Topics For Safety In The Workplace
Overview
The adage "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" applies to workplace safety as well as individual health. Small businesses wishing to maintain a safe workplace should be proactive instead of reactive when dealing with the security of employees and property. Identify potential safety hazards at your workplace, create plans to prevent and react to dangerous situations and disseminate this information to your workers to maximize workplace safety.
Workplace Violence
According to a Bureau of Justice Statistics survey of workplace violence covering 1993 through 1996, approximately 1.7 million people annually were victims of violent crime while on the job. Work with your employees to identify dangerous situations and discuss ways to prevent them. Situations cited by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as increasing the risk for workplace violence include: contact with the public, exchanging money, deliveries, working alone or in small numbers, working late at night or early in the morning and guarding valuables. The CDC recommends preventative measures such as two-way mirrors, bullet-proof windows, adequate lighting, easy access to an escape route, proper landscaping, security cameras, alarms and panic-bar doors that lock from the outside.
Fire Safety
Fire safety training is an essential part of workplace safety, according to the Occupational Safety & Health Organization. Make sure employees know where fire alarms and extinguishers are located. All employees should know the recommended fire escape routes and walk them at least once after they are hired. Make sure to follow manufacturer recommendations for checking extinguishers and smoke alarms to ensure they stay in working order. Have the phone number for the fire department posted in multiple places so employees can call from their cell phones if electrical power is lost.
Building Security
Criminals use a variety of techniques to scam businesses. Have a procedure for answering phone calls, including requests for information. Identify those employees who are the only ones allowed to give out information about the company, employees or the building. Have a mail protocol for accepting and delivering packages to ensure no valuables are lost or unsafe packages brought into the office. This should include limiting employees allowed to sign for packages. Identify employees who have authority to allow service personnel inside your building or office, with procedures for identifying non-employee workers entering your workplace
The adage "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" applies to workplace safety as well as individual health. Small businesses wishing to maintain a safe workplace should be proactive instead of reactive when dealing with the security of employees and property. Identify potential safety hazards at your workplace, create plans to prevent and react to dangerous situations and disseminate this information to your workers to maximize workplace safety.
Workplace Violence
According to a Bureau of Justice Statistics survey of workplace violence covering 1993 through 1996, approximately 1.7 million people annually were victims of violent crime while on the job. Work with your employees to identify dangerous situations and discuss ways to prevent them. Situations cited by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as increasing the risk for workplace violence include: contact with the public, exchanging money, deliveries, working alone or in small numbers, working late at night or early in the morning and guarding valuables. The CDC recommends preventative measures such as two-way mirrors, bullet-proof windows, adequate lighting, easy access to an escape route, proper landscaping, security cameras, alarms and panic-bar doors that lock from the outside.
Fire Safety
Fire safety training is an essential part of workplace safety, according to the Occupational Safety & Health Organization. Make sure employees know where fire alarms and extinguishers are located. All employees should know the recommended fire escape routes and walk them at least once after they are hired. Make sure to follow manufacturer recommendations for checking extinguishers and smoke alarms to ensure they stay in working order. Have the phone number for the fire department posted in multiple places so employees can call from their cell phones if electrical power is lost.
Building Security
Criminals use a variety of techniques to scam businesses. Have a procedure for answering phone calls, including requests for information. Identify those employees who are the only ones allowed to give out information about the company, employees or the building. Have a mail protocol for accepting and delivering packages to ensure no valuables are lost or unsafe packages brought into the office. This should include limiting employees allowed to sign for packages. Identify employees who have authority to allow service personnel inside your building or office, with procedures for identifying non-employee workers entering your workplace
- kc8505ffa703917eb612ac89861a232543.jpg
