Pop quiz: what’s the safest time of year, during which your employees are least likely to experience a fall on the jobsite? If your answer was “never,” congratulations. You’re better-versed in workplace safety than you think. You’re probably also more than a bit frustrated since fall risks on-site mean liability exposure, lost productivity, and the chance of catastrophic injuries. If you’re trying to keep your employees safe from harm, Safety International has seven simple and easy-to-follow tips.
Audit Your Workplace
Take the time to outline your existing safety program, and the training by which you implement it. Compare what you’re doing to the current best practices and regulations for your industry. Review the past results of your program, training, and results, then follow up by making changes as appropriate. Not sure where to start? Request a workplace safety audit.
Make a Plan
Each project starts as a blank slate full of opportunities, but also potentially rife with dangers. Knowing the contours of a project before you start helps you to better plan and prepare for the potential problems that could arise through robust safety program management.
Equip Properly
Just as projects differ, so too will the fall prevention measures you implement. Guardrails and netting can be helpful when working with scaffolding, for instance, but may not be enough on their own. PPE and fall arrest systems should also be part of your arsenal, as should proper ladders, tool carriers, lifts, and other gear that minimize reaching.
Train Properly
Of course, you could have a shed load of equipment, and might know the OSHA regulations better than you know your own family. But unless your employees know how and when to use the gear with which you’ve provided them, you’re not fully equipping them for safety. A good safety training program pulls it all together.
Research and Refine
Workplace safety is not static. Best practices, gear, and training all evolve. Your workplace and your workers must also evolve for their own good. Take the time to educate them, and yourself, on the state of the art.
Know Your Fall Protocols
Even the best-trained and best-equipped workplaces can still experience falls and other accidents. While the gold standard is always to prevent these events in the first place, it’s vital that we plan for the worst just in case.
Practice Your Procedures
Even if you’ve done all of the steps above, this step may be the most important of all. It’s not enough to identify and address problem areas; it’s just as important to make sure your employees periodically practice the procedures you put in place. The benefit here is twofold. First, you’ll be able to identify shortcomings in your programs and adjust accordingly. Second, you’ll help your team develop habits that keep them safe on-site every day.
Getting Help
There’s one more thing to bear in mind. We alluded earlier to designing a robust worker safety program. It’s not something we suggest doing on your own since there can be pitfalls in taking that approach. No matter how much you know and how carefully you’ve planned, you’re practically guaranteed to leave something out. We can conduct a workplace safety audit and design a workplace safety program that’s engaging and effective. Why not call Safety International today to see how we can help you?
