How to Ensure Employee Safety in the Workplace Part 3

Keeping your employees safe in the workplace is a given. Their welfare determines not only the productivity of your operations but also has huge legal implications – South Africa’s labour law is one of the most comprehensive in the world. Ensuring safety, health, environment and quality compliance has become a huge priority in the workplace.

There are various laws regulating ways and means to ensure safety, health, environment and quality requirements are met to keep employees safe at all times. It is the responsibility of you as employer to ensure that these regulations are followed to prevent any harm.

We’ve compiled some ways for you to ensure safety, health, environment and quality compliance among your employees.

Protect your body by using the correct posture

Compliance is also important when it comes to less obvious safety, health, environment and quality hazards: something as small as the wrong angle of a monitor or screen can cause employees harm. Ensure that all employees take care of their physical health and avoid damage to their backs, necks and arms by maintaining the correct posture at all times – this can mean adjusting a chair at a desk to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome to learning how to pick up a heavy object with the correct posture to avoid back injuries.

Regular breaks

People can only maintain full concentration and remain alert for so long, so set up regular breaks to make sure all employees stay fresh and focused. Fatigue can cause fatal errors, so monitor the levels of fatigue in your employees and make sure they rest often.

Keep rules in writing

Have written copies of the rules and regulations regarding the safety, health, environment and quality policies and procedures and have each employee sign that they understand and accept these. This can be considered legally binding. In addition to this, make signs of all the major safety, health, environment and quality compliance principles prominently displayed around the premises, with copies of legislation also put up where all employees can access it, e.g. in the cafeteria or the rest rooms.

Report any potential hazards or dangerous conditions

All workplaces require a safety officer responsible for all safety, health, environment and quality matters. Employees should be able to report any threats, risks, faulty equipment, potential hazards and dangerous conditions to this safety officer. In lieu of the safety officer, they need to alert their supervisor or management in order to deal with the issue immediately or take measures to avoid it until it can be taken care of.

SHEQX is a comprehensive, world-class safety, health, environment and quality solution that will help you create and implement all the systems, policies and procedures necessary to keep on top of your safety, health, environment and quality needs.