As an employer, one of your biggest fears is occupational injuries to your employees. Unfortunately, no matter how many safety measures you employ, sometimes, injuries are inevitable. However, it’s still your job to minimize the risk of injury and create a work environment where employees are not worried about their well-being.
For business, even a single serious workplace injury can have a devastating impact, not just on employee morale, but it could also lead to reduced productivity and increased medical costs. In recent times, the Canadian government has enforced strict workplace safety regulations, which have helped bring down injury rates all over the country. In this blog, we’ll look at steps employers can take to prevent occupational injuries.
Hire the right people
This may seem simple, but hiring the right person for the job is the first step to ensuring that occupational injuries are minimized. If the job is physically demanding and requires a lot of intensive labour, it’s recommended that you conduct a thorough physical examination to test the candidate’s abilities.
Even though the past experience may not be a prerequisite for the job, it goes in the candidate’s favour if they’ve worked in a similar workplace that poses similar challenges such as handling hazardous materials or dealing with heavy machinery.
Encourage communication
When it comes to preventing occupational injuries, don’t underestimate the power of effective communication. You’d be surprised at how many occupational injuries can be avoided by frequently communicating with employees about established safety protocols.
It’s also vital that you encourage employees to discuss any safety issues that are impacting their performance and productivity. As an employer, it’s your responsibility to conduct a thorough investigation when a serious occupational injury occurs and discuss with your team what you can do to prevent such an incident from happening again.
Adequate safety training
While it’s common practice that employees undergo basic safety training, especially when their job is labour-intensive, it’s essential that you conduct extensive safety training not just for new hires but for experienced employees as well. This creates a culture that puts the safety of employees first, which leads to increased employee morale and productivity because they’ll feel safer while performing their jobs.
One sure-fire way to reduce the risk of injuries is to enrol your team in workplace safety courses. At Metro Safety Training, we are renowned for our First Aid Training Courses, Fall Protection Inspection Training, as well as Forklift Operator Training. For more information, reach out to us at 604-521-4227!
