An employee safety training is one of those things we understand they’re critical, however what makes an employee safety training particularly efficient? Begin by covering 7 vital aspects that are applicable to almost every vertical.
Where shall I begin with an employee safety training program
In the United Kingdom there are official guidelines for all businesses when it comes to employee safety training programs. The below are 7 industry-wide aspects that you should cover in your employee safety training program:
- Workspace or office ergonomics
- Online safety and security
- Water safety
- Workspace or office violence prevention
- Worker’s resources
- Environmental safety
- Equipment safety
Every single one of the above employee safety training topics are an essential part of your business-wide commitment to keeping the employees (and your business) safe.
Workspace or office ergonomics
Perhaps your employees usually work in a cushy workplace or office with windows that cannot be opened and A/C or climate controlled conditions. What can possibly go wrong?
It is true that risks of injury when working in an office are insignificant when compared to workers working on a construction site, ergonomic workspace injuries can cost your business real money in compensation claims and loss of productivity.
Studies estimate that ergonomic injuries have an annual cost of around 50 billion dollars per year in the US, while direct costs are approximately half of that number. The per-person direct costs of the most common ergonomic injuries are:
- Inflammation: Approximately $32,000
- The carpal tunnel syndrome: Approximately $28,000
- Strain: Approximately $32,000
- Sprain: Approximately $28,000
- Hernia: Approximately $23,000
These 5 conditions made up around 35% of all office injuries in 2012. Ergonomic workspace safety training, even if it’s not not fancy or exciting, might be the best investment your firm makes.
Train your employees on how to lift, sit, and move throughout their day so that you will be rewarded with less sick days, lowered healthcare associated costs, as well as happier employees.
Online safety and security
Online safety training protects your workers, your clients, and your firm by making sure your workers are following the industry best practices when it comes to the online activity. This include following any guidelines for protecting sensitive information but also covers things like access passwords and two-step verification processes.
Water safety
There are several systems available to supply cold and hot water services to premises as well as outdoor work facilities. These range in size and complexity and some require the storage of cold water or hot water or both. Water outlets that produce droplets or aerosols can expose workers to Legionella bacteria in case the water is contaminated. Contaminated showers are often associated with cases of legionellosis but taps and flushing the toilet could lead to an aerosol and thus infection.
In case an office or workspace has a water system that might be at risk of Legionella growth, this needs to be controlled by taking a few steps that are applicable to most occupations. Developing a Legionella risk assessment and applying controls is essential. Offering Legionella training programs to key members of staff is also a great control measure.
Workspace or office violence prevention
The statistics on domestic violence that actually seeps into the office or workspace are sobering. Women in the workspace are overwhelmingly the clear target of this kind of workspace violence. Recent studies of domestic violence survivors have found that around 75% of them were harassed in the office or workspace. Homicide is the leading cause of death for women at work.
Therefore our employee safety training program needs to include strategies for workspace violence prevention. This can actually save the employees’ life.
Worker’s resources
The safety topics for office employees, outlining available worker resources for mental as well as physical health may be the most pro-active step you could take.
In the past, employee resources consisted of just a few pamphlets from the HR department about mental wellbeing and at times about substance abuse, with a brief and simple training on being healthy. Nowadays, business owners and managers are recognizing the need of supporting workers with the challenges they are facing, both on and off the job.
If your business has a great mental health support policy, share it with your employees. Perhaps you offer incentives for exercise or include your workers in physical fundraising challenges. Make those benefits a part of your recruitment approach and your workers will understand that you are a company that actually cares. Workers who feel valued will often work harder and be more productive for your business.
Environmental safety
Environmental safety is not simply about respect for sustainability, for the planet and for its resources. Environmental safety training for workers features strategies that vary widely by industry. Environmental safety training topics may include:
- General office safety
- Material storage & disposal
- Safe lifting of items
- Electrical safety
The more your firm deals with hazardous or dangerous materials, the more essential an environmental safety training program becomes. All businesses can benefit from having an environmental safety training program, but dealing with biohazards and dangerous chemical waste requires more than a passing mention.
Equipment safety
Safe usage of job-specific equipment is definitely needed, even if workers come to your firm with experience and skills. Some workers may not understand the ins and outs of a specific piece of machinery. This aspect is especially dependent on the vertical you’re in. Ensure you account for every piece of machinery your employees will come into contact with.
Author Bio: This article has been written by Iñigo, a London-based digital copywriter passionate about the new technologies and the online universe. He spends his time writing about the topics he loves, travelling as much as he can and playing sports.
