12 Workplace Safety Mistakes to Avoid

With employee wellbeing becoming a primary concern in almost every sector, workplaces are safer than they were some time ago.

Companies are now investing in worker safety by assessing workplace risks and taking precautions to safeguard their teams. More firms are also prioritizing first aid treatment to improve the quality of emergency response.

Employers are increasing workplace safety awareness and equipping employees with skills and safety equipment to avoid common health hazards in their line of duty.

Worker wellbeing impacts the prosperity of an organization. Safety further depends on the regulations and culture in the workplace and the relationship between employers and employees.

There are several workplace safety mistakes to avoid to reduce injuries that could slow down a company.

Workplace safety equipment

Safety Mistakes to Avoid in a Workplace

Here are some common workplace safety mistakes employers should avoid and the importance of first aid treatment:

  • Thinking safety is a trivial responsibility

Bosses who sit cozy in their comfy offices don’t understand the dangers employees face.

They like to assume that juniors should care for their safety, and injuries should be handled by lower-level supervisors or the workers themselves.

Executives must lead by example. Workers can get careless and indulge in unsafe activities simply because they once witnessed a senior staff do it.

Cultivate a safety and awareness culture and remind each worker that their safety is a personal responsibility.

Such an environment experiences fewer accidents because everyone is pro-actively watching out for the other.

  • Looking at safety as an expense

A company begins missing the mark when the management starts considering safety measures as a liability to the company.

Safety must be prioritized. Investing in worker well being can ensure the smooth running of a company because accidents can cause serious consequences.

  • Thinking some accidents are unavoidable

When working on a project, a company must be positive every step of the journey will go just fine. It would be best if you worked, hoping to achieve everything with little to no injuries.

Many times, you achieve what you prepare for. Immediately you admit that some injuries are inevitable, you subscribe to gloominess and give up on your safety responsibilities

Do not focus too much on worker safety and injuries. As an employee or employer, nothing should stand between you and the success of the company.

Safety managers, supervisors, or anyone in authority must train teams to achieve maximum productivity with zero injuries.

  • Using the wrong approach to encourage the best safety practices

Some companies motivate their workers to improve their safety records. This may include rewarding any work crew that goes three months without any injury.

To some extent, it may seem like a great way to minimize workplace safety mistakes, but it doesn’t work.

Research has exposed the disadvantages of this misguided stimulus. This method has led to the covering up of injuries rather than reduction of injuries.

Workers will not report cases of injuries to improve their chances of winning the rewards in offering.

Employees should be motivated in the right way. For example, rewarding workers for their positive efforts in creating safe conditions, like putting on personal protective equipment while on duty.

  • Blaming workers for injuries

Company leaders must strive to reduce workplace safety mistakes to a minimum. But that doesn’t mean workers won’t get hurt while on duty.

No one hurts themselves on purpose, either. You cannot assume that injuries are inevitable.

Also, it would help if you considered the chain of responsibility, which leads to all injuries. And sometimes, injuries are the result of psychological stresses at work.

In a nutshell, injuries don’t happen because people are stupid or less skilled. Injuries occur due to lack of employee safety training, improper PPE, or poor safety culture. And many times, they are accidents.

Instead of blaming workers, prepare to administer proper first aid treatment to any patients in need of help.

  • Forgetting your workers speak different languages

Some companies rely on workers who speak little or no English, yet all the safety signs and employee safety training is done in English.

As a manager, insisting on English is not the right way to handle safety matters. Vital information may not come across clearly, which may prove detrimental to worker safety.

Worker safety is not negotiable. A multilingual team must be catered for by offering employee safety training in various languages.

  • Not considering cultural differences

A mismatch of culture, especially among professionals who are foreigners, can lead to workplace safety mistakes. People from other countries always have different cultures when it comes to health and safety.

Immigrants may be afraid to report injuries or even work without proper protective gear to appear tough or when worried about losing their job spot.

Therefore, the employer must consider the different cultures and mention that safety measures apply to all cultures.

Workers want a comfortable environment and where everyone is free to speak up.

  • Poor safety equipment purchase and storage habits

PPEs should be bought by people who have had direct experience with the work. Doing so will ensure you buy the right equipment and avoid workplace safety mistakes due to faulty PPE.

The storing of PPE is also important. Some companies store their PPE at a different place from the actual workplace. This makes them not readily available when the need arises.

Studies show keeping PPEs in easy to access locations can increase the adoption and use of these attire among workers.

  • Offering Poor Employee Safety training

Companies always look for cheap trainers to cut on expenses. These trainers only offer unprofessional lectures that won’t help the workers during their working process.

Some trainers may complain that workers aren’t cooperative. Staff may only be uncooperative if the trainer is boring since it is the coach’s responsibility to make the session lively.

Also, use a practical approach to training. Offer only a few lectures and lots of practical and demonstration sessions to increase the training process’s effectiveness.

  • Keeping incomplete or useless stats

It is not just about knowing the number of workers injured on duty. It should go further to gather the exact details on what happened, how it happened, the machine(s) involved, PPE being used, and more.

A detailed report will help the company and workers to learn from past slip-ups. They may also come up with better ways of working to prevent such mistakes in the future.

  • Skipping Maintenance and Inspection Sessions

Machines need maintenance. Especially devices that work round-the-clock. Some managers only care to check on machines once they break down.

Well, this should not be the case, machines must be maintained to avoid a sudden breakdown, but most importantly, to prevent causing accidents to the workers.

Inspecting machines regularly helps to identify faulty parts that may cause injuries to workers. Combine machine safety training with courses on first aid treatment to improve the quality of your responses.

  • Careless handling of hazardous materials

Most companies rely on hazardous materials for various tasks and processes. These materials should be kept properly to avoid the risk of a spill or other accident.

They should be kept in safe containers labeled properly so that everyone can tell whatever is inside. This will make accidents less common.

Chemicals, even in small quantities, should be handled with great care to prevent unnecessary damages. These products are also costly, so companies that rely on them must develop a control system.

According to OSHA, workers should be taught well on how to handle these hazardous materials, by offering training on:

  • The importance of checking expiry dates
  • Safe use of the products
  • Disposing of them properly after use.

Buying excess harmful substances and storing them is against the OSHA rules and regulations.

How Creating a Visual Workplace Reduces Workplace Accidents

A visual workplace is a job space with visual posters to help guide employees and others on the various safety procedures in an organization. This minimizes accidents and workplace safety mistakes too.

It helps promote a self-regulating environment that is more efficient, safer, and generally operates with less interruption.

The Many Pros of Creating a Visual Workplace

Creating a visual workplace can offer many advantages to a business. Some of these benefits include:

  • Improved safety
  • More effective employee safety training
  • Reduced injuries
  • Increased adherence to safety measures

All these can increase safety and boost productivity in the place of work.

Visual Workplace Supplies

Visual workplace supplies come in different forms. Learning more about the different types of supplies can help us understand what a visual workplace is and how it can increase safety levels.

Floor markings

This helps to improve workplace safety mistakes since it directs workers and clients on the next step to take.

Options to take on what can be used in floor marking include:

  • Floor making tape
  • Floor marking paint
  • Floor marking shapes

Safety Signs

Signs can help improve the way workers do things. Add the following signs to increase safety levels:

  • Safety signs
  • Information signs
  • Instruction signs
  • Direction signs
  • Warning signs

No entry signs can also restrict entry to high-risk zones.

Avoid these Costly Workplace Safety Mistakes

Work zones experience lots of accidents, some of which we can avoid. This list of workplace safety mistakes can help you create a thorough hazard exposure and safety plan for your organization.