Discover How to Keep the Safety Headache Away
Guest Post
There are many places of work that are considered dangerous. Basically, a dangerous place of work has higher risks than normal places of work and also the potential for an accident happening that will cause loss of life or limb is much higher. For companies where workers work in dangerous places, the safety headache is always present because keeping workers safe at all times is an ongoing critical concern that requires active vigilance from everyone concerned. Furthermore, accidents that arise from these places cause expensive law suits where the company reputation is negatively affected by bad publicity. There are various things any company can conduct in-house to ensure that negative eventualities do not catch them flatfoot.
· Random internal audits – apart from the scheduled annual safety audit, any company serious about the safety of their workers must conduct random unscheduled audits. These audits should target specific areas where safety is an issue. For example, random audits can be conducted to assess the effectiveness of height safety protection. These random audits are aimed at finding workers when they are least aware so as to find out whether company safety policies are being implemented or not. These audits serve to keep workers on their toes and safety conscious at all times.
· Worker exams – although many workers dread exams, they are very useful. These can be conducted after safety training to assess awareness and understanding of safety issues. Short assessment can also be conducted periodically to keep workers aware of company requirements as far as safety matters are considered. For example, workers can be examined in the various fall protection devices that the company provides. The main idea is to instill a safety attitude in all workers.
· Equipment inspection and testing – over time equipment tends to wear out all together. Worn out equipment is very dangerous and becomes unusable after a certain time has elapsed. To avoid incidences of equipment failure, regular checks should be conducted by equipment experts to ascertain the integrity of the equipment at any point in time. Workers should also be rigorously trained on the use of special tool like roof anchors and other tools that are directly related to fall protection.
· Worker feedback – workers should be given a private or public forum to air their views on their work place requirements. This feedback is vital for top management to get a feel for what is happening on the ground. It should also be taken very seriously at all times.
· Emergency drills – these are very necessary for all places of work where workers need to learn about emergency evacuation in a safe manner. It also empowers the workers in being responsible for their own safety when push comes to shove.
Emmet Brown is a safety auditor working in the construction industry. He works to ensure that there are zero falls in areas where workers work at heights. He also recommends the required fall protection safety gear.
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