It only takes one accident to completely shut down your production line. A really bad accident could cost you your business. In addition to responsible insurance, business owners can take other steps to avoid a disastrous accident in the workplace to ensure proper safety and protection.
1. Set Up A Maintenance Schedule
All the tools in your facility need regular maintenance checks. This may mean
- Scheduled oil changes for delivery vehicles
- Regular updates for all the computers
- Daily fluid level checks for heavy machinery
- Tolerance and corrosion checks for hand tools
Each business will need to determine its most critical maintenance needs. Part of the goal is to avoid expensive repairs. Preventing catastrophic accidents is just as critical. If you have cranes, forklifts or anything else with hydraulic components, a nearby hydraulic tech, and extra fluids are also a very good start.
2. Have Safety Gear Immediately Available
Everyone in your facility needs access to basic safety gear. If everyone in the shop needs to wear goggles, the receptionist needs a pair. If you can’t be sure of which employees need to enter the shop area, you will want to stock safety gear at the doorway to remind folks to grab goggles, a pair of gloves, or ear protection.
It’s also a good idea to make safety gear use part of your training and include it in your employee evaluations. The first time that someone gets written up for ignoring their safety gear requirements may be bumpy, but having to call 911 because someone injured an eye will be much worse.
3. Collect Data
Not everyone is comfortable telling another employee about a safer way to work. With an anonymous tip collection point, you can gather the data necessary to study bad behaviors that need to be addressed. If you have cameras in the shop for the sake of security, ask your tipsters to put a time and date on the infraction.
To that end, make sure that you use this data to celebrate when someone makes a positive safety choice. Days without accidents are good for your bottom line and great for morale. Be ready to share the wealth; when you hit those milestones, find a fun way to celebrate this success.
If used the right way, the data you collect can be used to improve several aspects of how your business operates. You could be more efficient with your inventory stocks, better with your customer service, and facilitate the use of data to make crucial decisions for your business.
If you require a little help in building a data warehouse for your business, you are not alone. Most companies outsource these types of services to companies that are skilled and equipped at handling the data flow for businesses like yours. Outsourcing to a team of experts has perks such as better security for the data they process for you. Without specific protocols in place, your business is at risk of data breaches and other data-related accidents.
According to Alignbi.com, one of the leading data warehouse intelligence teams in the nation, “Knowledge is power, but only if you know what to do with it… Harness the power of your data, making it available to anyone in the entire enterprise… Aligning data and analytics to corporate goals and strategies using BI best practices in data warehousing, visualizations and predictive analytics. We even help businesses find ways to monetize their data.”
By utilizing a powerful and professional team of data analytic experts, you may find countless ways to use your company’s data to save revenue, boost profits, and find new revenue streams. Collecting this data is useful for keeping the workplace safe and running efficiently.
4. Hire Wisely
Finding employees can be tough. If you need to hire temporary help, ensure you have copies of certifications and proof of insurance for your staffing and other agencies in the event someone with promised skills fails to perform or causes an accident or injury.
Highly technical hires, whether new or temporary, should go through a set of vetting steps before being left alone on any machine, tool, or program. Long-term temp hires may require you to bring in someone with similar skills to what is needed and offer training. Of course, you would hope that these temporary workers would eventually become full-time hires, but it’s important that business owners be willing to take these steps to keep the product going.
5. Publish A Zero Tolerance Policy
Depending on the tools and machinery at work in your facility, you may want to publish a zero-tolerance policy. If you have a forklift and only allow it to be driven by trained and certified drivers, post a list on the forklift and keep it updated to remind folks that they may not be allowed on the lift.
Zero-tolerance parties can pinch. You may have a long-standing delivery driver that you have learned to rely on who makes a poor series of choices and gets a DUI. If your delivery driver has a CDL and loses that license, you may have lost a good employee. Each business owner needs to make their own decisions about the best way to avoid these tough situations. Just make sure that you publish these clearly and follow through.
Being proactive about safety regulations may seem tedious, especially if funds are tight. However, staying in front of these disasters is critical to maintaining positive morale, protecting your employees from life-altering accidents, and maintaining your reputation as a responsible boss. Be ready to be the “bad guy or gal” if complaints arise. If you must, save articles about workplace accidents to share with folks who want to push back on these requirements.
