Workplace safety is essential for any business. Individuals who run organizations understand the importance of creating and safe work environment. Leaders are responsible for their staff’s safety and to provide a comfortable and safe work environment. This type of environment promotes company morale and improves overall functionality. It should the focus of any well-oiled business to have a focus on safety.

1. Safety Education

Having well-thought-out safety procedures and educating your employees on those procedures ensures the whole team that the company values and prioritizes safety in the workplace.

A risk assessment should be done. This is the systematic process of evaluating the potential risk that may be involved in an envisaged activity or undertaking. A thorough staff safety training and drilling program should also be implemented.

The United States Occupational Health and Safety Administration state that:

“A positive (safety) incentive program encourages or rewards workers for reporting injuries, illnesses, near-misses, or hazards; and/or recognizes, rewards, and thereby encourages worker involvement in the safety and health management system.”

2. Training Methods

An effective safety training program should have a clear outline and well-defined goals. It should be easily accessible and comprehensible while instilling motivation and morale. Safety education and training can be done in various ways, including:

3. Face to Face Instruction

Face to face instruction is a valuable and memorable way to educate your staff on safety procedures. In-person conversations and eye contact are usually the most impactful communication methods.

4. Written Materials

Providing written materials or courses from accredited organizations is another excellent safety training method. Employees can then complete the programs or curriculums in their own time.

5. Online Tutorials

Online tutorials or classes are an immediate resource. They often offer unique reports for each individual from which you can track progress on their completion of the program.

6. Third-Party

You can send workers to a third-party safety class for training, drilling, team building, safety checks, and routines, as well as competency and leadership.

One way to encourage participation in these safety training programs is to offer fun incentives or rewards. This can be a means of promoting camaraderie in the workplace while teaching the principles and routines of safety.

7. Safety Topics

Presenting the safety training in a clear and dynamic manner is vital to helping your employees comprehend and absorb the information. You may use some of these methods of presentation during training.

8. Charts and Graphs

Showing statistics, pie charts, and graphs of actual injuries before and after an implemented safety program, production increases, and other important metrics can help emphasize the importance of safety education.

9. Mutual Communication

This can serve as a useful time to hear and address the safety concerns of your employees – concerns that might be unique to the employee or your business.

10. Workers’ Safety Rights

It is important to remind workers that they have workers’ rights and safety is part of that. Sharing that you care and ensuring that their rights and concerns will be met will boost company morale and confidence. Having happy employees positively correlates with business functionality and success.

11. Sharing Stories

Telling testimonials of an injury is a good way to inspire workplace safety. Sharing wins and success stories after safety training programs also provide positive reinforcement.

12. Assessments and Checks

Requiring employees to complete risk assessments and injury reports is vital to keeping up with safety liabilities and will ensure your employees that they will be taken care of in the case of injury or emergency.