In 2023, there were 5,283 fatal workplace safety incidents. There were 2.6 million nonfatal workplace safety incidents. Those are some huge—and preventable—numbers. Which goes to show that businesses need to do more to improve health and safety in the workplace.
Why does health and safety in the workplace matter?
We spend more time working than we do with our loved ones, especially when you add in overtime. Don’t employees deserve to feel safe when they’re at work?
Well, it makes you wonder when you see that only 63% of employees feel that their employer thinks physical safety at work is extremely important. 75% of employees believe that their employer thinks the company reputation is more important than safety. And, 68% think their employer values the bottom line more.
Employees don’t feel things are changing, either. 59% of employees don’t think their employer has increased physical safety efforts in the last year. At best, they’ve stagnated.
If employees feel worried about their safety, there’s no way they’ll be able to be at their best. Anxiety is an energy suck. Even if an employee only worries subconsciously, that’s still draining. Which can then lead to more accidents as their anxiety distracts them from the job. A little bit of training around health and safety in the workplace can go a long way towards reassuring them that they, and their job, are safe.
Tips to improve health and safety in the workplace
Here are some ways to improve employee health and safety in the workplace.
Use effective equipment
The quality of your safety equipment is a small but important step toward improving health and safety in the workplace.
Consider the masks worn during Covid. They had to meet certain standards to be considered medical-grade and protect staff from getting sick.
But the UK government lost £1.4 billion (about $1.8 billion) on unusable personal protective equipment (PPE) during Covid. All because they didn’t check that what they were buying was compliant. Over half of the surgical gowns purchased weren’t checked until after they’d expired, either. So most of that tax payer money was lost.
You don’t want to fall into the same trap.
Make sure any safety equipment you purchase for your employees will actually protect them from what it should. And check this before any warrantees or expiration dates pass so that if they’re unsuitable, you can get a refund.
Using the best equipment will also mean that you’re protected from potential lawsuits because someone got sick or injured due to improper equipment.
Keep policies up to date
Any health and safety in the workplace policies should be regularly updated to ensure they’re legally compliant. In addition, be sure that any new information has been added, and the right contact details are included. It can help to have a review date for policies, such as every three years.
Hold regular training sessions
Want to reduce workers’ compensation claims? Health and safety in the workplace training can do just that by up to 42%. That’s a huge reduction in costs for any business at risk, or that puts its employees at risk.
While people may roll their eyes at health and safety in the workplace training, or regular refreshers, they’re important. It’s easy to forget the little things.
For instance, experienced drivers often fall into bad habits like not checking their mirrors enough, or taking one hand off the steering wheel. (Don’t tell me you don’t know someone who does this. We all do.)
Reminding your employees of basic safety procedures keeps them, their teammates, and your business, safe.
Training doesn’t have to be a boring explainer video, either. In fact, if you want employees to remember a training session’s content, it shouldn’t be.
Interactive training such as an in-person workshop, or even a quiz or a game, helps everyone remember what they’ve learned. That way, you’re not just talking at them; they’re actively participating in the learning process.
It’s a bit like how we don’t remember as much of what AI tells us compared to when we do the research ourselves. The more work we put into doing something, the more it sticks.
Ensure employees feel safe to report incidents
If something does go wrong, the impacted employees (especially those who reported it) need to feel safe to talk about it. They shouldn’t fear consequences for reporting something, expressing concern for their colleagues, or being involved in an incident.
Managers and HR should always be accessible, too. This is true broadly, but especially when it comes to health and safety in the workplace. Otherwise, issues can linger and get worse, meaning preventable accidents become inevitabilities.
Have a review process if something does go wrong
You need a clear review process to prevent the same incident from happening again.
Think of it like black boxes in airplanes. Those almost indestructible devices collect so much data on what’s going on that the aviation industry can make things safer for future flights once the investigation is complete.
While most companies can’t have a literal black box, you can have an airtight investigation into any health and safety in the workplace incidents. That means your business comes out with a safety-first reputation that will help you attract better talent, save money on compensation claims (the average is $40,000), and improve your business brand.
Have a place to ask questions
Employees need a safe place where they can ask health and safety in the workplace questions. This prevents issues from arising in the future and means they can learn from their colleagues’ experiences. It’s a great way to connect employees across your organization and share wisdom.
It’s much better for employees to feel comfortable asking what may be perceived as “stupid” questions than for something to go wrong and cost them, their colleagues, and/or your business because they were embarrassed to ask.
You could create a knowledge base and/or employee group where they can ask questions, for example.
Employee groups are excellent places to set up and organize mentoring programs, giving your more experienced colleagues a place to support newer recruits.
Or, you could connect employees with similar backgrounds that might make work more challenging, like new parents.
Need help managing your employee initiatives like groups or mentoring programs? Workrowd can help. Our one-stop shop keeps all your employee initiatives in one place. That way, it’s easy for team members to find and make the most of everything you offer.
Conclusion
Health and safety in the workplace doesn’t have to be a minefield. With considered, regularly updated policies and training procedures that everyone follows, work can become a safer, more welcoming, and more productive environment for every employee.
Want to make it easier for team members to learn about your employee initiatives, safety-focused and otherwise? Check out Workrowd. One place, everything an employee needs. Get in touch today to book your free demo.
