10 common health and safety mistakes companies make
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Are you making these mistakes with your company’s health and safety? Below are 10 common mistakes that companies make and what you should be doing instead.
Rushing training
Poor training is a major cause of accidents. Certain tasks could be dangerous to your employees or your customers if not carried out correctly. Make sure that you’re thoroughly training your employees – especially when it comes to tasks where there is a risk of injuring someone or making someone sick.
Not having a qualified first aider on site
If someone gets seriously injured, it could be essential to have someone trained in first aid on site who can attend to the person’s injuries while the paramedics arrive. Many companies don’t have a qualified first aider on site. Getting first aid qualifications is simple – you can do training and take your test now online.
Not stocking up the first aid kit
The workplace first aid kit needs to be kept fully stocked up. It’s worth checking your first aid kit to make sure that you’ve got enough plasters and bandages – there’s no point having an empty first aid kit.
Forgoing machinery maintenance
Injuries can sometimes be caused by machinery faults. By regularly inspecting your machinery, you can detect any problems early and get them fixed before they become a danger. This is particularly important with things like construction machinery, manufacturing machinery and kitchen machinery.
Overlooking important signs and labels
Signs and labels can help to alert people of hazards. It’s worth using signs all around your workplace to identify potential hazards – no matter how obvious. When it comes to packaging, labelling is particularly important for pointing out hazards. In some cases, labelling hazards on packaging could even be a legal requirement, which is something worth researching.
Providing inadequate PPE
Many companies fail to buy the right personal protective equipment (PPE) or don’t keep their PPE in good condition. Make sure that your PPE meets industry standards and inspect it regularly to make sure that it is still effective at providing protection. This is particularly important with equipment like helmets and gloves.
Not guarding against RSIs
A RSI (repetitive strain injury) is an injury that develops over a long period as a result of repetitive strain on the body. For example, an uncomfortable office chair could cause back pain over time, while not wearing earplugs in a noisy environment could lead to hearing loss. Make sure to consider the risk of long-term health problems and not just immediate dangers.
Overworking employees
Forcing employees to work for long hours without a break can lead to poor concentration and fatigue. This increases the risk of mistakes that could lead to injuries. Make sure that your employees are getting regular breaks and not working overly long shifts.
Not testing alarms
It’s all very well having smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms, but have you tested them to check that they actually work? It’s worth testing your alarms regularly so that if there is a problem, you know that your alarms will alert you.
Not reporting accidents
It’s a legal requirement that all serious workplace accidents are recorded in a logbook and reported to the HSE. Failure to do so could result in some big fines, or even a prison sentence. Make sure that you’re following these rules.
