There is no greater liability than a hazardous workplace. If you can’t ensure the safety of your employees, guests, and customers, your business will struggle to survive. For one thing, an unsafe workplace is anything but productive. More importantly, though, you may face penalties and fines, a decrease in worker morale, a ruined reputation, etc., if you fail to prioritize safety above all else. And during such a turbulent year (2020), establishing a strong commitment to workplace health and safety is more important than ever before. Let’s discuss how you can achieve a safer working environment for everyone.

Make Safety a Part of Your Culture

If you want to provide your people with a safe workplace each and every day, you must ingrain the importance of safety into the fabric of your organization. Here at The Budd Group, for instance, we’ve made safety one of our immovable core values, meaning that all of our decisions and actions are rooted in maximizing safety standards. We do this by promoting safety awareness and education, providing routine training to all personnel, energizing management to oversee safety protocols, analyze data to pinpoint and address key trends, and more. In order to get your people on board with this commitment to safety, make an effort to recognize good behavior, offer health and wellness programs, and make everyone feel involved in achieving this shared goal.

Post Signage Strategically

While it’s important to instill a strong sense of safety in your organization from the get-go, it helps to remind individuals of best practices and potential hazards throughout the day. Posting signs and labels is a great way to do this. You might hang signs in bathrooms and break rooms regarding proper hand washing and disinfection methods, for instance. And if there’s a spill or leak, make sure there are wet floor signs on hand to notify anyone walking by.

Keep a Clean and Accessible Workplace

The cleaner your workplace is, the safer it is. When things are dirty, messy, and/or disorganized, you open the door to slips, trips, falls, and other safety risks. And during this COVID-19 pandemic and the winter’s flu season, cleanliness is of the utmost importance. You might hire professional disinfecting services to ensure all your surfaces are free from viruses, bacteria, and other contaminants. Accessibility is part of this safety equation, too. If, for instance, your region experiences heavy snowfall, it might be dangerous for your employees and customers to park in your lot or walk up to your doors. Hiring snow removal services during the winter will allow safer passage to your building and minimize the amount of water tracked inside.

Prioritize Preventative Maintenance

The condition of your building and equipment also contribute to how safe (or unsafe) your work environment is. When fixtures are deteriorating or damaged, they may fall on passersby or create health concerns (i.e. mold and mildew growth). Likewise, broken equipment and tools can lead to workplace injury. Investing in preventative building maintenance helps reduce these types of hazards and keep your people safe day in and day out -- inspect your property on a routine basis, make repairs as quickly as possible, replace outdated equipment, waterproof and winterize your property when necessary, and so on.

Equip Your Employees Properly

A major part of workplace safety is empowering your employees to make the right decisions as they work by providing them with the resources they need to work safely. Make sure your people have access to relevant personal protective equipment (PPE), documentation, sanitation supplies, etc.

Get Expert Help

Sometimes, during the day-to-day minutiae of the workday, safety concerns can get left on the backburner. To guarantee the ongoing safety of your employees, guests, and customers, consider partnering up with facility management services to handle and/or help with safety oversight protocols. The Budd Group offers all of the resources and services you need to achieve and maintain the safest possible working environment, including janitorial, maintenance, landscaping, and facility support services, flu prevention programs, and more. To learn more about our services and values, give us a call today at 800-221-8158!