At the core of every good company are the workers which push the progress of your business forward. As an HR team member, it is vitally important to attract new workers to a workplace that is going to ensure their maximum safety as they try to do their best work. Maximizing their safety is essential because this allows for a way more efficient and worry-free work environment and in turn, it drives employee satisfaction and retention. Not only will your workers be more satisfied but you won’t have to constantly worry about nagging workplace safety regulations. Developed countries such as Australia are actively enforcing this on many worksites with comprehensive workplace health and safety (WHS) laws. This is why it is important to respect these laws in order to prevent any possible penalties which not only create a bad image for your investors and employees but also set you back financially which can significantly disrupt your cash flow. Workplace safety has a myriad of great benefits for you and your company’s employees. Here is how you can contribute to workplace safety as an HR member to help increase employee satisfaction.
Use good equipment
The best solution to any problem is its prevention. Most of the time, work-related injuries and even fatal cases happen because improper equipment was used, or even worse, there was no protective equipment at all. Personal protective equipment (P.P.E) is by far the best way to prevent the most common types of workplace hazards and protect hardworking employees. For instance, professional men’s workwear in Australia is becoming an industry-standard in many different business domains, because truly successful companies understand the value of providing high-quality protective equipment for their employees. That is why more and more companies in this country are supplying their staff with some of the latest P.P.E. An HR can help develop a better understanding of what kind of equipment the staff needs by developing good and open communication with them. This will provide your workers with a positive sense of belonging in a company and will make them feel like their work is even more appreciated and respected. In the long run, this can only increase employee satisfaction and retention.
Encourage communication
One of the first things to consider when trying to create safer working conditions for your employees is the identification of potential risk factors and hazards. Workplace hazards can stem from various types of sources; mechanical failure, chemical poisoning, unexpected fires and other extremely dangerous elements. This is because most businesses operate using heavy machinery which is extremely dangerous and comes with many risks on its own, let alone in situations where the machine operators are already fatigued. This is where most mechanical issues stem from, to make the matters worse these issues are more likely to happen when the machinery is old and not carefully maintained. On the other hand, chemical hazards are less subtle but equally dangerous, this is because they can come in a multitude of forms. Everything from poisoning and flammable fluids to extremely dangerous gas leakages and highly corrosive fluids is a major risk factor that many employees have to face on a frequent basis. In addition, a potential injury could happen because of faulty electronic equipment. Identifying and understanding the different types of risk factors is the first step toward making a safer workplace.
Good reputation for everyone
A reputable company is one that is able to provide the safest possible working conditions for its employees. This is because it takes a long time to build a great reputation in the industry and just a second to completely ruin it. This means that only one workplace accident can cost you and your employees a lot. Bad word travels quickly and if you want to make sure that your employees are well respected in the industry it is crucial to encourage teams to talk about potential issues, whether they are physical or even psychological because they can all contribute to a potential workplace hazard.
Better finances
One of the easiest ways to lose money as a company is to go through a tedious legal process in case you get sued by your employees. If a member of your company gets hurt, they can legally claim compensation for such an accident. Not only does this immediately hurt your finances and hinder your reputation, but it also makes your company subject to safety inspection which can cause additional problems. That is why, preventing such accidents in the first place is essential. Research has shown, that for every 1$ invested into workplace safety there is a return of 4$.
Provide proper training
Once you have provided your staff with adequate support in terms of both good HR management practices, good communication and high-quality safety equipment. It is time to enable your workers to become fully self-reliant and more cautious workers by providing proper training for them.
Improving workplace safety is a serious thing to consider if you want to improve your employee satisfaction. There are a couple of things to consider here; use good equipment, identify potential issues, maintain a good reputation, get a good return on investment from funding safety equipment, and provide proper training for your employees so that they can respond better in case of emergency.
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