Welp MagazineHealth and safety must be a priority for every business owner. Not only is it your legal obligation to provide a safe work environment for your team, but it is also important for peace of mind and so that you and your team can work with confidence. There are health and safety issues in all industries, but particularly on worksites where there are many hazards. So, what are the best practices for health and safety at work?
Risk Assessment
A risk assessment is the best way to identify the hazards that exist in your current workplace or on a worksite. This should always be carried out by an expert as they will be able to spot hazards that you may miss. Once you have identified the hazards, you can then find ways to mitigate these or eliminate them entirely.
Write a Health & Safety Policy
Businesses need to have a written health and safety policy by law, but it is also important for communicating the key procedures set out to mitigate and remove risk from the work that employees carry out. Make sure that this policy is clear and easily accessible by all staff members.
Provide Training
Most accidents and injuries occur in the workplace due to negligence or mistake. This is why staff need to have sufficient training so that they can carry out their role both properly and safely. In addition to this, you should also provide specific health and safety training so that people know how to respond in an emergency. According to Protex AI’s guide on avoiding near misses and hazards in the workplace, employers should provide training on how to safely use dangerous equipment and handle hazardous materials.
Provide Adequate Lighting & Heating
It is also important to provide a safe and comfortable working environment for your team. This should include sufficient lighting so that people can carry out their work safely and heating so that people can work comfortably.
Provide Facilities
Following on from this, it is also important to provide your team with the necessary facilities so that they can work comfortably each day. This will include easy access to toilets, washing facilities and areas for breaks and refreshments.
Working on a Worksite
Extra care needs to be taken when it comes to health and safety if you have staff working on a work site. In addition to all of the above, you need to make sure that staff have easy access to high-quality PPE at all times so you need to find a reliable PPE supplier. You also need to keep the worksite tidy at all times, put signage around the worksite and maintain the tools and equipment that is being used.
These are the best practices for health and safety that should allow you to provide a safe work environment for your team. Health and safety must be a priority for all businesses, especially in hazardous industries like construction.
