4 Questions to Ask About Your Workplace Safety Plan

As a business owner, one of your biggest responsibilities is providing a safe work environment for your employees. Regardless of if your business depends on hard labor or requires desk duty, you should have some sort of workplace safety plan put into play. Whether you’re creating one for the first time or evaluating the one you made years ago, asking these 4 questions can help you to increase your workplace safety.

4 questions to ask about your workplace safety plan:

1. What are your current policies?

If your business already has a policy in place, this question is a simple check off the list. Take a look at your current policy in relation to the state of your workplace. If no accidents have occurred, and your employees are following proper protocols, then the policy you have in place is good to go. If not, it’s time to make some changes.

2. What are your workplace risks?

Risk assessment is a vital component to developing a good workplace safety strategy. The type of risk associated with your business is dependent upon things such as your size, industry, and geographical locations. While physical risks are arguably the most familiar types of risks (traumatic falls, ergonomic injuries, etc.), cultural risks are also important. These are things such as high levels of stress, harassment, and information oversharing.

3. Are current policies being utilized?

While evaluating your current policies, you may realize that the real problem at hand isn’t the policy itself, but rather a lack of follow-through from your employees. There are many different reasons that employees dismiss safety practices, but more often than not it’s because employees dismiss it in favor of convenience and getting the job done quickly.

4. What are you doing to build a culture of safety in your business?

Businesses that genuinely care about the well-being of their employees instill workplace safety into the culture of their business. Using your company’s values as a foundation, weave these newfound safety practices into a great, more comprehensive plan. Be sure to create a testing standard as well. How will you review safety metrics? Will you provide an incentive? These measurables will entice your employees to accept safety, even if it adds a few more minutes into their day.

Workplace safety places a huge part in the success of your business and can help control your workers’ comp costs. Plus, your employees truly are your greatest asset. If you’re still not sure if your current workplace safety plan is up to par, or if you need help putting one together, reach out to us here. We’d love to discuss your unique circumstances and see if we can get better together.