Workplace safety is one of the most prominent areas of concern for businesses, especially following the pandemic. When the economy is, in some ways, a question mark, your business can feel exceptionally fragile, and many business owners feel like they’re tiptoeing around, or perhaps carrying a tray of their grandmother’s fine china. They feel like they’re one accident away from going under.
Of course, if you’ve done your homework, you have adequate business insurance to cover any of these potential scenarios. Maybe your plan even includes general liability coverage and workers’ compensation coverage, but the truth is, the best kind of insurance plan is the kind you don’t ever have to use. Accordingly, in an effort to help prepare you and your business as best we can, the experts here at Weed Ross have put together the top six ways to improve safety in the workplace, so that hopefully, you don’t have to deal with any accidents at all.
In this article we will cover how to:
- Clearly Identify Workplace Hazards
- Establish a Practical Safety Plan
- Examine Accidents or Close Calls
- Practice With Emergency Drills
- Provide Helpful and Easily Visible Signs
- Thoroughly Train Your Employees
Clearly Identify Workplace Hazards
To avoid potential accidents and refrain from needing to use your business insurance coverages, it’s important to clearly identify workplace hazards. Examine your workplace carefully, regardless of what type of business operation you’re running. If you’re running a brewery, take note of how close valuable assets are to the containers. Could one leak ruin everything? Maybe you own a restaurant—is all of your equipment up to code? Take a look around the workplace environment, especially during business hours. Point out any task that could be performed more safely and set an example for your employees.
Establish a Practical Safety Plan
After you’ve identified workplace hazards and brought them to light, establish a practical and applicable safety plan amongst you and your employees. Brainstorm different ideas on how to operate the business more safely, and be sure your employees feel comfortable talking about feeling safe at work. The safety plan should be an ongoing concept that perpetually morphs and adapts along with the business. Be aware that the concept of “workplace safety” may change over time, and it is critical to adjust routines and guidelines as necessary.
Examine Accidents or Close Calls
When you elect a business insurance plan, many insurance professionals will analyze your business’s history with accidents. This is a good idea as the business owner as well, because you can learn an abundance of valuable information from previous scenarios. Get to the bottom of how the accident occurred and see if it could have been avoided. Even if it was simply a close call or a near miss, make sure your employees know to report these types of incidents in the name of future safety. By closely examining prior occurrences, your business can move ahead at full speed without fear of accident or injury.
Practice With Emergency Drills
Emergency drills are another crucial tactic to improve safety in the workplace. This important safety procedure helps prepare both you and your employees for dangerous potentialites. Let’s say you own and operate a marijuana dispensary—you may want to prepare yourself for dealing with theft, as this is a common threat in the retail industry. By practicing for these types of emergency scenarios, your employees will be less likely to panic if and when it actually does happen. And though many business insurance plans will cover things like theft, fires, property damage, and more, it’s always best to minimize your losses in the first place.
Provide Helpful and Easily Visible Signs
Set your business up for success with regard to safety and provide your workers with helpful and visible signs near any possible dangers or hazards. If you own and operate a business that frequently utilizes large, heavy machinery, be sure to post warning signs about any dangers associated with the equipment. Make instructions and warnings easy to understand so that your business doesn’t suffer major losses or injuries from a simple miscommunication. These types of accidents are devastating to businesses, especially because they are often quite costly and they can typically be easily avoided.
Thoroughly Train Your Employees
Last, but certainly not least, make sure to thoroughly train your employees on all of the necessary procedures. Most business insurance claims result from a lack of knowledge on a particular piece of equipment or process. But by establishing a concrete training program, carefully executing safety courses, and constantly educating your staff, you and your business can avoid having to use your business insurance coverages altogether. With proper protocols, substantial safety equipment and gear, and a knowledgeable staff, accidents in the workplace should essentially cease to exist.
Weed Ross has served its community for over 60 years, and we don’t plan on stopping any time soon. We want your business to succeed, because when it does, we prosper together. By keeping a safe work environment, we can avoid detrimental incidents and keep your business operating at peak performance. Additionally, we care about all of our clients—safety in the workplace is about more than just the business or the money. By keeping your workplace safe, you help keep our community safe, too. Contact Weed Ross today if you’re looking for more information on workplace safety, business insurance, or anything else you think we could help you with. Stay safe out there!
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