Health and Safety at Work: How to Continuously Move Forward

You know that protecting employee health and safety should be a top priority, but even when you’ve implemented good safety procedures and protocols, there’s always room for improvement. You’ve got to keep reviewing and evolving your health and safety policies to prevent incidents and injuries. 

From tapping into new technologies to optimizing training, there are many actionable tactics you can use to make your safety culture even stronger. With a proactive approach and a passion for constant progress, you can create an environment where all employees feel safe and looked after. 

The Importance of Health and Safety in the Workplace

• First and foremost, safe working conditions are a basic human right. Every worker deserves to feel secure and comfortable on the job. By minimizing hazards and risks, we show respect and care for our team.
• Beyond ethics, safe practices also make good business sense. Workplace accidents result in lost time, lower morale, higher insurance costs, and legal issues. Investing in safety boosts productivity and protects the company’s reputation.
• Complacency is the enemy of progress. Even if we have a solid safety record, there are always opportunities to do better. We must regularly inspect equipment, review procedures, provide training, encourage safe behaviour, and update policies as required.
• It’s a team effort. From frontline staff to senior management, we all play a role in identifying risks, speaking up about concerns, following protocol, and promoting a strong safety culture.
• Continuous improvement is achievable if we stay vigilant and small changes can make a big difference. Safety should not be seen as an extra task, but an integral part of everyday operations.

How to Identify and Control Psychosocial Risks

• Start by doing a risk assessment to identify potential psychosocial hazards. Look at things like high job demands, lack of control, poor support, low recognition, bullying and harassment. Get input from employees through surveys, focus groups or suggestion boxes.
• Then, evaluate the risks associated with the hazards you identified. Consider how likely they are to occur and how severe the impacts could be. Prioritize the highest risks for action.
• Next, develop and implement control measures. For instance, you could adjust workloads, increase autonomy, improve communication and reporting processes, offer stress management training, and enforce anti-bullying policies.
• Make sure to communicate all changes clearly and provide training where needed. And don’t forget to monitor and review the implemented changes regularly to ensure controls remain effective.
• Getting employees involved is key. Create workplace health and wellbeing committees with representatives from all levels. Ask for suggestions and feedback frequently.
• Promoting a positive, psychologically safe organizational culture is also crucial. Recognize good work, encourage open communication, and model healthy behaviours.
• It takes continuous effort, but focusing on psychosocial health is definitely worth it. Your employees will be safer, healthier and more productive when their psychological wellbeing is supported. So keep working to identify risks, implement controls, and focus on creating a positive workplace. 

Promoting Employee Wellness Through Health Programs

A healthy workforce is also a happy and productive workforce. As an employer, you can encourage employees to make their own health a priority with workplace wellness initiatives.

• Consider starting an onsite exercise programme or subsidizing gym memberships. This makes it easier for employees to fit exercise into their day.
• Provide healthy snacks in the canteen or vending machines. Swap out chocolate bars for granola bars and fizzy drinks for bottles of water.
• Bring in preventative health check ups and consider subsidising costs for doctors visits for your employees and their families.
• Offer smoking cessation programs, weight loss challenges, nutrition counselling, and other resources to help employees reach their health goals.
• Consider allowing flexible schedules or remote work options. This allows employees to better manage their work-life balance.
• Promote open communication about stress and mental health struggles. 

The key to a good wellness programme is involving employees in the process. Talk to them to find out their needs and interests. The more invested they feel, the more likely they are to participate. 

Continuous Improvement of Safety Procedures and Policies

Achieving the highest standards of health and safety in your workplace is an ongoing journey, not a one-time destination. There are always ways you can enhance your safety culture and reduce risks. Here are some tips for continuously improving your organization’s health and safety performance:

• Conduct regular safety audits and inspections. Do walkthroughs of your facilities, assess equipment, and review procedures on a regular basis to identify areas for improvement. Look for hazards or risks that may have been missed.
• Involve employees at all levels. Ask for input from staff on potential safety issues or ideas. Have safety teams conduct their own inspections. Employees closest to the work have valuable insights.
• Review incident reports and near misses. Look for trends and lessons that can prevent future occurrences. Share findings across your organization.
• Stay up-to-date on regulations and best practices. Subscribe to industry publications and associations. Attend conferences and training seminars periodically if you can.
• Recognize safety achievements. When milestones are met, celebrate successes to reinforce the safety-first culture.
• Invest in new technology and equipment. Upgrade to the latest safety gear and devices that can further protect employees.
• Improve training programs. Offer more frequent refresher training. Add new topics relevant to your operations.

Making incremental improvements over time will keep your safety practices current. It demonstrates to employees that you are serious about their wellbeing on the job.

Staying safe takes teamwork. We’re all responsible for each other’s wellbeing. Health, safety and wellness in the workplace is an ongoing journey – not a one-time destination. By building a culture of care, staying vigilant, and constantly evaluating new risks and opportunities to improve, you can ensure you are continuously moving forward.

To find out how Engage can help you with your Health and Safety journey, register for a “Test Drive” of our software application today.