While everyone can make the decision between pursuing employed work and self-employed work, the majority of people tend to be employed. This isn’t all too surprising. After all, there are all sorts of perks that come hand in hand with employed positions, as your employer takes on a lot of responsibility for you. You will receive a contract which guarantees that you will be provided with a certain number of working hours each week. You become entitled to sick pay as well as pay for maternity or paternity leave. You will be entitled to paid annual leave. Your employer will also take care of all of your taxes and national insurance contributions. A lesser-known responsibility that your employer has over you is to ensure that you are always safe and well in the workplace and when carrying out work on their behalf. Now, every now and then, an employer may miss an aspect of keeping you safe or may slip up. In situations such as this, you can generally claim compensation. But when it comes down to it, you would much rather avoid injury or illness in the first place. So, it’s a good idea to be very aware of your own safety in the workplace. If you notice your employer is slacking, you can make suggestions and prevent problems from developing down the line!
A safe workplace does not just benefit employees. As a business person, you will undoubtedly want to grow your business profit margins, to do better against KPIs, and to increase consumer confidence. For David Rowland, Head of Marketing at Engage EHS, there is one effective way to do this: through more effective health and safety policies.
Here are a few areas that you should focus on to secure your own safety!
Undertaking Adequate Training
When you carry out any work, you are likely to require adequate training to ensure that you know what is expected of you, potential risks that come hand in hand with your work, and how to minimize potential risks and carry out work correctly. The training that you carry out can be complex. If you work in a role that requires you to come into contact with others’ blood, you should take out bloodborne pathogens training – you can read more here on the subject. Alternatively, it could be relatively basic and common sense, such as training in how to lift and move heavy objects safely. What you should bear in mind is that all training is extremely important. If you feel that you haven’t received sufficient training to operate safely in the workplace, alert your employer.
Checking Workplace Health and Safety
Many workplaces are home to health and safety risks. Some structural hazards, such as steps or low ceilings can’t be altered. But what your employer can do is label them with “mind the step” or “mind your head” signs. If you identify these hazards, you can encourage your employer to install them. You can also take steps to signpost temporary hazards. If you notice a wet floor, you should put up a wet floor sign.
Remember that your health and safety in the workplace are paramount. So, do your utmost to ensure that you are safe and well at all times! Hopefully, the above advice can help you to achieve this.
One thought on “Ensuring You Are Safe In The Workplace”
Comments are closed.