Ensuring a safe working environment is a major issue to be taken care of, both by companies and the employees. Creating an environment where the right security measures are enforced is essential, both because it's legally recquired and to take care of people's integrity.
At Eden, we care both about health and safe working environments, which is the reason why we have wanted to address this issue.
What does a safe working environment imply
A safe working environment implies that there are no elements or situations that threaten the employees' health.
Human factors are the main source of risks, so that a high priority must be established to create safe conditions at the workplace. Health and integrity are not the only elements involved in this but also the workers' satisfaction and happiness.
How can a company make this their priority? There are three main elements:
Training for a safe working environment
A key to ensure a safe working environment is to include trained employees in your team, who not only know how to perform their own tasks but are able to do so in an efficient manner.
It's obvious that nobody knows everything, specific time must be allocated to train employees. This is a continuous task that shouldn't have an ending date, as new methods and ideas can be put into practice as progress continues.
This is why investing in training also means investing on a safe working environment.
Information is also important
While training gives ideas on how to proceed with their job, information warns employees about the potential risks involved with certain tasks. Each job presents its own risks, and some are more notable than others, but it's anyway essential to inform whoever performs it about them.
When the staff has access to information about the risks they should pay attention to, it's easier to prevent them and improve security. The company's management is obliged to provide this information and employees are obliged to act accordingly to avoid taking any unnecessary risks.
Apply preventive measures
There are certain rules that indicate what the minimum measures are to create a safe working environment. As an example, there are some tasks that will recquire Individual Protection Equipment, specifically created for this role. Rules can also indicate the types of tools to be used and how to do it to make it safe.
Appart from those measures established by law, which every company must comply to, management can also decide to implement others, as long as they don't interfere with the law. In some cases, it's necessary to include a security manager that ensures that the standards are met.
Obtaining a safe working environment is nonetheless a vital issue in which everyone should be involved.