A Workplace Health and Safety Policy minimizes the risks and hazards employees can face. Anyone working a job that may bring injury or possible death are to be protected by employers. It is up to them to take each step to have a safe and healthy workplace environment.
Risk Assessments
All employers must create and undergo risk assessments. This will require the employer to identify everything within the business that could cause harm, how it would cause harm and who it would affect. Then, control measures need to be put in place to reduce those risks.
Once these measures are implemented, they need to be continuously reassessed, ensuring they cause the least harm. These findings should be recorded so they can always be referenced and the findings be kept up to date.
Health and safety also refer to an employee’s mental health which is taken much more seriously these days. It’s just as important for employers to understand the risks of occupational mental health as it is to understand the risks of physical health. Work-related stress could come from a heavy flow of customers or a busy work schedule, and if it is not addressed could be detrimental to the employee.
Health and Safety Training
Workplace Health and Safety Policies also include proper training for all employees. Training on how to use equipment and perform manual labor such as lifting and carrying heavy objects or products, how to use devices, and procedures to be taken in the event of a fire or a robbery are all necessary for a successful environment with reduced risk.
Team Communication
Communication between the employer and employee is crucial. The employer is required to have the proper equipment and work conditions and the safety of which is ensured by the employee’s correct use of equipment and workplace conduct. If there’s poor communication and misunderstandings, these measures can’t be implemented correctly. In addition, expectations of the employee must be communicated as their actions affect their own individual safety and the safety of others around them.
Benefits of a Safe and Healthy Workplace
There are many benefits to properly addressing and mitigating workplace hazards and risks. A workplace with low risks to a person’s physical and mental health brings a positive work environment with higher productivity and higher performance. It increases job satisfaction and lowers employee absenteeism. Workplace Health and Safety is required by employees, but it also brings the best results for a great team and service station.
If you need help and advice regarding the health and safety of your staff and customers, reach out to us for help.