A small business owner who is desperate for more storage space decided to block a fire door with several boxes. Another is so busy that he never gets the fire extinguisher out of the box and onto the wall. A third forgets to restock the first aid kit after she cuts her finger and uses up most of the supplies. All of these business owners have one thing in common. They allowed other things to stop them from focusing on first aid and safety concerns.
Keeping Employees Safe Boosts Company Profits
When an employee is out of work for a day or two, the company is less productive and can lose sales. Imagine having an employee miss work for six months because a ladder fell on him and gave him a serious injury. How many potential sales has the company lost? How much did the company have to spend on temp services while still paying disability benefits for the injured employee? Keeping employees safe isn't just a nice thing for a business owner to do. It can actually mean the difference between having a profitable year or having the business go under.
To help employees stay safe, the business owner should:
- Read up on OSHA compliance. Many OSHA regulations are common sense solutions that help a company avoid easily preventable accidents. For example, a frayed extension cord would be replaced by a new cord that doesn't have any breaks in the cord covering, which means the chance of an employee receiving a shock is much smaller.
- Evaluate office furniture to see if it is ergonomic and in good repair. A desk that is at the wrong height or a wobbly chair can really be dangerous for an employee's health.
- Perform routine building checks to be sure that all safety exits are easily accessible and that all shelving units and other big, heavy pieces are securely installed.
- Encourage staff members to follow safety and wellness routines, from wearing a back brace before lifting heavy items to taking time out to eat their lunches.
- Stock a complete first aid kit.
Keeping Customers Safe Helps a Company Develop a Good Reputation
If a customer is injured at a place of business, the news will spread pretty quickly. Keeping customers safe isn't one hundred percent possible, but you can really reduce the chance of injury when you:
- Use warning signs when floors are wet.
- Block access to aisles while they are being stocked to prevent merchandise from falling on someone.
- Keep breakable or sharp items where children can't reach them.
All those safety regulations may seem silly when so many of them are common sense, but they really do help keep employees and customers safe.
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