As an employer and business owner, there are some hard and fast rules you must abide by. For one, you know pretty well that your employees ought not to sustain any injuries, get sick or die within your business premises.
But, of course, sickness is one of those inevitable facts of life that we can’t help but face at one time or the other. So I guess the point here is that you have to ensure that if indeed your employees do fall ill, it should be despite your dedication to their health and safety.
Knowing what ought to and ought not to occur within the workplace is only one side of the coin. The other side has to do with establishing effective measures to ensure the safety and good health of individuals who work with or do business with you.
Many companies have such programs to help regulate environmental health and safety. While they may fall under different names, such programs are primarily concerned with creating a bubble of protection within the company to ensure a danger-free experience for employees and clients as a whole.
Creating an excellent environmental health and safety program is no walk in the park. You need the time, money, and financial resources to ensure effective implementation and compliance.
That is why companies such as Cornerstone environmental health and safety are available to partner with businesses willing to institute or upgrade their safety programs.
To establish a profitable partnership, you should have a good idea of what constitutes a proper office safety program. With that in mind, here are three essential qualities that can help you minimize the likelihood of health or safety incidents within the workplace.
· A functional safety culture
Safety culture is a core organizational culture that represents employees’ attitudes and beliefs towards risks and hazards within the workplace.
The foundation of every EHS program is a safety culture that goes beyond static rules and procedures but encompasses everyone within your organization. It’s not enough to create a safe space for your employees.
Workers must also take up responsibility for their safety by developing methods for actively assessing and controlling risks. That can be done by instilling core values of safety, health, and wellbeing in the minds of all members of your workforce.
· Proper analysis of safety and health hazards
A successful EHS program must contain adequate data on all potential risks and hazards employees will likely face in its framework.
For example, whether you run a manufacturing, construction, or food production company, you must be conscious of the dangers posed by the various types of equipment within your premises. You must also consider how workers in close quarters are more likely to contract viruses and spread infection.
With proper hazard analysis, you can then create strategies to mitigate such dangers and prevent future incidents.
· Continuous upgrades
An excellent EHS program is not static. As your business grows and attracts new personnel, new risks will also arise. Therefore, it is vital to constantly revisit existing programs to determine necessary changes and areas that need improvement.
You must also ensure that your employees undergo routine training to familiarize themselves with the complexities of an evolving environmental health and safety program.
