Sent by Stephen Malina of www.supercircuits.com
A security system can be a valuable tool for businesses and organizations to improve safety in the workplace. With a properly deployed video surveillance system a business can reduce its employee liability and ensure regulatory compliance, along with reducing theft and improving inventory management.
Understanding Workplace Security
Over the past 50 years legislative changes in the United States have led to many expensive lawsuits against large businesses. With increased unionization and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), employers now may be held liable for a wide variety of common workplace injuries. While an employee may have caused an accident of their own accord, a business may still be liable if the incident isn’t properly documented.
Many injuries in the workplace are caused by employee error or a failure to pay attention to or follow proper instructions. If an employee violates a company policy in a way that causes an accident, the employer, with proper evidence, may not be liable in the event of a lawsuit or disability claim. However, it can be difficult to avoid liability without proper documentation.
For example, a modern warehouse facility is filled with a variety of potential hazards. Heavy equipment like forklifts, conveyor belts, cranes and other equipment can cause serious injury or death. Employees can be injured by climbing on wall racks, carrying heavy loads without assistance, mixing cleaning chemicals, or simply using a trash compactor incorrectly. It can be difficult to determine the cause of some accidents, and in some cases equipment failure and employee incompetence can both lead to the same outcome.
All dangerous equipment in a workplace should have warning labels. These will help reduce the risk of employee injury and minimize a company’s potential liability. However, many employees will not pay attention to warning labels, employee manuals and other instructional materials designed to help users avoid accidents.
When Workplace Accidents Occur
Given these risks, obtaining video evidence of any workplace accidents is a critical component of understanding the true cause of the incident and consequently where liability truly lies.
When setting up a it’s a good idea to have cameras in all areas where heavy equipment is used. This allows the business owner to quickly and easily see the course of action that an employee followed before an accident. Additionally, cameras should be installed so that they show a clear view of who was using a particular piece of equipment at any given point in time.
Some additional areas to consider monitoring include break rooms, coat rooms, stock rooms and safety equipment rooms. If an employee is injured when he or she is not wearing safety equipment, there is a small chance that an employee will put on safety equipment after an accident, knowing he or she was operating without having followed proper safety procedures. Since this can expose a company to liability, it’s a good idea to have cameras installed in an area where employees are required to follow preparatory safety procedures and wear the proper safety gear.
Beyond the traditional benefits of reducing employee theft and preventing break-ins, establishing a properly installed video security system can play a significant role in reducing employer liability when workplace accidents occur. Furthermore, by knowing that their activities are being monitored, employees are more likely to follow proper safety procedures, which in turn, can lead to a reduction in safety-related incidents.
A security system can be a valuable tool for businesses and organizations to improve safety in the workplace. With a properly deployed video surveillance system a business can reduce its employee liability and ensure regulatory compliance, along with reducing theft and improving inventory management.
