3 Workplace Safety Tips That Your Employees Should Know By Heart

It doesn’t matter how many safety rules you’ve written in your employee handbook. If your employees aren’t aware of them, they won’t do anyone any good. The only way that you can create a safe environment in your workplace is to ensure that each and every employee hasn’t only read the safety guidelines, but that they have them memorized.   

Here are some of the most important safety tips that your employees should know by heart. 

Stay Aware 

Regardless of the type of work, you should always stay aware of your surroundings. It’s particularly important, however, that you are especially aware in industrial settings. Places like warehouses have plenty of machinery and dangerous parts that could easily cause serious injury if you’re not careful how you navigate around them. 

Always staying aware of what’s in front of, behind, and to the sides of you can significantly reduce the risk of injury. Most workplace accidents could be avoided by simply staying aware of dangers. 

Practice Proper Posture 

One of the biggest causes for employees having to take time off work from injury is due to back injuries from lifting incorrectly. Lifting injuries aren’t just painful for potentially months, but they can affect your employees for the rest of their lives.   

It’s critical that your employees know the correct lifting posture to avoid injury. In addition to knowing the correct lifting posture, they should know the correct weight limits. It’s important not to lift more than a certain amount for your body without the help of mechanical aid. Weights over a certain limit require the use of a dolly or a forklift.   

Breaks Are important 

It’s important for your employees that they take regular breaks throughout the day. Even though dedicated employees may be tempted to push themselves as hard as possible to meet deadlines, working too long without a break is counterproductive. 

Studies show that employees who take regular breaks are much more productive in the long run. Not only does it revive your energy levels, but it also decreases your chances of injury. Make sure that your employees know to take frequent breaks throughout the day.   

In addition to taking breaks throughout the day, they should also make sure that they wait long enough between shifts. Working two full shifts back to back without an adequate amount of time in between you run the risk of being too fatigued to carry out your job. 

Don’t Take Shortcuts 

It’s important that you don’t take shortcuts during processes. When you eliminate necessary steps in a process, you’re putting yourself in more danger than you think. A step that takes as little as a few seconds can result in a catastrophe if missed.