Have you ever wondered if you could fill in for another employee at your workplace if they got hurt and were unable to work for a while? Statistics show that many personnel absences are caused by accidents in the workplace. If management has neglected safety measures and failed to do cross training for such occasions, everyone will suffer the consequences.
Cross training procedures for absences in workplace management must meet with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s safety and procedural standards. When companies do not follow those guidelines, they risk disaster for their employees and businesses. Employees should be prepared for all types of emergencies. With our present telecommunication systems, companies can conduct cross training for absences in the workplace for all employees in all work-shifts. In the absence of a key employee, anyone would be qualified and able to perform safety standards and emergency measures for accidents and/or disasters. More intensive training can be given in addition to computer-based plans.
Do you know what to do in case of a bomb threat? Fire? Emergency evacuation? Does your management team conduct drills very often? Do you have first aid training, and would you know how to respond to emergency needs of your coworkers? Do you know where the first aid kit and first aid supply is?
Safety coordinators should be responsible for designating others to take their place in the event that they are not present at the time of an emergency. There should be several persons that can conduct an orderly evacuation of employees, those who will stay in the premises for last-minute decisions, and someone to follow up and account for all employees. It is very important that safety cross training is done. Teamwork is a necessity!
If you work for a large company, and have noticed a job that you might be interested in, ask your supervisor. People do best in the jobs that are suited for them. Persons that follow the rules and are cautious in going about their duties, are ones that management recognizes. Those that express a desire to learn different aspects of a variety of jobs are able to replace someone who may be absent due to illness or injury. Being familiar with more than one job responsibility is beneficial to both the employee and company. And companies may find they can do more with less, when they have employees that are able to “multitask.”
Sometimes it may not be as easy to fill someone else’s shoes as it looks. Everyone can stuff the “suggestion box” with great ideas, but until you actually do someone’s job, you can’t know. It certainly is admirable if you want to try!