Regardless of its type or work practice model, any business must adhere to health and safety regulations. Ensuring a hazard-free and safe workplace is crucial – it is a matter of company culture.

Indeed, company executives and business owners must make sure the workplace adheres to the latest work and safety measures at all times. This means prioritizing this aspect and maintaining the environment as safe as possible. However, health and safety should be embedded in a company’s culture. Only this way can you bring everyone together and encourage them to maintain the work environment free of any accidents and healthy. 

Whether your company utilizes the remote or hybrid work model or prefers the on-site work practice, adhering to the latest health and safety measures is a must. The welfare of your employees should always be a top priority. Apart from the fact that they are the engine of your company, it is of the utmost importance to make them feel safe and valued.

This increases their sense of belonging, motivation and desire to perform well and grow professionally as well as personally. A safe and healthy work environment retains your talented and highly skilled employees, making them eager to keep performing and driving the business further. This is why it is crucial to embed health and safety within the company culture – it should be a value that is shared among all individuals working or running the business. 

Indeed, accidents can still happen unexpectedly even though health and safety procedures are in place. However, by adhering to regulations, a company manages to significantly decrease the risk of an accident happening at the workplace. For this reason, there is no denying you need to create such a work environment that promotes safety and health in all its forms.

Without further ado, here are five things to consider when creating and maintaining a safe and healthy workplace:

  • Use And Update Labels and Signs

One way of adhering to health and safety procedures, apart from the obvious aspect of providing safe and protective tools and equipment, is to use labels and signs. In fact, this is the simplest as well as an effective method of communicating vital information. For this reason, it is also of the utmost importance to update them whenever necessary after a careful and detailed inspection. 

Given they are used as reminders of health and safety procedures and as warnings in case of emergencies, it isn’t surprising that companies must keep them updated at all times. According to experts from Accident Claims, in the event of an accident due to negligence and lack of updated procedures, employees who are injured are entitled to claim compensation for personal injury. 

Therefore, it is vital to use and update labels and signs showing how the company follows health and safety procedures.

  • Provide Protective Equipment and Safe Tools

It almost goes without saying – the mere act of installing and updating health and safety labels and signs is not enough. This needs to be accompanied by concrete actions, such as providing protective equipment in workplaces where this is absolutely necessary, such as a medical lab or a construction site. 

In addition to offering PPE, it is also crucial to provide the right tools to conduct certain activities safely or, when it comes to office work, to provide ergonomic furniture that supports employees’ good posture. All these represent actions that create as well as maintain a safe and healthy work environment.

An essential and noteworthy mention when it comes to equipment and specific tools is the fact that you must provide regular inspections whenever necessary. This ensures they can continue to be used, given they don’t present any hazards. If they do, then the company must replace or repair them.

  • Implement Safety Protocols

To create a company culture that puts health and safety in the first place, it is imperative to implement and follow safety protocols from the very beginning. This should also be communicated effectively to any employee you welcome into your business. 

It is vital to build a solid team of like-minded professionals who follow all safety procedures rigorously and point out any irregularities if they come across them. Implementing safety protocols and focusing on communicating them is one way of accomplishing this.

One way of ensuring all the safety protocols are successfully implemented and updated is to work with professionals such as occupational medicine clinicians or HR specialists who know the type of health and safety procedures the company must adhere to.

  • Train The Staff Frequently

Prevention should always be aimed towards. It is better to work at preventing an unfortunate incident from happening than to have to deal with the consequences of it. For this reason, it is of the utmost importance to train your staff frequently and use this chance to update them on any changes made to health and safety regulations. 

Training is especially needed in a workplace that presents more hazards, and whenever there is a new type of equipment and tool, it is essential to make sure that all employees know how to use it safely. The same applies to any new candidates filling a position such as a lab worker, for example. You must offer training to ensure the work is done safely and hazard-free.

So, you should never underestimate how crucial health and safety training is. To give your employees an incentive to follow these procedures rigorously and attend all training sessions, it is recommended to encourage safe behavior by rewarding it. This way, your employees will be better engaged and committed to following all health and safety policies. 

  • Encourage Open Communication

Creating a safe and healthy work environment also means prioritizing your employees’ mental health. Whether the company conducts its business in an office, a construction site or a laboratory, employees are prone to developing mental health issues due to stress. Juggling a lot of things at once, having many responsibilities, and finding a work-life balance can take a toll on someone.

For this reason, it is imperative to encourage open communication within the company and prioritize your employees’ mental wellbeing. This means creating a safe space where they can communicate any issues or struggles they may have and support them in combating them.