As the boss, it’s your duty to protect your employees from workplace-related dangers. If an employee gets badly injured or ill due to poor health and safety, you’re not just going to lose an employee – but you could also receive a lawsuit and damage to your reputation. 

But just what type of health and safety measures should you be implementing to protect your employees? Well, there’s a lot of different measures you should be taking. Some may seem obvious like adding guardrails to high platforms or keeping a first aid kit, but others can get overlooked. This post details some of the biggest health and safety mistakes that employers make.

Not keeping fire escapes clear

In the event of a fire, there needs to be easily accessible fire escapes. While this may include entrances that you use every day, it could also include fire escape doors that are rarely or never used. Make sure that you’re not stacking boxes up against these exits or placing desks up against them. You may have never used them up until now, but one day you might need to use them in a hurry – so there needs to be no obstacles in the way.

Not considering fire safety at all

A worse sin that many employers make is not considering fire safety at all. Alright, so your office probably has a smoke alarm, but do you regularly test it? Do you have a fire escape plan and do you practice fire escape drills? Do you own a fire extinguisher (and is it the right type of fire extinguisher)? Are you making sure that electrical outlets aren’t overloaded? There’s a lot of fire safety measures to consider – some of which are legally compulsory – and it’s important that you put these measures into place.

Not maintaining PPE

Personal protective equipment such as gloves, hard hats and safety goggles need to be kept in good condition – otherwise they may not offer the right level of protection. Keeping PPE clean is important so that you don’t spread illness. If PPE is damaged, make sure that it is thrown away and replaced promptly.

Not supplying PPE

Before worrying about maintaining PPE, you may want to make sure that you’re actually supplying all the right PPE. Not all workplaces need protective equipment. However, for many jobs like using cleaning chemicals or working with machinery, it is necessary. 

Not training employees how to lift a box

Why do I need to train employees how to lift a box? Well, one of the most common causes of work-related back injuries is incorrectly lifting heavy objects off the floor (i.e. bending over at the waist, instead of keeping the back straight and squatting). Failing to train employees how to lift a box correctly could make you liable to pay compensation if an employee decides to sue for a back injury. By training employees how to do this simple task and getting them to sign a box to say they did it, you could prevent injuries from lifting and potential lawsuits. Other similar simple tasks that are worth training to protect yourself include using a step ladder or using any power tools.

Not protecting employees’ ears against noise

Some work environments can be very loud. In some cases, they can be so loud that they can cause hearing damage if protection measures are not taken. A few examples include construction sites, nightclubs and motorsports venues. Encouraging employees to wear earplugs or ear defenders is one way to protect your employees’ ears. In other cases, you may be able to use sound insulation to stop noise traveling into certain rooms or you may be able to limit exposure around very noisy equipment. 

Not providing adequate lighting

Poor quality lighting in a workplace can be a hazard. Employees could injure themselves if they can’t see where they’re going properly – so make sure that all areas are well-lit including store cupboards and basements. You also need to consider using the right level of lighting in areas where people are working on computers. Poor quality lighting could cause eye strain and headaches, so make sure areas with computers are well lit. On top of using artificial light, try to let in as much natural light as you can during the day, as this can be important for employees’ well being.

Not considering air quality

A lot of employers do not realize that the air quality in their workplace is poor. Dust, chemical fumes and smoke can all be dangerous if inhaled – potentially causing employees to develop respiratory issues. Help to protect your employees’ lungs by keeping the workplace well ventilated. Air purification systems could help to get rid of various invisible contaminants. If things like fumes and dust are unavoidable (such as in a flour mill or workshop), make sure that employees are wearing respirator masks. 

Not encouraging sick employees to stay at home

Employee absences can be annoying – especially if these employees have a very important role in the company. However, you need to resist urging sick employees to come into work. Not only is a sick employee more likely to make mistakes (some of which could be dangerous if you’re working with machinery or certain tools), but there could be a risk of spreading disease to the rest of the team and to customers. It’s better to encourage employees to stay at home to prevent further contamination. If an employee is ill, but still able to work, consider whether they’re able to still work from home – many office-based jobs are entirely possible to carry out remotely.

Not letting employees take breaks

While only 11 states have laws in place requiring employees to take breaks, it is still recommended that all employers offer employees a break (ideally 20 minutes or more) if they are working for at least 6 hours. Breaks are not just important for employees’ morale, but can be important for productivity and health & safety (especially in very physical jobs). Employees that are not given breaks may make dangerous mistakes. By giving each employee a break, you can minimize these blunders. 

Not servicing potentially dangerous equipment

Some forms of employee equipment could be dangerous if they encounter a fault such as forklift trucks or cranes. It’s important that you service these forms of equipment regularly to detect problems early. Don’t wait until equipment fails completely, as this is when an injury could occur. With some forms of equipment, regular inspections are mandatory. Make sure that you’re not breaking the law by not servicing this equipment. 

Not learning first aid

Employers must be able to provide prompt first aid to employees – which means training up an employee/hiring an employee with first aid training or learning first aid skills yourself. In a small workplace where you are likely to always be present, it could be a good idea for you to be the first aider. There are many first aid qualifications such as CPR certification that you can obtain through local courses or online. Hopefully you’ll never need to use these first aid skills, but they’re useful to possess just in case an accident occurs. 

Not recording injuries

If an employee injures themselves at work, it’s important to keep a record of this accident. In fact, it’s required by federal law that all workplace injuries are logged for at least 5 years. Of course, many employees don’t do this, with some workplace failing to report up to 70% of workplace injuries. This often leads to employers getting in trouble when an injury occurs and needs to be investigated – if there is no record, you could be accused of covering it up, and could receive harsh penalties. 

Not keeping a handbook

Handbooks are useful for providing information on health and safety protocol. While it’s still important to offer hands-on employee health and safety training, a handbook can help to refresh employees’ memories and prevent employees attempting to take on potentially dangerous tasks from memory. Nowadays, handbooks can be created in the form of digital files or apps. Images and videos can help to make instructions clear. 

Not seeking out third-party health and safety guidance

As you can see above, there is a lot that employers need to know about health and safety – and this post lists just a few important pointers. So just how are employers supposed to manage it all? Answer: they’re not  – at least not alone. When introducing health and safety measures to your business for the first time, it’s worth hiring a health and safety advisor who can help pinpoint all the different areas that need to be considered. Because this can vary from industry to industry, you may have to hire a health and safety advisor who specializes in your sector. By following their advice, you can make sure that all the most important health and safety measures are taken. Separate fire safety advisors may be able to help when it comes to improving fire safety. You cannot make a workplace 100% safe. However, you should try to make it as safe as possible.