As a boss, you probably want to keep your employees safe. You want them to have a positive experience in their workplace and come out of it at the end of the day feeling good about what they’ve accomplished. But how do you make that happen? How can you ensure that every single employee understands their role in keeping themselves and others out of harm’s way? Workplace safety courses are a great way to do just that! Here’s why:
Workplace Safety 101
New hires should receive their initial training within their first week on the job—or at least within 30 days after they start working at your company formation. This will help them understand what’s expected of them right away so they don’t get overwhelmed or confused by things like unfamiliar equipment (and possibly injured as a result). If possible, it might also be useful for these trainings to be done by someone who works directly with them throughout the day so they feel comfortable asking questions when needed.
Workplace Violence
You may be wondering what exactly constitutes workplace violence. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) defines it as any attempt by an individual(s) within the work environment (including clients/customers) that involves force or power against employees including:
- Physical attacks on employees by other individuals
- Threats of physical harm against employees by other individuals
Sexual Harassment Prevention
Sexual harassment is defined as any unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature when:
- Submission to or rejection of such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment, education, living environment and/or participation in a school activity;
- Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting that individual; and/or
- Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, humiliating, demeaning and/or sexually offensive educational environment.
Hazard Recognition and Risk Assessment
As a manager, it’s your responsibility to ensure that all employees are provided with the necessary safety training. This includes new employees and supervisors, managers, owners and anyone else who may be working on site.
You should also make sure that you provide this training yourself if you are new to the business or team (e.g., starting a new job). Additionally, if there is an accident at your workplace that causes injury, then both supervisors and managers should be required to undergo re-training before returning back into their roles.
Safety training
The most important aspect of any workplace is safety. If your employees are not safe, they will be distracted and unable to do their jobs. This can adversely affect the quality of your products or services and cause you to lose money.
Quality workplace safety courses is a great way to help keep your employees safe and avoid accidents in the workplace. By offering these courses, you can ensure that your workers are aware of what needs to be done in order for them to remain healthy and avoid injury at work. You should also offer these courses regularly so that new workers can learn about safety as soon as possible after joining your company.
Emergency Action Plans and Fire Prevention
An Emergency Action Plan (EAP) is a document that guides employees through an emergency situation, helping them to take immediate action to ensure the safety of themselves and co-workers. An EAP can be used in any kind of workplace, from factories to offices.
An effective EAP should include:
- An overview of the plan, including its purpose, any company resources available for emergencies and who is responsible for updating it
- A list of procedures for each type of emergency that could occur in your environment (for example: fire, chemical spill or accident), including information on how to prevent these hazards from occurring in the first place if possible
- A section explaining what actions employees are expected to take during an emergency and when they need to evacuate or report back at their designated meeting points after an evacuation has been called off.
Ergonomics and Repetitive Motion Injuries
While you may think ergonomics is just a fancy word for office chairs, it’s actually the study of how people work. Ergonomics focuses on the design of equipment and furniture to make work as efficient and comfortable as possible.
In addition to helping employees avoid repetitive motion injuries, ergonomic programs can also help companies cut down on lost productivity due to injuries (and workers’ compensation costs).
If you want your employees to stay safe while they’re at work, invest in a training program that promotes good body mechanics and healthy posture.
We hope this list of courses will help you create a safer workplace for your employees.
