Ways to a more Safety Conscious Office

If you were asked about office safety, there is no doubt you would be able to list off a string of safety precautions that are in your company manual.  While those look great in writing, are they being put into practice? 

Just having a written safety policy will not keep people from being hurt. You need to make sure you are taking an active effort to keep your employees harm free. Here are some ways:

1. First Aid Training – No office wants any sort of accident where someone gets hurt, but if it were to happen, are your staff trained to help a hurt colleague? Basic First Aid training should be offered to all of your employees so they will know what to do in the event of an emergency.  By knowing what to do, and what not to do, an employee’s injuries may be kept from becoming worse.
2. Lessen Stress – While some think that stress is a ‘mental problem’, it also has many physical ramifications. Stress can lead to illnesses, keeping an employee from being able to attend work. At work stress can cause an employee to be less focused and more prone to making mistakes in which they, or someone else, can be hurt. Offer stress management seminars or even known stress reduction courses, such as yoga, or a quiet break room where they can take short time-outs as necessary.
3. Know Your Risks – While you may think you know all there is to know about the risks facing your workplace, there are a lot of things you may not notice that are threats. Once in a while, it pays to call in a professional. There are plenty of risk assessment groups that will come into your business and look for any potential threats that you had not noticed.
4. Learn Safety Laws – There is nothing to get your mind noticing problems like really knowing what the laws are.  Keep on top of the safety laws relating to your industry. The more you know, the more you may notice what needs to be fixed or improved in your workplace.
5. Routine is the Enemy – It’s too easy to get used to the routine of the workday. As you go through the mechanics of the job, you may not be noticing problems. Mix up your work schedule to help avoid this. In addition to keeping from complacency, you could also be keeping yourself from suffering with repeat work strain injuries.