As an employer, there are many things you can do to signal to your employees that they are appreciated, which in turn will only motivate them further. One of the best ways to do this is to create a safe workplace. 

There are many aspects employees look for when deciding where they want to work. Salary and an attractive workplace are certainly two of those aspects, but safety is never far behind. An employee will feel motivated and appreciated when working in an environment that’s been carefully managed to ensure their safety.

There are always improvements that can be made to boost workplace safety. Consider these options to upgrade the safety of your workplace.

Offer Education and Training

One of the clearest signs of a safe workplace is an employer that makes safety education readily available to their employees. As an employer, take some time to ensure you’ve created a comprehensive approach to educating your employees on the best methods for staying safe in the workplace. Be sure that educational materials and training opportunities are updated and encouraged, if not required.

Whether you’re providing guidance on protocol for working with machinery or simply offering tips for avoiding repetitive motion injuries in the office, your employees will appreciate and benefit from the effort to make training and safety education a priority.

Ensure Your Workplace is Up-To-Date with Safety Gear

One of the best ways to provide your employees with a safe workplace is to stay up-to-date with the latest protective gear. Employees are likely to feel dismayed if the supplies they need for doing their job are outdated or not in good working order, both of which can lead to more injuries on the job. Consider the following:

• To protect against slips and falls, consider offering safety mats and guard rails. Safety-boosting items will help your employees work more efficiently while feeling valued as well.
• Today’s innovative technology can help you keep your workplace safe. There are various kinds of software that can facilitate better quality safety training as well as keeping track of safety evaluations and incidents much more efficiently.
• Provide employees with high quality protective items they’ll need for the job. Whether those are tools, clothing, or other equipment, ensuring the latest and highest quality safety gear is made available to your employees is a great strategy for keeping a safe workplace.
  

Encourage Feedback

Sometimes it will be your employees that know best what needs to be done to improve workplace safety. Fostering a culture of communication and encouraging the practice of providing useful feedback is one of the fastest ways to improve the safety of your workplace.

Offer opportunities for employees to share their thoughts on methods for improving workplace safety in a way they will feel comfortable. Another great strategy for increasing workplace safety is to hold regular meetings specifically designed for assessing and updating any aspects of the workplace that could pose an obstacle to employee safety.

Plan Ahead for Employee Protection

Rather than act after an incident occurs, the best workplace safety protocols will be planned and set in motion as early as possible. Having a well-known and practiced plan for workplace safety increases the likelihood of employee adherence and allows for handling any issues that do occur in a much smoother and more efficient manner. A comprehensive workplace safety plan should cover as many aspects of the job that an employee will encounter as possible, as well as instructing them on how to proceed in the event that a workplace injury does occur.

Even in the best of situations, a workplace injury can still take place. In the event that such an injury does happen, employees that are affected with acute, non-life threatening orthopedic injuries can turn to MidAmerica Orthopaedics for assistance.

Call us at (708) 237-7200 to discuss how our Occupational Medicine program can benefit your company and employees by becoming a part of your workers’ compensation plan of care.