When you’re trying to run a successful business, there are various responsibilities you have to keep to your employees. You need to make sure their pay and taxes are processed exactly as they should be, and that they’re given everything they need to succeed and go further in their careers. However, there’s one big, underlying responsibility you also need to keep up with; their safety! Here are a few handy pointers for making sure your workforce has all the right safety gear.

First of all, make sure you have a good system for evaluation. In order to make sure you don’t run headlong into any major health and safety disasters, you should constantly be evaluating employees on the job, making sure that they have access to all the right gear, and that they’re using it properly. When you first start doing this, I recommend trying to be a little subtle about it. I’m sure you know that people change the way they work the moment their boss comes through the door. However, if you can observe it all happening from a distance, it will open your eyes to a lot of key information about the current safety at your business. Are your employees wearing their hard hats and goggles in all the required areas, or just some of them?

Next, make sure you’re updating your safety equipment as often as you need to. This is not only in the best interests of your hands-on workers, but the future of your business as a whole. If your employee’s safety equipment is damaged or worn out, it may fail to perform when it’s needed most. Aside from that, if an inspector comes across it, you could risk being shut down! Make sure that all the safety equipment on your premises is being checked on a regular basis, and that your employees understand the danger of working with worn or damaged gear. Everything from your signage to your hi vis workwear needs to be checked meticulously, and replaced when it stops being functional. It’s also a good idea to stay updated about the ever-changing standards of health and safety, and ensuring that your business adheres to them.
Finally, motivate everyone, and recognise employees for maintaining a healthy and safe company culture. If you already run an “employee of the month” scheme, then why not try dividing it into different categories, and having one position for people who show great safety awareness? This will make safety a more ingrained part of your company culture, and everyone will become naturally more inclined towards keeping up health and safety standards at work. Understandably, you may be determined to be a popular boss, but don’t forget the other side to this motivation. If you find that some employees are being too blasé about the health and safety standards at your company, then you need to make sure that they know this is unacceptable, and reprimand them for it. Don’t just make it a rant though. Ensure that they understand that their negligence endangers other people, and the business as a whole.