How safe is your small business?

If your business involves any sort of machinery or requires your employees to move around extensively, you've likely given this a lot of thought. But have you covered all of your bases?

As a business owner, preventing workplace injuries is always in your best interest - regardless of whether your business could be considered high risk or not. So it's important to develop strategies to lessen the likelihood of them.

You can start with the following four tips:

1. Create a Workplace Safety Plan

Talking the time to institute a workplace safety plan is time well spent. It will reduce the risk of accidents and injury, and save business owners a lot of money in the form of lower insurance premiums and increased productivity.

Of course, each business has different vulnerabilities. So it's a good idea to consult with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to see what sorts of education programs are available for your specific industry and how they can be modified for your organization.

2. Provide Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)

Not every industry requires PPE for employees. But for those that do, it's essential that employees not only use it but that they use it correctly.

During the hiring process, make it abundantly clear that this is a requirement. Inform the new hire of the different PPE that's required and show him or her how to use it properly. You should also hold regular meetings to reinforce the importance of PPE, as well as conduct spontaneous monitoring.

3. Preventing Workplace Injuries With Proper Training

If you work in a high-risk injury, it's a big plus if you can hire trained workers. They have the experience and skills needed to perform the job. This is especially the case where equipment and machinery are involved. And you're looking at a much lower risk of personal injury.

Trained workers are also already aware of the importance of wearing safety equipment and are able to get right to work.

Even so, you can't always hire trained workers. So it's essential you offer employee training and development. If done effectively, new employees will become familiar with regulations, policies, and company culture and should be able to get right to work without putting too much of a dent in your production.

4. Keep Stress at a Minimum

Even in industries without heavy machinery or a lot of physical movement, there is always the risk for workplace injuries. One of the biggest culprits is workplace stress.

When your employees are under too much stress, it will negatively impact their performance. That stress can lead to exhaustion, unpredictable behavior, and a willingness to take shortcuts that can lead to serious accidents.

So managers and supervisors need to keep the lines of communication open. Create an office culture that promotes social interaction and encourages employees to discuss their workplace concerns before they become a problem.

In addition, during busier times, consider hiring part-time or seasonal staff to lighten the load.

Play It Safe

Preventing workplace injuries starts with an awareness of where your company may not be meeting the highest safety standards.

So follow the above four steps to tap into that awareness.

And be sure to check out our wide range of PPE and safety products to keep your employees protected.