Protecting your employees should be something your business puts at the top of its priorities. Having policies and procedures in place can help towards employee retention and increasing overall productivity levels.
When those who work for you know they’re being looked after and have all the protection and equipment they need, they know they’re working in an environment they want to come back to and is somewhere they feel safe.
But what can you do as an employer to make sure you’re doing everything you can for your workforce?
The importance of risk assessments
Risk assessments are a must in all businesses, whether you have three employees or 300, and regardless of whether you’re in construction, retail, or are office based. As a business, you have a duty of care to make sure your employees health, safety and welfare are looked after while they’re at work.
Identify the safety hazards
Start off by undertaking a risk assessment to spot possible health and safety hazards. Once any risks have been identified, you’ll need to work to make sure these are either mitigated or the risks significantly reduced.
If your business employs more than five people there must also be an official record of what the assessment finds, and the plans being put in place to deal with these risks. You’ll also need to create a formal health and safety policy that includes the above plans and arrangements.
Communication is key
It’s important to remember that communication is key throughout all of this. As a business owner, talk to your employees about any potential risks they or you have identified and what you’re going to collectively do to overcome these. This might be to run regular training sessions or hold yearly reviews of the policies you’ve put in place.
Providing the necessary equipment
No matter their jobs, providing your employees with the necessary equipment they need is your responsibility as a business owner. If they’re working in construction or industrial environments, you’ll want to consider providing them with the appropriate PPE equipment such as work gloves to keep them safe. Likewise if they work in an office, your workforce will need suppliers such as paper, pens and access to electrical points for their laptops and computers.
Health & safety experts in the workplace
Having a health and safety representative in your business is vital for a number of reasons. From keeping communication lines open between employees and senior management to always ensuring you’re on top of policies and procedures, a health and safety person on site can keep everyone and everything in check.
Danis Woods in Businessman, investment banker and stock exchange traders. On the same time he loves writing financial blogs to shed lights on different aspects that new and existing businessman are not aware of.
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