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Safety Choices You Must Make To Protect Your Business

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Protect your business|Safety Choices You Must Make To Protect Your BusinessAre you looking for ways that you can improve your business? If so, then you might want to consider some of the key steps that you can take to make your business safer. These are some of the options worth exploring.

The Right Checks

First, you need to make sure that you are completing the right checks in your business. For instance, you need to ensure that the sprinkler systems are in the right condition. You might also want to explore gas leak detection and emission monitoring solutions. This could be beneficial depending on the type of business you are running and the industry that you are part of.

PPE

Next, think about the type of PPE you may need within your workplace. For instance, if you are working on a building site then you will need to supply hard hats and Hi-Viz vests. PPE is there to keep eveyone safe and if you are found out not to be using it correctly then you could get yourself and your business in quite a bit of trouble. Although not a true piece of PPE, it has become the norm to wear face masks due to the risk of contracting or passing on Covid-19. It might be helpful if your business had a box of masks at the entrance for anyone who has forgotten their own.


Health And Safety Officers

You might also want to consider hiring one or two health and safety officers. Health and safety officers will check your business for signs of an accident or incident occuring. Essentially, they will pinpoint and point out hazards that could lead to a disasterous situation. This could include wires that are strewn across the floor or a piece of equipment which isn’t functioning the way it should be. You can hire an in-house member of your team as a health and safety officer. Alternatively, you can also consider hiring someone outside of your business to fill this role. If you take the latter step then you will be able to hire someone who already has the right levels of training, qualifications and experience to fill this vital role.

Training

Finally, you should think about training for your team members. The majority of injuries and accidents in your business are going to be due to human error. That’s just a fact and the sooner you come to terms with this, the sooner you can take steps to deal with the problem. Specifically, you should make sure that you are exploring training for every employee. This will help them avoid critical mistakes while also ensuring that they know what to do if an accident does occur.

We hope this helps you understand some of the key steps that you can take to ensure that your business is safe and has the right level of protection in place. By exploring the best options here, you can avoid a situation where you are inundated with PI claims and guarantee that your company does not develop a poor reputation due to the lack of care for your team.

Future Manufacturing Trends Your Business Needs to Know

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StrategyDriven Managing Your Business Article |Manufacturing Trends|Future Manufacturing Trends Your Business Needs to KnowManufacturing businesses are a staple in the global market, as they endeavor to keep up with the supply and demand of consumers. To do this, they have to continuously identify problems and inefficiencies, improve processes and overcome any challenges that are thrown their way.

One of the best ways to stay ahead in the industry and ensure your business is competitive is by keeping up with the latest manufacturing trends. This is because the manufacturing trends are driven by the needs of the industry and tools that are going to improve the objectives of any business, for example, technological advances.

While the industry is changing, global events such as the COVID-19 pandemic have also played a role in shaping the future of manufacturing due to the new obstacles and challenges the industry had to face. This meant a huge overhaul in the way that manufacturers had to run their businesses, as well as a shift in the way that consumers shop and purchase products. It has given many businesses a new perspective on the way things are run.

Many future trends in the manufacturing industry are going to be a response to these challenges that society faces, and provide businesses with sophisticated opportunities.

Here are some of the top future manufacturing trends that your business needs to know.

#1 Smart factories

It seems the manufacturing industry is at a tipping point, where more businesses will begin to build smart factories. This may include smart equipment, as well as smart software that provides a central monitoring system and data analytics, such as Overall Equipment Effectiveness software.

The free time during the COVID-19 pandemic was able to raise a variety of problems and inefficiencies with current software and machinery, and many businesses are using this as an opportunity to phase out older equipment and bring in new machines that are equipped with the latest technology and combines several processes into one machine.

Incorporating smart equipment will play a huge role in how efficient your business is, and the quality of your output. It will ensure you remain competitive in the market, as you will be able to keep up with your competitors who are reaping the same benefits. If you don’t, you will create a big gap between yourself and your competitors, and find your business plateaus.


#2 Sustainable processes

Sustainable processes are a huge focus for many businesses in the manufacturing industry. As Governments all over the world are implementing high targets for emissions, it is up to businesses to play their role and make positive and impactful changes. They are also going to come under pressure from their clients, who are going to want to work with businesses that are meeting the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standard requirements.

Manufacturing businesses are responsible for a large portion of toxic emissions. This is because of the variety of activities that are involved in the business, such as transporting goods, producing energy to run machinery, chemical reactions when working with raw materials, and waste in the production process.

In the near future, manufacturing businesses are going to be making more sustainable choices, for example, by only working with suppliers that have a Green certificate, not running equipment unnecessarily, using quality machines, utilizing renewable energy resources, reducing plastic consumption, pursuing carbon-neutral practices, reducing waste by recycling and reusing materials and much more.

#3 Health and safety

Health and safety should always be a priority, especially in a manufacturing business where the risk of injury is much higher. However, there are hundreds of fatalities per year, and this number only continues to rise. This has resulted in health and safety becoming a trend, in the hopes that more businesses will take it seriously.

Many businesses are employing a range of different systems and processes that will help make the workplace a much safer place for employees to be, with the goal of reducing risks and accidents. There will be more reviews in the workplace to monitor safety habits and behaviors, as well as regular training for all staff members, especially with the introduction of new technology.

Businesses are also investing in advanced equipment that will monitor the movement of their employees and even other aspects such as their temperature. This is to help with the control of COVID-19 and ensure employees are fit and well for work, and do not disrupt the workforce. During the pandemic, many businesses suffered with staff on furlough and off sick. Stricter measures that look after employees’ health will help keep staff well, happy and working.

With new technology and sustainable practices being introduced, the future of manufacturing is close.

The Essentials Of Keeping Your Manufacturing Floor Safe

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StrategyDriven Risk Management Article |Keep Manufacturing Floor Safe|The Essentials Of Keeping Your Manufacturing Floor SafeWhen it comes to promoting the health of your workers, in an industrial setting, there is nothing more important than making sure that the floor is as safe a place to work in, as possible. However, that’s not always an easy thing to do. Here, we’re going to look at some of the steps that you can take to prevent risks or to take notice of them and quell them as soon as possible.

Train your workforce as best as you can

You should ensure that your workforce is trained regularly on the safety procedures they need to take to make sure that they’re able to work while minimizing their risks as best as possible. Aside from training the workers directly in basic safety, you can also train and manage your own safety officer that can keep an eye on the floor on a more active level. Their role can be in pointing out potential hazards that you and your team might miss in the day-to-day work you do.

Make safety audits and inspections regular

Of course, it’s the equipment in the manufacturing setting that is going to be providing the lion’s share of the risk. This dangerous equipment can cause injury, both when operated incorrectly or when there are malfunctions that stop it from working properly. Just as you should regularly train your team on safety matters, you should invest in regular safety audits and inspections of the workplace and machinery through services like a machine safety assessment survey. This can allow you to pinpoint the risks that are most worth inspecting in your workplace and, upon fixing them, to allow your team to work with a little more reassurance.

Provide the equipment that your team needs

The machinery they work with isn’t the only equipment you should be providing them with. The need for personal protective equipment, from gloves to safety goggles and hearing protection, is likely to be outlined in the regulations that your business is legally required to follow. However, aside from just buying the supply that you need, you should inspect this equipment on a regular basis to make sure that it’s all working, safe, and available to use. PPE can suffer from wear and tear, too, and not noticing it can put your employees in danger.

Make a culture of prevention

Many safety hazards can be addressed before they constitute a serious threat and you can make it easier for your team to do just that by making prevention an important part of the workplace culture. This can include training your team to provide preventative maintenance to the equipment that they work with, but it also includes things such as safety signage reminding them to keep vital areas clear of clutter and to perform what safety checks they need before they start their work.

Manufacturing floors can be very dangerous places to work, so you need to make sure that you’re constantly on top of the ball when it comes to safety. Hopefully, the tips above can help with that.

How To Ensure A Safe And Healthy Workplace For Your Employees

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article Safe workplace|Safe Workplace|How To Ensure A Safe And Healthy Workplace For Your EmployeesA safe and healthy workplace is essential for the well-being of your employees. Unfortunately, many businesses do not take the necessary steps to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. This can lead to serious health problems for your employees. This blog post will discuss some of the most important things you can do to create a safe and healthy workplace for your employees!

1. Establish Clear Health And Safety Policies

It is essential that you have clear health and safety policies in place to protect your employees. These policies should be communicated to all employees and enforced consistently. Some examples of important health and safety policies include:

  • Proper ergonomics in the workplace
  • Using personal protective equipment (PPE)
  • Reporting unsafe conditions

If you do not have clear health and safety policies in place, your employees may be at risk of injury or illness. Furthermore, if an employee is injured or becomes ill due to a lack of safety precautions, you could be held liable.

2. Keep It Clean

Another important way to ensure a safe and healthy workplace is to keep it clean. A dirty workplace can lead to a number of health problems, including respiratory infections, skin diseases, and even food poisoning. To keep your workplace clean, you should:

  • Regularly clean all surfaces
  • Encourage employees to wash their hands often
  • Prohibit eating in areas where food is prepared or stored

A clean workplace will help keep your employees healthy and reduce the spread of illness. You can even consider biohazard cleaning services if the situation dictates it.

3. Promote A Healthy Lifestyle

You can also promote a safe and healthy workplace by encouraging your employees to live healthy lifestyles. There are many things you can do to promote a healthy lifestyle, including:

  • Providing healthy food options in the workplace
  • Encouraging employees to exercise regularly
  • Offering smoking cessation programs

Promoting a healthy lifestyle will help reduce the risk of health problems for your employees and make them more productive.

4. Provide Training

Another important way to ensure a safe and healthy workplace is to provide training for your employees. Employees should be trained on how to safely perform their job duties and how to identify and report unsafe conditions. Furthermore, you should provide first-aid and CPR training for your employees. This will help them stay safe in the event of an accident or medical emergency.

5. Regularly Inspect The Workplace

It is also essential to regularly inspect the workplace for safety hazards. You should look for things like trip hazards, electrical hazards, and chemical hazards. If you find a hazard, you should fix it immediately. Furthermore, you should create a system for employees to report hazards so they can be resolved quickly.

6. Invest In Safety Equipment

Investing in safety equipment is another important way to ensure a safe and healthy workplace. Some examples of safety equipment include:

By investing in safety equipment, you can help keep your employees safe in the event of an emergency.

Creating a safe and healthy workplace is essential for the well-being of your employees. By following these tips, you can help create a work environment that is free from hazards and conducive to good health.

The Most Effective Ways that You Can Make Your Employees Feel Safe

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StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Make employees feel safe|The Most Effective Ways that You Can Make Your Employees Feel SafeDo you have a number of different employees working under you? If so, then there is a good chance that you want them to feel as safe as possible within the workplace. This is a lot easier said than done due to the fact a lot of time, many people do not actually know what it is that can make their employees feel safer within the workplace. If this sounds like you, then have no fear, as this article will go into more detail about the most effective ways that you can make any and all of your employees feel safe.

Ensure You Only Use Top Quality Equipment

Your employees are going to feel a lot safer at work if the equipment that they are working with is of the highest quality. This means the tools they use, whether it is something as simple as a computer or a drill, all the way to the floor they are standing on.

If the work that you do revolves around construction, then you need to make sure that everything keeping your employees in the position they are working in are high quality and safety as well. For instance, if you have staff on board that needs to work on fragile roofs, you will need to use equipment such as that supplied by easi-dec.co.uk in order to keep everyone secure.

Make Everyone Aware of the Emergency Response Plan

If you are making your employees well aware of what they are going to need to do in the face of an emergency, then they are going to be a lot more at ease and a lot more prepared. You will need to create an emergency response plan and then make sure that your employees are trained about it, and they are visible throughout the workplace as well. Your plan is usually going to include the likes of:

  • The conditions under which following the plan is going to be necessary
  • The best emergency contact numbers your employees can ring
  • The address and phone number of your business should anyone need it
  • Information regarding where all of the emergency equipment is
  • Maps of all of the escape routes

Hire Security Guards

This could sound a bit extreme, but it is certainly necessary for a lot of different businesses as a security guard will make sure the premises and people within them are always as safe as possible. They are able to carefully monitor who enters the building and who leaves by standing guard and carrying out regular patrols on the area. This is especially useful when the building is empty as it means that you have people standing guard should there be any problems, such as individuals trying to break in.

Conclusion

You no doubt have an idea of how important it is to ensure your staff feels safe throughout the workday. If you want to have a full understanding of how you can effectively keep your staff safe, then you should consider the above.