Why is health and safety training important?
If you’re a business owner, you are responsible for keeping both employees and customers safe while they’re on the premises but this task isn’t as complicated as you may think. Thanks to the Work Health and Safety Act, or WHS Act, you now have the tools to keep everyone who visits you safe from all types of danger and harm. This is convenient because when it comes to work health and safety rules, none of them are considered insignificant.
Why do companies need health and safety training?
All companies have risks whether they deal with the public or not. Even corporate offices can have risks, which is why the model WHS laws were devised in 2011. Although the government doesn’t enforce or regulate these laws, they do maintain them and update them whenever necessary.
Most Australian companies have agreed to implement these laws since 2011. Many have even assigned people within their company to be health and safety representatives, ensuring that all employees become familiar with the laws. Some companies have installed certain equipment and hold regular classes for their employees in order to maintain safe practices that benefit everyone.
In other words, your company may have to adjust in order to implement laws that promise to keep people safe. In the end, however, it will be worth it because a company always saves money over time by keeping everyone who visits them safe from harm. With assigned safety officers, your company can continue to keep everyone safe year after year, providing you with the peace of mind you deserve and saving you a lot of money as well.
Health and safety training benefits
Implementing health and safety procedures in the workplace saves both time and money. These procedures don’t have to be time-consuming as even smaller tasks can do a lot to keep everyone safer. Employees, visitors, and customers have a right to be safe from both physical and emotional harm so training your employees in the laws provides a lot of advantages, including the following:
- Reduces and Prevents Workplace Injuries and Accidents. This is perhaps the biggest advantage of workplace health and safety laws. You’ll notice an immediate reduction in workplace accidents and injuries, which is no small accomplishment.
- Improves Productivity in the Workplace. People who feel safe will always be more productive; above all else, this will increase your bottom line.
- Saves the Company Money. This one is self-explanatory! Accidents are always expensive for the company, which is why you need these regulations in the first place.
- Creates a Safe Company Culture. Because training is usually ongoing, employees will come to accept that their workplace is a safe one, which is beneficial to both them and management.
Tips for work safety
If you want to manage risks in your place of business, there are different ways to get started. You can implement a good training course that familiarizes your staff on what to do and what not to do to stay safe. You can also check with the government if you need assistance on the course content or any other aspect of the courses you’re teaching because they are the experts.
You can also learn to keep your company safer by following a few simple rules, including:
- Staying abreast of workplace and employee health and safety issues
- Making sure that machinery and structures are well maintained and safe to operate
- Making sure that your employees are trained on the proper use of equipment and machinery
- Providing employees with the training and assistance they need to stay safe
You should also keep in mind that it is not just your responsibility to keep employees safe. It is also the employees’ responsibility to abide by the rules and do their part in keeping their equipment maintained and applying the rules to their everyday tasks. A safe work environment is everyone’s responsibility and, of course, it benefits everyone in the end.
Both training and making sure that the surroundings are safe are important when you want to produce a safe working environment. Remember that, anyone who visits your premises, including vendors and customers, have to be safe the entire time they’re there. If you have an influx of new employees, a good refresher training course may be necessary but you have to do what it takes to keep everyone safe.
What to expect from health and safety training
Training your employees goes a long way when it comes to safety. All types of health and safety trainingclasses are available with help from the government. This is simply the best way to reduce your company’s hazards and risks and keep everyone safe from all types of injuries and harmful situations. If you’re curious about why this makes such a big difference, the answer is simple.
First, the costs alone associated with accidents can be greatly reduced but that’s not all. You’ll save money, your employees will be happier and more productive and your company will have a much better image in the eyes of the public. Workplace health and safety rules aren’t just there because it is ethically the right thing to do; they are also a very good business decision.
Conclusion
Workplace health and safety, also called occupational health and safety, is crucial because no one wants to have employees become injured on the job or experience emotional harm such as harassment and discrimination. With a little help from the government, you can be proactive in your approach and design rules and regulations to make sure that your employees and customers are safe whenever they are on the premises.
If you appoint safety officers, you’ll have more than one set of eyes to watch out for everyone. If keeping everyone safe is an effort that you spend time on every single day, this can go a long way in keeping people safe. Let’s face it; if you want your business not just to grow but to thrive, keeping people safe is a must and it is now easier than ever before to do just that.
