As a business owner, it is your responsibility to provide a safe working environment for your employees and customers. There are strict federal and state guidelines you are required to meet, but workplace safety goes beyond that. It is how you show that you care about the people who work for you. If your workplace could use some improvement when it comes to safety, here are three ways to move forward.
Set Goals
The first step to improve workplace safety at your business is to set goals. To do this you will first have to take inventory of the entire space. Scrutinize your workplace closely and take note of any areas of concern. There are online checklists that can help you do this. For example, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offers a self-inspection checklist for general industry that will help you know what things you should be looking for. Once you find the trouble spots, set specific goals for addressing them.
Make Continuous Improvements
People generally set goals in one of two ways. The first way is to set lofty, long-term goals. An example of this kind of goal would be to become 100% OSHA compliant within 6 months. The second way is to make continuous improvements through small, sustained goal-setting. This method is sometimes referred to as the Kaizen approach. Kaizen comes from the Japanese term which means continual improvement. Continuous improvement organizes your workplace and improves safety measures. For example, you might set the goal to put together a compliant first-aid kit within the week. Focusing on these smaller, easily attainable goals keeps you motivated and prevents you from feeling overwhelmed.
Enlist Help
Providing a safe workplace might be your responsibility, but becoming fully compliant is much too big of a job for a single person to accomplish alone. Enlisting help from your employees is beneficial in more ways than one. Of course, many hands make light work, and working together will go much faster. But another benefit is that your employees will feel more invested in creating a workplace culture of safety. This is important because getting compliant doesn’t mean you are finished. Workplace safety is an ongoing process that takes continual reminders and regular training.
You can make your business a safer place for you, your employees, and everyone who visits. The first step is to assess where changes need to be made. Next, set incremental goals that will lead to continuous improvement. Finally, enlist the help of your team. Being invested in workplace safety will help them make better choices long term.
Check out this article on why it can be costly to not insure your business!
LEGAL DISCLAIMER
Views expressed here do not constitute legal advice. The information contained herein is for general guidance of matter only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. Discussion of insurance policy language is descriptive only. Every policy has different policy language. Coverage afforded under any insurance policy issued is subject to individual policy terms and conditions. Please refer to your policy for the actual language.
