You’ve probably heard it over and over again: Health and safety in the workplace is of vital importance. It doesn’t matter whether you’re the cleaner or the business owner, you should always pay attention to the health and safety rules. One of the first things new employees do is go through specific training. You may even have a refresher every year or so. Chances are, you won’t remember every single thing you learnt in health and safety 101. Which could be putting your life—or the life of your colleagues—at risk. To help stop that from happening, here are the five health and safety things everyone forgets. Suitable for both employers and employees.
- Nearly Everything is a Risk
It may sound a little overdramatic, but practically everything in the workplace can be deemed as a risk. A piece of paper on the floor? Risk. Slightly wobbly office chair, risk. Cleaning products under the sink, risk. To prevent any of these usual things being dangerous, you need to use your common sense. If something looks like it could cause an issue, deal with it. Pick up that piece of paper or tighten up that wobbly chair. And, put a lock on that cleaning cupboard.
- Everyone Plays a Part
As you can probably tell from the last point, everyone has a role to play in the health and safety of any workplace. It doesn’t matter whether you’re the boss or the receptionist. If you see anything that could be deemed a risk, then you have to deal with it. This could mean doing something yourself, such as picking up that piece of paper. It could mean reporting it so that it can be dealt with by a professional. It could just mean communicating your health and safety vision with your team. Don’t ever put yourself at risk.
- Everything Needs Checking and Testing
If you use any machinery or equipment in the workplace, then it needs to be regularly checked for faults. PUWER Assessments should be carried out on all work equipment, tools and machinery. To ensure that they’re safe for use. Anything electrical must also be tested on a yearly basis. This ensures nothing is going to malfunction or cause someone harm. If you’re in charge, make sure this gets done. If you’re not in charge, make sure you remind the boss that it needs doing!
- Signs Are There for a Reason
It’s so easy to ignore the big, yellow warning signs in dangerous places. Especially if you’ve got a job to do and don’t want it to take longer than it has to. Many employees will ignore a health and safety sign if it means they can do their job quicker. However, those signs aren’t there just to annoy you. They’re there for a reason. If something says it’s dangerous, then it probably is. Don’t risk it, just to cut corners.
- There’s Always Blame
If something ever does happen, then there will always be someone liable. It could be the responsibility of the employer if they haven’t put the right health and safety measures in place. It could be another employee who is at fault, for being careless. It may even be your own fault. This is why the pieces of advice above are so important. Don’t let an accident happen through ignorance. Read up on your regulations and make sure you follow them. You could prevent yourself or someone else from having a nasty accident.
Admit it, how many of these had you forgotten? The next time you ignore that wobbly chair or walk past the warning sign, think. What danger are you putting the workplace in?
Photo by Alex Wong
Milo Senalle
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