Ensuring the safety of your employees should be a top priority for any business owner. As well as potential legal liability, by showing employees you are being proactive in providing a secure and safe workplace you are inspiring trust and understanding that can have a positive impact on productivity.
For five effective ways to improve the safety of your workplace, read on.
- Carry out a risk assessment
Before you can keep your employees safe, you need to have a good understanding of how that safety may be threatened. Potential risks should fall under two main categories: criminal activity and emergencies that require evacuation. You can also visit your local police department to make sure you’re fully informed about crime statistics in your area.
- Create an official response plan for emergencies
There’s no point in having safety and security procedures if no one knows what they are. Ensure that all your employees are fully briefed, select and train a crisis management team, and make sure that critical information such as evacuation procedures and the location of first aid kits are posted up in common areas with heavy foot traffic.
- Organise specialised training for your managers
Proper training in detecting early signs of workplace violence can help prevent potential safety issues before they occur. Encourage open and honest communication so your employees feel empowered to report suspicious behaviour or illegal activity to management. Mental health first aid training can also be a worthwhile investment.
- Keep an eye on the exits
Do any of your employees arrive or leave work when it’s dark outside? Is your work location in a zone with high crime rates? Install some form of access control measures as appropriate, and make sure the entrances and exits, as well as parking lots, are well lit at all times. Keep the vegetation outside to a minimum: while bushes and shrubs may make an attractive perimeter, they can be used as hiding places.
- Think outside the office
Even if your employees aren’t based in one central location, it’s still possible to take measures to keep them safe. For occupations such as health care workers which require travel and visits to client’s homes, registering for a GPS app such as Safe Tracker can provide some peace of mind for you, and for your employees.
