While it’s important to take physical health seriously, it’s also important to take mental health seriously. which is why it should be included when you’re creating your health and safety policies. As well as having dedicated first aid officers, you should also invest in mental health first aid personnel. A mental health policy can cover topics such as how often you expect employees to take breaks, how an employee can request additional breaks if needed, how an employee can request flexible work hours, and how to report any manager that is creating an unhelpful work environment.