Every business can take some simple steps to minimise risk of injury and improve workplace safety. Although office environments can seem less vulnerable to serious injury when compared to industries such as construction, manufacturing, aged care, etc., risks exist across all industries.
Irrespective of the workplace environment steps can be taken to minimise workplace risk. Injuries and claims commonly result from workers tripping, slipping or falling. Poor manual handling activity, incorrect workstation set-up, lack of rest and exercise breaks or strains and other injuries related to posture or repetitive movement are frequent causes of workplace injury. If not addressed, these problems can affect employee productivity, morale and absenteeism rates. Employers can take 8 simple steps to help minimise workplace risks and therefore create safer workplaces for their workers.
Want some simple steps for a safer workplace?
Safer Workplace in 8 Steps – Some simple and cost effective steps business can take to help improve workplace safety are as follows:
- Know how to operate your adjustable office equipment: Providing the adjustable furniture and equipment is just the first step in an ergonomically sound workstation. Making sure you know both the ideal setup and how to operate adjustable equipment is crucial.
- Spend some time walking around the workplace, ideally with your work health and safety representative, trying to identify potential hazards.
- Hold a meeting with your staff and ask them to flag any issues or concerns, getting worker’s feedback is one of the best ways to identify workplace safety issues.
- Go through injury records for repeated incidents and watch worker activity to see if you can identify any potential problems.
- Encourage workers to take regular rest and exercise breaks.
- Prevent injuries caused by manual handling or hazardous manual tasks. These may be caused by carrying, stacking, lifting, rolling, sliding, pushing or lowering loads as a result of awkward postures, forceful exertions, repetition, duration and vibration. The best way you can help workers is by changing the way they perform tasks by using mechanical aids such as height adjustable trolleys and changing the duration and repetition of tasks.
- Eliminate the risk of workers slipping or tripping by reducing hazards from uneven or worn floor surfaces, spillages, poorly-lit walkways and clutter.
- A major cause of office falls is workers trying to reach things by standing on chairs or other unsafe objects, minimise the risk of falls investing in a sturdy mobile step ladder that meets Australian Standards for commercial or industrial use