Tag Archives: good housekeeping

AVOIDING FALLS IN THE WORKPLACE (GUEST POST)

Most of us don’t have workplace safety at the forefront of our minds when we are on the job. Unfortunately, injuries in the workplace are far from uncommon. The U.S. Department of Labor has reported that 15% of accidental deaths in the workplace are caused by falls, slips, or trips, and also account for an astounding 25% of all reported injuries.

Avoiding falls in the workplace should be a priority for not only employees, but also for the employers who are legally obligated to prevent them. While you may get out lucky with just a bruise or scrape, falls can often result in death. Going forward, follow these safety guidelines to stay safe on the job, avoid falls, and focus on the task at hand.

Avoiding Falls In The Workplace 1

Falls account for 25% of all workplace injuries. They can be prevented.

Where do Falls Occur?
Most reported falls occur at ground level, either by tripping over an object such as wires or slipping on a liquid such as oil. The remainder are from falling from higher areas such as ladders, rooftops, steps, or a higher floor.

Avoiding Falls In The Workplace 2

Never allow boxes or other objects in main walkways.

Precautions to Avoid Falls
Almost all workplace falls can be avoided either by wearing the proper safety equipment or by making sure that workplace conditions are safe before working. Here are a few tips to help prevent falls.

Create a workplace clean-up plan that must be followed daily. Housekeeping such as putting away loose objects, cleaning up spills as they happen, and ensuring all equipment is properly tied down will help prevent most falls from happening. 

  • Always use equipment for its intended purpose. For example, when reaching for something up high, a safety ladder is a much better choice than a desk chair.
  • Wear appropriate footwear for the environment. Make sure the footwear provides the traction and protection you need for your particular job.
  • Keep walkways clear. Boxes, cords, and hoses should never be left in main walking areas.
  • Work areas should be well-lit, and lights should be turned on upon entering any room.
  • Always be mindful of your environment. Paying attention to what is around you can be a preventative measure in itself.

Avoiding Falls In The Workplace 3

Always clean up spills right away to avoid slipping.

Why is Workplace Safety, and Avoiding Falls Important?

The main reason avoiding falls and following workplace safety protocol is important is to keep employees safe, free from injury, and to avoid accidental death. If you are injured on the job, you will be facing even more issues than your injury.

  • Will you have paid time off if the injury could have been prevented?
  • Will you have worries such as how to manage finances if you’re suddenly laid off.
  • Will your health insurance cover the injuries sustained on the job?For employers, the cost of a fall in the workplace can be astronomical. Medical bills, paid leave, and legal fees are not worth ignoring safety protocol and ensuring injury prevention.
  • Falls can be prevented in the workplace. Following safety procedures, keeping the work areas clean and tidy, using equipment only as intended, and wearing safety harnesses when appropriate along with other safety gear will go a long way in the prevention of falls.

    Jessica Galbraith is a writer, blogger, and safety advocate. 

INTERESTING OFFICE SAFETY TIPS (GUEST POST)

Ensuring office safety is a serious thing. As an office is a place housing hundreds to thousands of employees, business owners and managers must consider office safety a high priority. They should create a safe workplace for their employees, implementing safety mandates and ensure a hazard-free office environment. 

Ergonomics

Heard about this term before? For those who have no idea what ergonomics is, it is a science which main concern is between workers and their environment. It looks at how employees do their work and ensure body safety of the employees when doing such work. We can basically say that ergonomics protects and prevents employees from strain and injury. 

In a workplace, for example, an employee must be provided with a desk and a chair that he or she can adjust to her body size. He or she should be able to sit straight and comfortably when working. For the flooring, a special padded rubber mat that absorbs shock is needed if a worker must stand while doing his or her work. These things may seem unimportant but provide protection and prevent casualties in a workplace. 

Housekeeping

It is a normal scene in restaurants and fast-food chains to see cleaners put on warning signs when the floor is wet to prevent accidents. This should be done also in offices where a worker could trip or fall. General housekeeping must be safely done both by directing janitorial crews to clearly mark wet floor areas and in-house electricians to prevent damaged cords out in the open. It is recommended that office cleaning be scheduled when most workers are out of the office. 

Fire Hazards

Fire hazards pose a big danger in the workplace. Professional should regularly check both the computer systems, as well as electrical systems.  Workers should be warned about the dangers of overloading single outlets and using too many extension cords. Offices must run regular fire drills and develop  a fire escape plan for employees. 

Lighting

Employees who spend most of their working time in front of a computer are more prone to getting headaches and eyestrain, sometimes caused by either too much lighting from sun or inadequate light fixtures.  This problem can be avoided by placing computer monitors in appropriate positions. Cornell University Ergonomics Web recommends that the computer be positioned directly in front of the user and the lighting isn’t too bright. To block the sun’s rays, shades should be provided by the company. 

Seating

Many employees develop sciatic pain in their backs and legs from hours of sitting. Our bodies were not designed to be in a seated position for a long time. Workers can avoid this problem by taking several break periods though the day. Employees should stand up and move around the office as much as they are permitted. Aside from using ergonomic chairs, employees can do arm and neck stretching and other simple exercises while in the workplace. 

AUTHOR BIO 

Shiela Flakes works as a Research Associate for help.plagtracker.com. Aside from doing research, she also does writing and editing consultations to many different people. Reach Shiela through her Google+.ele

PREVENTING ILLNESS IN THE WORKPLACE (GUEST POST)

Employee absenteeism is one of the major drains on organizational performance, with the flu costing U.S. businesses over $10.4b a year alone. In Britain, it is estimated that workers take almost double the number of sick days than the U.S., according to research by professional services firm, PwC.

Richard Phelps, HR consulting partner at PwC said, “With sickness accounting for the lion’s share of absence, the question for employers is what can be done to improve health, morale and motivation.”

While some of this can be attributed to employees taking “sickies” – days off taken despite being well and able to come to work – it can also be attributed to greater rates of illness. Sickness generally accounts for around 80% of absence, which also includes jury service and compassionate leave:

“You need clear policies in place to make it less appealing for people to take unwarranted leave, while protecting those people with genuine illness,” added Phelps.

In many circumstances, illness is picked up from the workplace, with members of staff passing on germs as a result of being in close proximity to their colleagues. 

To reduce the likelihood of contamination, your workplace can take a number of steps to prevent illness from spreading:

Step One: Identify sources of germs

Most cold and flu symptoms are passed directly from person-to-person through coughs and sneezes, which become air borne and inhaled. They can also be passed from hands to objects like telephones, computer mice, equipment and machinery handles, photocopy machines, door handles or desks.

Step Two: Reduce the spread of germs

You can stop germs from spreading by making staff more responsible for their daily behaviour. As a general rule, ask staff to wash their hands after using the toilet, smoking or eating, using an antibacterial soap or alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Staff with colds should avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth, as this will increase the spread of germs. They should also cough or sneeze into tissue paper, covering their nose and mouth, before cleaning their hands.

Encourage your employees to clean their desks and personal items with disinfection wipes, particularly if they have recently been unwell.

Step Three: Clean areas which house bacteria

Kitchen

Workplace kitchens are a hive for bacteria so ensure that staff clean up after themselves when preparing food. Ensure that chopping boards, surfaces and utensils are washed with hot water and washing up liquid, particularly if they have been used for raw meats or fish.

Leftover food should be covered and put in the fridge, which should be monitored and cleaned out regularly; any leading brand of general purpose cleaner can be effective here – sites like Amazon.com stock a broad range of high-quality equipment.

Toilet

Toilets are another hive for bacteria and staff should be encouraged to keep them clean and tidy. Your cleaner should wash the floor and bowl with a disinfectant or general purpose cleaner, but also encourage staff to clean up their drips and spills and wash their hands after each visit.

You can visit clickcleaning.co.uk for a full range of high-quality cleaning products.

Step Four: Encourage sick staff to go home

Encourage staff with viruses to go home; having one member of staff off sick for two days is better than three members of staff being away for a total of six days.

If staff insist on working, let them work from home; otherwise encourage them to think carefully about how they interact with other team members, so to avoid cross-contamination.

Step Five: Encourage staff to practise healthy habits

Staff can avoid picking up viruses by leading healthy lifestyles, which means:

  • Getting plenty of sleep
  • Keeping physically active
  • Eating a balanced diet with a multivitamin
  • Drinking plenty of fluids, particularly water
  • Doing meditation or yoga
  • Drinking minimal alcohol or caffeine

Workplaces are shared environments, which mean responsibility for your wellbeing is collective too; encourage staff to keep your environment clean and germ-free and you will benefit from lower absenteeism and higher organizational productivity.

Author: Kate Southgate

 

WORKPLACE SAFETY: ARE YOUR EMPLOYEES SAFE? (GUEST POST)

Every employer knows that its employees are its biggest asset; without them the business couldn’t function.  Keeping employees safe falls to every individual in a company but employers have a responsibility to ensure the people that work for them are happy and healthy, and that someone is there specifically to ensure that this happens. 

So how do you know that your employees are safe while they’re at work? 

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) uses the Health and Safety Act 1971 to uphold strict guidelines on what is needed to keep employees healthy and safe in the workplace. 

Guidelines for employers range from lighting, cleanliness, hygiene, moving around the premises and comfortable conditions.  Employers must make sure that: 

●       Buildings are up to scratch – they are lit well, of a good temperature, are clean and open to some fresh air, are not in dangerous disrepair and have good wash facilities. 

●       Anyone with a role that involves any of the following has specific guidelines around them; harmful substances, manual handling, noise, pressured equipment, working at height, working in confined spaces and radiation. 

●       There are full reporting systems in place for any workplace accidents or near misses. 

Employers also have strict guidelines on: 

  •   Fire Safety                             
  •   Electrical Safety                              
  •   Gas Safety 

On the flip side, employees also have an obligation to themselves and their peers when it comes to their health and safety at work.  Employees have a responsibility to: 

  •        Take reasonable care of their own and others health and safety. 
  •        Not to interfere with or change anything that has been put in place for theirs or anyone elses health and safety and to comply with any guidelines that are in place, including attending relevant training. 
  •        Report any incidents that occur or any concerns in keeping with company procedures. 
  •        Communicate any changes in health in keeping with the company procedures. 

Risk Assessments 

Risk assessments are an effective way of making sure that your workers are safe. They look at what could occur and examine it in detail to minimise the risk as much as possible. 

Risk assessments deliver this by sticking to five steps: 

  • ●       Identify the hazard
  • ●       Identify who is at risk and how they might be harmed
  • ●       Evaluate the risk and look at precautionary measures
  • ●       Record and put changes in place
  • ●       Carry out reviews and act accordingly as time goes on. 

If I’m concerned? 

Employers should ensure that there are adequate whistle blowing and reporting procedures in place and that they are prepared to approach the national governing body, the HSE, should any breaches occur. Employee health and safety should always be paramount. If there are any concerns they should be immediately reported by employees to management or to the HSE by managers. 

This is a guest post provided by the team at  Northern Insulation, UK based asbestos removal and thermal insulation experts.

We appreciate our authors and readers from the UK and several other countries.  This informative article was sent to us by Tudor Davies.  Similar safety rules apply in the U.S., under OSHA. pb