Four important ways to keep safe at work

Keeping yourself and others safe while working is crucial for any job, which must be factored into handling all daily routines and tasks. While each job will have its own safety measures and precautions to be taken, specific industries must adhere to stricter policies due to the nature of work being carried out every day.

These four steps should be key practices in your ongoing efforts to avoid preventable accidents or injuries.

Photo by Aleksey

Using protective equipment

Taking preventative measures is always a better option than dealing with a problem or injury after it occurs. Using and correctly wearing protective equipment can help prevent or minimize injury when something does go wrong by mitigating or stopping any potential damage altogether. This could look like anything from careful handling of plates and frying equipment if you work in a café to steel toe-capped boots for those expected to carry heavy loads regularly.

It is imperative to look after your eyesight and hearing if you work in the construction industry or in factories where you will be continuously subjected to noise pollution. Many body parts can heal over time, but your senses are more likely to deteriorate than improve.

Investing in good-quality ear plugs will help reduce damage to your hearing, while goggles make it much harder for debris to reach your eyes.

Regularly retraining

It can be easy to fall into old habits or shortcuts if you’ve been doing the same job for a long time, but this is not always the safest way of carrying out tasks or handling equipment. Ensure that you regularly undergo retraining or refresher courses for your field to ensure that you are updated with all safety procedures; you might not always notice updates to equipment or best practice otherwise.

It is imperative to undergo training for any new tasks or roles you are given that involve new equipment or handling heavier loads than you are not used to so that you can proceed safely.

Taking illnesses seriously

We have become much more aware of how sickness can affect the workplace in the last two years. Taking your health seriously will not only help to keep co-workers from getting sick but can also reduce the risk of injury. When you are sick, your reaction time and alertness are likely to be worse than usual, meaning that accidents are far more likely to occur.

Show respect and consideration to your colleagues and yourself by taking the time to recover fully from illnesses before returning to work, if possible.

Caring for equipment

Looking after your equipment will make your job far more manageable, as well as reduce the risk of incidents. Ensure that you inspect all elements of your tools before you begin using them and have them regularly checked and restored by a professional to keep them running at optimum efficiency for as long as possible.

Safety advice at work may sometimes seem like it could go without saying, and it is easy for any of us to revert to doing what we assume is best, but it is essential to continue prioritizing it.

Make sure to always work by the book and follow the advice above to look after the safety of yourself and your colleagues as you go about your daily tasks.