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4 Workplace Safety Tips That Don’t Require Extra Equipment

Feb 11, 2013 5:41:00 AM

There are certain items you automatically associate with workplace safety tips. Whenever anyone offers advice on safety, you assume they’ll be talking about safety goggles, high-visibility jackets, hard-hats and handrails. Those are vital building blocks in creating a safer work environment. Of course none of these measures provide guaranteed workplace safety.

To truly ensure that your employees are safe you need something extra, alongside the standard equipment. There are four key measures you can implement alongside your standard safety practice that don’t require a single piece of equipment.

Training

No matter how good your safety equipment is, nothing is foolproof. The equipment alone isn’t enough; your staff need to know how to use it. Taking that one step further, your staff should be fully trained on safe workplace practice. Every piece of work your employees engage in should be done in a safe and careful manner.

Ongoing safety training is also a great place to share workplace safety tips. If the training is executed in a seminar style, you can empower your staff to take control of their own workplace safety.

Distractions

Cutting out distractions is a great way to increase workplace safety without adding new equipment or extra costs. Anything that draws an employee’s attention away from their work could also make them unsafe. It’s important that you create a clear policy on workplace distractions. Cell phone use should be heavily restricted, especially for staff operating heavy machinery. You should also ensure that employees are required to stop working whenever they need to discuss something with a colleague or receive on the job training.

Incentives

Improving workplace safety doesn’t always have to be focused on the negatives. You don’t always have to scare employees into safe practice by talking about the dangers lurking in their every day duties. Instead you can make a positive step by incentivizing safety. Offering incentives and creating safety targets will encourage your staff to strive for safety, rather than just doing what’s required to avoid personal injury.

Culture

The most effective way keep staff safe is to create a culture of workplace safety. You can do this by encouraging staff to talk about safety and empowering them to do the right thing. Safety at work doesn’t just mean avoiding injury, factors like employee morale, employee health and workplace dynamics all have an effect. By putting health and safety at the core of everything you do, you will naturally create a safer work environment.

If you are looking for workplace safety advice, Gibson can help. Contact us here

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Written by Gibson

Gibson is a team of risk management and employee benefits professionals with a passion for helping leaders look beyond what others see and get to the proactive side of insurance. As an employee-owned company, Gibson is driven by close relationships with their clients, employees, and the communities they serve. The first Gibson office opened in 1933 in Northern Indiana, and as the company’s reach grew, so did their team. Today, Gibson serves clients across the country from offices in Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Utah.