Your workplace might not be as safe as you might imagine. A lot is going on in your workplace and things may be misplaced, broken or malfunction. If you want to make sure that your business premise is safe and healthy for everyone (of course you do!) you need to take a closer look.
Take a few moments to look around you and survey the scene. Truly examine your surroundings. If you look close enough, you’ll probably come across at least one hazard that puts your safety and the safety of others in danger.
The reason that these hazards exist in the first place is usually down to negligence – or, in simpler terms, human carelessness.
Health and safety measures are constantly being addressed and improved, but it is a sad reality that hazards will never be consigned to the past. In every single workplace imaginable, hazards exist. Here are five workplace hazards to watch out for:
1. Over-worn brake pads
When people think of the workplace, they immediately conjure up images of an office or a building site. However, if your livelihood involves driving, then your workplace is your vehicle. Be it a car, a minibus, a coach or a double-decker bus, they all represent workplaces for drivers.
All vehicles should be regularly serviced, especially if they are on the go for hours on end every day. A faulty brake pad is a workplace hazard that could result in the driver and passengers sustaining injuries. In 2016 alone, the average payout for whiplash claims in the UK was in the region of £5,000.
2. Faulty office chairs
It is vital that office workers, who sit at a computer for the entirety of their working day, are provided with a comfortable chair that is adjustable to suit their height and comfort needs.
Old-fashioned, unadjustable chairs can have a hugely negative impact on somebody’s posture and even leave them with spinal injuries that require numerous visits to a physiotherapist.
3. Loud noise
Employees who are exposed to loud noises every day must be provided with adequate protection for their ears. Sustained exposure to loud noises can result in diminished hearing and, in extreme cases, deafness.
Factory workers who are surrounded by lots of machinery in close proximity to where they are stationed are at high risk, and it is vital that the impact of noise is minimised by wearing noise-reducing ear protectors or ear plugs.
4. Loose scaffolding
Construction workers who work at height every day are already putting their lives at risk simply by being so high up. It’s a risky job because putting one foot wrong can have fatal consequences.
It is vital that scaffolding is put in place firmly and securely. Loose scaffolding is a workplace hazard of the most serious kind that could lead to serious injury and even death.
5. Loose wires
All office machinery, from computers to telephones to photocopiers, comes with an array of wires that should be neatly diverted away from areas of human passage.
Most of the time wires are diverted away, but every so often a new piece of machinery can slip through the net and less care is taken.
Wires that protrude into walkways are major hazards and can cause people to trip up, which in turn can lead to a long list of injuries.
Takeaway
Your office should be a safe and comfortable place for your employees; those greatly impact your overall employee happiness and company productivity. Seemingly insignificant workplace hazards can quickly add up and eventually those will impact your employees’ performance. You can’t afford such situation – so, make sure you do regular maintenance to find hazards and fix them up more sooner than latter.