Workplace safety is important. Your employer must maintain the safety of its employees, but as an employee, you’re responsible for your own health and safety too. Staying safe at work helps prevent accidents and injuries, not just to yourself, but to your colleagues and others.
Most workplace safety measures are common sense, but as we know, accidents happen all the time. Even a minor accident can result in an absence from work, affecting you physically and financially.
Learn how to stay safe at work with the help of the following tips.
Reader's Roadmap
Familiarize yourself with your company’s health and safety rules
Every company should have health and safety rules in place. Employers should follow the guidance set out by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which includes rules and procedures that apply to different types of workplaces and roles. If you’re new to a company, you should be given health and safety information as part of your induction process. You should refresh your knowledge regularly and stay up-to-date with any new guidance introduced by your employer.
Pay attention to safety training
Health and safety training is vital for employees to carry out their roles safely. Even mainly desk-based roles can benefit from some health and safety training, such as manual handling training to learn how to lift and carry equipment safely. For jobs that are more hands-on or involve working with machinery, it’s important to seek out the right training if it’s not provided to you automatically.
Understand your rights
Employers have a duty of care to provide and maintain a safe work environment. If they fail in their duties and you’re involved in an accident as a result, you may be able to take action against your employer – especially if you were forced to take a leave of absence or experienced some costly medical bills. Finding a recommended L & I lawyer could help you work out if you have a case, and even make a claim on your behalf. Knowing what to do in the event of an accident is also important so you know what details to record to help with any claim you make.
Wear the right safety protection
If your role requires you to wear personal protective equipment (PPE), then it’s vital you wear it. Some examples of PPE include:
- Helmets
- Safety goggles
- Gloves
- Shoes
- Flame-retardant clothing
- High-visibility clothing
Your employer should provide you with the right equipment, and it’s your job to wear it. It’s also important to ensure that you wear the right sizes. OSHA has brought in rules to ensure that PPA-provided clothing fits properly, ensuring workers avoid the risk of accidents and injuries from ill-fitted clothing.
Ask your employer what procedures are in place for maintaining PPE. There may be rules for cleaning and storing your PPE, or your employer may do this on your behalf.
If you’re ever in doubt, ask someone
Your health and safety should never be left to chance. If, for whatever reason, you’re unsure about any of the health and safety rules in your workplace, just ask someone. Depending on the size of your company, there may be a dedicated health and safety officer in place. You might also be able to find the information you need via an intranet site.
Avoid working alone where you can
Where possible, try to avoid working on your own. Working alone puts you at risk of an accident, especially when working with machinery or equipment, and it can also pose a risk to your personal safety. If it’s inevitable that you find yourself working alone, your employer can carry out a risk assessment and ensure the right measures are in place to help you stay safe.
The rules around lone working can be complicated. While there is no US-wide legislation that applies to lone-working, employees nonetheless have must provide a safe and hazard-free work environment. Some states, including New York, Illinois and Washington, have measures in place that are designed to protect lone workers, especially in industries like leisure and hospitality.
Protect yourself on your way to and from work
While it’s important to stay safe whilst at work, it’s also important to protect yourself during your commute. Some things to consider when traveling to and from work include:
Keep an eye on the weather
Paying attention to the weather is not only sensible to help you decide what to wear, but it can also help you plan for your travel. Knowing if it’s going to snow or if there are storms ahead can help you take appropriate safety measures, while preparing you for different traffic conditions. If the weather looks challenging, work from home if you can. If you must travel, make sure you pack some essentials to help you stay safe in an emergency.
Leave yourself plenty of time
Running late now and then is inevitable, but if you can avoid being late as much as possible, it could be vital for your health and wellbeing. Being on time can help save stress, but it can also stop you from making risky driving decisions, such as speeding or running a red light. An organized, stress-free morning routine will set you up for a good day ahead,
Always drive safely
If you travel to work by car, then remember to take extra precautions when driving. Consider different weather conditions that may require you to check your tire pressure or defrost your car in the morning. Maintain your car regularly to make sure it’s suitable for your morning commute.
Avoid work when you’re sick
If you’re sick, you should try your best to avoid work and stay at home. Viruses can spread quickly around a workplace, resulting in many people being off work for multiple days. If you don’t feel well enough to work to work, take the day off! Sick days are there for a reason, and you should take them when it’s appropriate to do so.
At work, you can limit the spread of germs with good hand hygiene. Wash your hands regularly and sanitize your workspaces to help keep viruses at bay – especially in the winter!
Take care of your mental health too
It’s not just your physical health you need to think about, it’s your mental health too. Many employers will have measures in place to help protect employee health and wellbeing, but there are some things you can do too:
- Set some boundaries. Avoid working too early or too late where possible. You may need a discussion with your manager if your workload becomes unmanageable during regular office hours.
- Discuss flexible working with your employer to help you manage your working pattern more effectively. You may also want to discuss hybrid working as a way to help you find a better work/life balance.
- If you have problems at work, try to escalate them quickly. This can help strop them from becoming more significant problems that can lead to stress and tensions within the workplace.
- If you feel like there are health and safety issues in the workplace, speak up! It’s better to raise an issue than stay silent and risk an accident. Make a record of your complaint in case of any problems later on.
Health and safety in the workplace should be a priority for every employer and employee. While there are rules in place by your employer to protect you, it’s also vital that you take some responsibility for your own health and safety. Following the steps above, you can take a more active role in ensuring your safety at work so you can feel comfortable and safe at all times.