Whether your workplace is an office, or somewhere like a retail environment where you’ve got people coming and going all the time, it’s important to prevent accidents. While most workplace accidents are minor, they can be hugely disruptive, and even a small accident can have terrible consequences. Follow the steps below and you can avoid some of the most common types of workplace accidents and cut down on sick days too.
Keep your workplace clean
A clean workplace will be much safer than one that’s grubby and dirty for lots of reasons. Also, cleanliness can help stop the spread of illnesses, keeping staff safe. It’s worth investing in equipment such as large area commercial vacuum cleaners so that you can be sure the floor is cleaned to a high standard. And if you don’t have cleaners coming in regularly, booking a few sessions weekly or for one-off cleans can make a big difference.
Some areas that your cleaners should really focus on include:
- Flooring
- Surfaces – especially areas where people prepare or eat food
- Bathrooms – these can get especially grimy when your colleagues are using them all day
- Meeting rooms or anywhere where people are in an enclosed space
Keeping a clean workplace helps lessen the germs in the atmosphere, so means fewer sick days, and the spread of things like the common cold can be slowed down.
Remove clutter and rubbish
Removing clutter from your workplace makes it easier to clean. This is because the less stuff you have, the easier it is to clean and sanitise surfaces such as desks and shelves. Also, clutter can cause trips and falls, which can be extremely dangerous. There are manybenefits to hiring rubbish removal firms, and they can make it much easier to do a big declutter and completely overhaul your workplace.
Also, consider going paper-free. Paper is one of the biggest sources of clutter in the workplace, from paper files to printers. Switch to screens and you’ll take up much less space.
Invest in training
Investing in training your staff can be an excellent way to cut down on workplace accidents. From inexperienced people using machinery, to people not knowing health and safety protocols, there are lots of reasons why training is so important to invest in. Think about the potential knowledge gaps your staff may have and put together a plan to fill them. If you do have an accident on-site, use it as an example in training to prevent it happening again.
Take workplace health and safety seriously
Many workplaces don’t take health and safety seriously, especially if they haven’t had a serious accident on site. It’s worth visiting the Safe Work Australia website to find out policies you’ll need to put in place. They have all sorts of advice available and guidelines you’ll need to follow to have a safe workplace.
Encourage remote working
One thing that COVID has taught us is that colds and flu are greatly reduced when people work from home. While remote working doesn’t have to be a permanent thing, if you offer options such as hybrid working, that’s fewer people in the office each day. This means if people get sick, it spreads much more slowly, so you can cut down on absences.
There are many things you can do to prevent illnesses and accidents in the workplace. Most workplaces need to examine the way they work and operate and put changes in place to make a healthier environment. From accidents to colds and flu, there are lots of things that you can do to improve workplace health and cut down on absence, while keeping employees happy.