Work environment safety is gaining immense significance. This is true for any industry, including manufacturing, healthcare, IT, and numerous others. One of the main reasons for this is the growing awareness of what constitutes a healthy and safe workplace and why it is crucial.
Every year, in June, we observe the National Safety Month in the USA. While safety is a perennial requirement, during these 30 days, Boyer Safety Services focuses on building more awareness and pushing the envelope when it comes to creating and curating a safe space for people to work.
This article will take you through some questions you must ask and rules you should follow to accomplish work environment safety. Let’s get to it.
Questions that Determine a Safe Workplace
In general, you can have a form that covers all areas of safety. Each of these is in the form of a question. The answer must include a simple yes/no. Furthermore, it should also include what actions must be taken, and the person in charge.
This way, even if a question’s result is negative, an organization can take the necessary steps and shift it to a positive one. Some of the prominent questions are:
Are all worksites clean, sanitary, and orderly?
Are the minimum number of toilets provided?
Are all washing facilities clean and sanitary?
Are all workspaces adequately illuminated?
Are workspaces kept dry and slip-resistant?
Are pits or floor openings covered or guarded?
Are all hazardous and potentially infectious materials cleaned immediately by following strict procedures?
Is combustible scrap, debris, etc. cleaned and disposed of properly?
Is the regulated waste, according to OSHA guidelines discarded according to the regulations?
General Workplace Safety Rules
While any organization answers the questions mentioned above, it is also important for them to follow certain rules. There are quite a few rules from which we’ll be covering the most significant ones, and they apply to any company across any industry.
Being in a perfectly healthy condition both physically and mentally while working is important, without which no employee should be allowed to work.
While working, any unsafe activities such as horseplay, practical jokes, etc. should be avoided and one must ensure that they do not work under the influence of alcohol or any other intoxicating substances.
Any machinery should be operated only by qualified people and only when it is in safe conditions. If it isn’t then the employee should report this to a supervisor.
Whenever necessary employees must wear the necessary gear or kit and only then work in their space.
One must also ensure that they report if they have any allergies, are wearing lenses, or anything else that could be impacted in the workplace environment.
Storage, usage, and dispensing of hazardous or sensitive material must be carried out according to strict protocols and procedures.
Overall, anything that can potentially harm a person, or make an environment unsafe, should be reported and taken care of.
Conclusion
With this, organizations such as yourself can ensure complete workplace safety, which is healthy for all employees involved. Ensure that you follow these closely.