All workplaces should have health and safety regulations in place to protect workers, visitors, and customers from hazards and injury. In 2019/20, 65,427 injuries to employees were reported under RIDDOR resulting in 38.8 million working days lost due to work-related illness and injury. In total, there was 1.6 million working people who suffered from work-related illness and a whopping 693,000 sustained injury at work according to the Labour Force Survey.
Having a solid health and safety regulation in place is a big task and falls on the shoulders of the health and safety officers, the employer, directors, managers, and staff of all levels in the company. Employees should follow the rules in place to avoid injury in the workplace. So, what can employers do to reduce the risk of injury?
Carry Out A Risk Assessment
The employer should carry out a risk assessment to inspect the workplace and highlight any risks. This should include who is most at risk and what they can do to reduce it. Additionally, regular testing of the equipment should take place to ensure they are in good working use. Once these risks have been identified, measures should be put into place to protect staff from harm.
Provide Staff With Training
Regular training should also be provided to staff to create a safe working environment. Training ensures staff are aware of potential risks in the workplace and understand what they can do to avoid injury to themselves and other members of the team. A reporting system should be in place, so staff are aware on how to raise concern about a potential hazard that needs tackling.
Provide PPE
Providing staff with the correct personal protective equipment is important to lower the risk of injury. Ear plugs should be provided if workers are working near loud machinery, steel toe cap boots to protect feet from debris or fallen objects, high-vis jacket to stay visible in high traffic areas, hard hats to protect the head from falling debris/objects, and more.
Display Posters Around The Workplace
Posters highlighting the health and safety rules ensures staff are always aware of the regulations. These can also include what PPE need to be worn to enter certain parts of the workplace.
These regulations apply to all employees in the company and it’s important that staff follow the rules in place to reduce injury to themselves or others in the workplace. Having an effective reporting system means employers can identify potential hazards and conduct a risk assessment to ensure this doesn’t cause harm to staff.
*collaborative post
