Step-By-Step Guidelines to Conduct a Workplace Safety Assessment
ShareEmployees are the heartbeat, and probably the greatest assets of your business; without them, it's virtually impossible to provide much needed services to clients. That's why workplace safety should never be compromised at any particular time since the safety of employees is heavily pegged on it. A workplace safety assessment should be an integral part of the workplace safety plan for your business.
So, how does one practically conduct a workplace safety assessment? Here are some basic steps for you to follow:
Identify the hazards
The easiest way to begin your assessment is by raising the question: what are some of the imminent dangers that threaten to compromise the safety and health of your employees? Some common examples of workplace safety hazards include walking on slippery floors, working from heights, having faulty electrical wires, working in confined spaces, and operating unguarded machinery.
Identify associated risks
Employees walking on slippery floors risk tripping and sustaining severe physical or bodily harm. Those working from heights such as roof installers risk falling from the elevated points. Leaving a faulty electrical wire unattended presents the risk of electrical shocks to unsuspecting victims. Working in confined spaces such as an overstocked warehouse may lead to suffocation if employees aren't provided with the right breathing aids. Likewise, operating unguarded machineries such as metal-cutting machines may expose operators to risks like amputations.
Assess the risks
Here you ask yourself, 'what is the likelihood of a certain harmful result occurring?' In answering this question, two critical things must be considered:
- The probable extent of any bodily harm coming out of the hazard
- The probability that the injury will actually happen
You will have to develop a measurement scale to gauge both the likelihood and impact of a particular risk resulting from a defined hazard.
Manage the risks
All safety risks should be minimised according to their relative classification on the risk measurement scale. In essence, this implies that those risks that are ranked as high risk should be dealt with urgently, followed by the moderate and low level risks respectively. At this point, you will have to implement the most effective preventive measures to mitigate the risk. For example, while providing fire extinguishers in your office buildings can help fight a fire breakout, installing designated fire exit doors can help reduce the severity of such a risk more effectively.
Monitor and review
Once you have taken all the required measures to enhance the safety of the workplace, continue to monitor and review them to see if they are working as expected. For instance, you should check if providing fall arrest systems has reduced incidences of falls by employees working from height.
Contact a company such as Robson Environmental Pty Ltd to learn more.