How safe is my workplace, that is a question that not enough team leaders ask themselves on a daily basis, and even fewer team members ask themselves and their team leaders these questions.
Safety in the workplace is one of those measures of success that must be achieved daily, and everyone should make conscious efforts to ensure that their work stations are as safe as it can be.
How safe is your workplace? No matter what your response to this question was, safety in your workplace can always be improved.
Below are five checks you should make daily
Obstructions
This is the easiest and most straightforward way to avoid injuries and potential lawsuits in the workplace. Look out for items that could potentially hurt a person, proceed to remove and take them to their appropriate locations.
If the obstruction is liquid, use safety signs to warn oncoming pedestrians, once this is done, find a member of the janitorial staff to clean up the liquid waste.
Obstructions in the workplace are the most common cause of accidents and ultimately injuries, although they usually are not life-threatening, they can be at times, and this can end up costing your organization money.
Unusual Smells
Does something smell funny, strange or unnatural to you? If this is the case, immediately investigate the cause of the unusual smell and alert the right individuals to the presence of this strange smell.
In most cases, such smells are harmless, but in the off chance that you are sitting on a potential gas leak, you need to act on any and every smell that does not feel like it belongs there.
Safety Signs
For those of us working with volatile and potentially deadly materials, safety signs cannot be overstated in your workplace.
Safety signs come in different shapes and sizes. They range from danger and hazard signs to prohibition signs used to warn against activities not permitted by law or frowned upon by owners of your organization.
There are several safety signs out there, and they are all relevant so you should look out for them and ensure that your organization makes use of as many are lawful to use for your line of work.
Fatigue
This is especially true for those of us working with powerful machines; you want to be your brothers’ keeper and look out for your team members.
If you notice the effects of fatigue on any of your team members or even in your team leader, find a way to convince them to take a rest.
An employee handling power tools need to be sharp and active at every point in time, failure to look out for tired team members may lead to severe injuries for not only the said individual but also everyone around them.
Safety Gear Usage
Safety equipment is there for the safety of everyone working in an organization; you need to use every one of them when undertaking potentially life-threatening tasks.
After ensuring that you use proper safety gears, try to be the voice of reason and influence as many of your fellow team members as possible. You do not have to be a team leader to make a positive impact on the safety habits of your peers.
Look out for employees not making use of helmets, gas masks, hazmat suits, air purifiers and the likes. As long as a safety item is relevant to your line of your work, you should be making use of it.
I was talking to a captain from the Rural Fire Service after fighting fires in our local area. He commented on how he checks that everyone that comes onto the fire truck needs to ensure they have all the appropraite safety gear. It could be life saving.
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