If you’re in charge of keeping your employees safe and healthy at work, you know that this task isn’t always easy. However, there are tons of ways to improve health and safety in the workplace, many of which don’t cost any money at all, and even more that will save you money in the long run by helping your employees get their jobs done more efficiently or by reducing risk of illness or injury from accidents. Check out these 9 ways to improve safety in the workplace and give your workers the tools they need to stay safe and healthy on the job!
Below are some Ideas to Improve Safety in the Workplace:
Ideas to Improve Safety in the Workplace
1. Adopt an Open-Door Policy
When you have an open-door policy, it’s easier for your employees to discuss their concerns with you. They’ll be more likely to bring up health and safety issues if they know you won’t overreact. If a problem is small, address it as soon as possible; If it’s more serious, start a discussion about what can be done about it.
2. Build Relationships Between all Employees
One of the most impactful ways you can improve workplace safety is by improving relationships between all employees. One way to do that is by emphasizing regular team-building events and sessions.
When you build healthy relationships among team members, you get employees working better together. When your employees feel more like a family and less like a group of people who happen to work together, they become much more willing to watch out for each other’s safety.
Businesses and employers can help by supporting family-friendly workplace policies and making sure all employees feel valued, appreciated, and supported.
3. Set Clear Expectations
Managers and supervisors need to create a safety-minded work environment by setting clear expectations around behavior. Set clear rules, put them in writing, and give workers an idea of what is expected from them. People respond better when they know what is expected. This will not only improve safety but it will increase efficiency as well.
Supervisors also need to be held accountable for their actions. If they don’t enforce safety rules or fail to create a safe work environment, then they shouldn’t be able to shift blame when accidents occur. The reality is that it’s not up to workers alone to ensure their safety. Management has a role too. One way management can do its part is by encouraging regular worker feedback and suggestions from all members of your team.
4. Focus on Details
The CDC estimates that 4.5 million people are injured or made ill from workplace hazards every year. However, most workplace injuries and illnesses are preventable if we focus on details. By focusing on little things like creating a safe place to store hazardous materials, keeping good housekeeping, and creating an environment that encourages workers to speak up when they see something dangerous—we can improve our safety record and make work safer for everyone.
5. Use Analytics to Spot Patterns
Measuring and analyzing your company’s health and safety data can help you figure out which risk factors contribute most to incidents. For example, if employees at one location keep getting hurt on a specific machine, you may need new safety equipment or processes to reduce that risk factor. Once you’ve identified key risk factors, it’s time for improvement strategies.
Evaluate each idea based on your resources – Once you’ve identified possible ways to improve workplace safety, it’s time to evaluate them based on your resources. Consider how much money and time each idea will require and how long it might take for measurable improvements. And think about how these improvement efforts align with other strategic goals and objectives within your organization.
6. Communicate Clearly About What’s Working
Now that you’ve identified your company’s areas of improvement, communicate clearly with staff about how they can improve. Give specific feedback on what’s working and what needs improvement, and offer actionable suggestions for improvement. If you have a company newsletter or intranet, publish before and after photos of problem areas so staff can see what needs work; consider using an app like Onsite or Jobvite to collect anonymous feedback from employees about improvements they want.
7. Ask for Feedback from Everyone Involved
Before you introduce any of these ideas into your work life, talk with everyone involved. You might be surprised at what you hear and gain new insights into ways you can improve things that might not have occurred to you. Approach each person personally—not via email—and explain what inspired your idea. Schedule a time when it’s convenient for them so they can give their input without feeling rushed or pressured. Explain how their feedback will impact the final product and encourage them to voice whatever concerns they have about implementing changes.
8. Encourage Collaboration Between Teams
As part of our research, we found that many workers said their primary job was to get out of work alive. The team dynamics at these sites weren’t conducive to safety; workers were more focused on beating deadlines and staying ahead of one another than they were on collaboration. So when you’re looking for ways to improve workplace safety, look for opportunities to encourage collaboration among teams. This not only creates a safer work environment but also fosters trust and transparency between your employees.
Encourage good communication between management and employees: A good safety culture starts at the top. If your team’s leaders aren’t encouraging employees to communicate openly and honestly about safety issues, it’s unlikely you’ll ever create a truly safe workplace. The best way to encourage open lines of communication is by creating a culture where you make it clear that employees will be heard. And hearing them means doing something about their concerns.
9. Reward Good Behavior
There’s no question about it—keeping your staff happy is one of the most important aspects of running a successful business. But what do you do when you have a safety issue on your hands and a bunch of annoyed, disgruntled employees? A word of caution: don’t throw around threats or ultimatums; that may help with short-term compliance, but over time it will hurt employee morale, which is exactly what you want to avoid. Instead, give recognition where it’s due.
Managers can take an active role by giving employees praise when they’ve exhibited good behavior that protects their health and safety. It’s best if managers create a system where employees can be rewarded in public, such as with name-calling over a loudspeaker, so everyone knows who’s getting recognized for doing a good job.
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