Maintaining a Safe Working Environment
Most workplace related injuries occur outside of emergency scenarios and are caused by badly kept and unorganized work environments. To ensure the safety of all employees, contractors and customers it is appropriate to maintain a tidy workplace free from clutter and obstruction. By maintaining a general philosophy of organization and cleanliness around the workplace in this manner avoidable injury can be minimized.
Keep Stairways and Elevators Safe
Elevators and Stairways are commonly used methods of transportation in multi-level workplaces. They are also amongst the most hazardous places and so it is important that steps be taken to minimize risks and ensure safety.
- Utilize signs to alert users of potential hazards when traversing stairs or operating elevators.
- Ensure that if an emergency does occur in a lift; that passengers are able to make their situation known to other members of the workplace and the emergency services.
- Always abide by all manufacturer guidelines when operating elevators such as weight limits and cargo types.
- Dangerous goods such as Nitrogen Oxide must travel in lifts unaccompanied as per government regulation.
- Stairways and elevators should be outfitted with safety equipment such as hand rails and grip pads.
- Never try to transport heavy or awkward loads down stairways alone.
Make sure that the workplace is clean
Maintaining a clean and organized work environment is the first step to assuring that the potential for accidents to occur is minimized. This includes ensuring that individual work stations are relatively clean and that there are no obstructions to important areas in the workplace such as fire exits.
- Conduct regular inspections of work stations and walkways to ensure that they are free from hazardous materials that could cause falling, slipping or chemical exposures.
- Ensure that all hazardous materials are disposed of correctly immediately after use
- Make rubbish bins readily available and easy to access for all employees.
- Arrange for Bins to be collected on a regular basis; making sure that any sensitive documents are disposed of securely.
- Clear ways particularly around blind corners should always be kept clear of obstruction
Educate your employees in safe handling
It is important that employees are aware of the various risks associated with the handling or lifting of materials that have the potential to cause injury. Depending on your work environment this may mean ensuring that employees can lift heavy objects correctly. Or that they wear the relevant safety gear when transporting hazardous substances.
- In workplaces where heavy lifting is a requirement; make trolleys or conveyor belts available to assist workers.
- Ensure that all workers understand how to lift heavy objects safely. This involves the correct technique and also an understanding of one’s limits.
- Create a work place culture where employees aren’t discouraged about asking for help. Injuries often arise when employees try to do tasks they are not prepared for or cannot do alone.
- Safety equipment should be available and utilized when handling hazardous materials. Signage should be employed to make the locations of this gear known to workers.
