How You Can Remove The Hazards From Your Workplace

Every workplace has its own hazards, whether they are physical like trips and falls, or chemical hazards – both of which can cause serious harm to employees. No matter which hazards your workplace faces, there is a legal responsibility as an employer to protect employees and put their safety first.

Typical Workplace Hazards

A hazard is a workplace health and safety risk that has the potential to cause a member of staff harm. Depending on the industry, there will be more hazards in some workplaces than others. However, even the smallest of businesses should complete a full risk assessment and make employee safety a priority.

Working At Height is a common cause of workplace accidents, accounting for 14% of fatalities in 2014, according to OSHA. Standards related to scaffolding and ladders, as well as lack of training to use this equipment, are regularly cited reasons as to why so many of these incidents occur.

Untidy office spaces also put employees at risk, predominantly when fire exits and corridors become blocked by clutter or wet floor signs cannot be located to warn employees about hazards.

Electrical Hazards, such as using multiple extension cords, or failing to PAT test electrical goods are also typical workplace risks. Failure to maintain electrical hazards can potentially result in a fire, or become a trip hazard. Approximately 80% of businesses that have had a serious fire are likely to go out of business within three years, so being fire smart and managing electrical hazards is crucial.

Chemical Hazards can often be overlooked, owing to the small size of the bottles, but certain chemicals can become unstable over time if not correctly maintained. Having a control system in place to manage stocks and expiration dates is just one step in ensuring employee welfare, along with the provision of safety equipment, like goggles.

Risk Assessments

A risk assessment should be an integral part of setting up your business, as this allows you to identify hazards in your workplace and put measures in place to control them.

Once risks have been acknowledged, actions such as setting up training for staff members, using signs to highlight risks and investing in reliable safety equipment can be taken. Taking these steps will not only increase employee welfare, but is likely to improve their well-being, therefore resulting in low staff turnover.

Safety First!

We hope that this has given you the motivation you need to remove the hazards from your workplace and maintain a safe environment for your staff.

Let us know how you manage the hazards in your workplace by tweeting us @ImpTraining.