Did you know that in 2021, workplace injuries cost businesses $42,000 per medically consulted injury and over $1.3 million per fatality? And those numbers reflect more than financial loss. Each incident disrupts workflows and, most importantly, hurts morale.
For teams working on-site, the stakes are even higher. Injuries or accidents don’t just mean downtime; they can throw your entire projects off schedule. So, as a safety leader, where do you start to improve the situation? By focusing on proactive safety approaches.
Contents:
Your Safety Checklist: 10 Essential Workplace Practices
Safety improvements can vary depending on your industry, regulatory requirements and hazards, but there are two components they all have in common: consistency and continuous commitment. Without them, the things we’ll be discussing below will remain just ideas on paper.
We also recommend you starting small, especially if you’re new to implementing a comprehensive safety system. Tackling all 10 at once can feel overwhelming, and you’ll give up too soon to start seeing first results.
1. Conduct Regular Safety Meetings
Although safety meetings have been standard practice for a long time, they don’t have to be boring. Think of them as a chance to share real-world insights from the people on the ground in the first place. Your most seasoned operators have seen it all—the good, the bad, and the dangerous. Whatever they share is most likely life-saving knowledge.
They also don’t have to be long or overly formal. A quick, focused talk often leaves a stronger impression than a one-hour lecture.
Here’s what works:
- Stick to the point. A well-defined agenda ensures no one’s time is wasted.
- Discuss current hazards. What’s new since your last meeting? What risks are creeping in?
- Review incidents. Break down what happened, why it happened, and how to prevent a repeat.
- Encourage openness. Invite your people to speak up. The most valuable insights often come from the quietest voices.
- Keep it practical. Hold your toolbox talks right where the work is happening.
How often should you meet? As often as needed to stay effective. Weekly or biweekly meetings are common in high-risk industries, but flexibility is key. What matters is keeping the meetings relevant and practical.
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2. Reward Safety-Promoting Behavior
Encourage safety awareness by rewarding your people for sticking to protocols and promptly reporting incidents.
Note that this approach differs from rewarding employees for a specified time with no incidents. Surprisingly, the latter may encourage people to avoid reporting unsafe behavior or injuries for fear of breaking their “streak.”
Instead, focus on recognizing proactive, safety-promoting actions like:
- Attending safety meetings. Showing dedication to staying informed.
- Completing near-miss reports. Identifying and addressing potential hazards early.
- Inspecting tools and machinery. Preventing malfunctions before they disrupt work.
- Participating in training classes. Building skills that improve safety and efficiency.
Tailor the rewards to what motivates your employees. Whether it’s a monetary bonus, public recognition, or even a catered team lunch, the key is to make the acknowledgment meaningful and get behaviour-based safety embedded.
3. Encourage Breaks
Sitting too long, bending improperly, or working in awkward postures can lead to workplace musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) – injuries that affect the muscles, tendons, nerves, cartilage, joints, and spinal discs.
Work performance and environment can contribute significantly to WMSDs, and regular breaks during the workday are necessary for people to rest and rejuvenate.
They are also necessary for businesses, as overexertion injuries cost employers $13.4 billion annually.
However, sometimes people simply don’t want to take breaks, and may resist your encouragement for several reasons:
- Workload pressure and tight deadlines
- Fear of falling behind the schedule
- Lack of designated break areas
- Fear of being judged by supervisors for taking breaks
- Encouraged “workaholic” mentality
- Poor time management
To address these challenges, you need to clearly communicate the benefits of breaks and often lead by example. Creating a safe work environment where breaks are seen as essential for safety and productivity can contribute to a healthier work-life balance.
4. Provide Employee Training
Dedicated workforce safety training is an excellent way to improve safety in the workplace. It can feel like the beginning of something new – a great fit if you’re just starting formal safety protocols.
The type of training you need depends on many factors, but the most common include
- First aid
- Cybersecurity
- Fire safety
- New equipment
- Correct PPE (personal protective equipment) usage
Another thing to consider is that not all employees require training, and you need to take several steps to figure this out:
- Conduct a skills assessment
- Use performance reviews for insights into employee strengths and areas that need development
- Discuss career goals
- Gather feedback from supervisors
- Identify industry-specific standards, certifications, or regulations that employees need to comply with
- Compare the skills and competencies of your workforce with industry benchmarks
- Identify areas where your organization can improve.
The process may seem demanding but today’s tech market offers enough tools helping improve safety in the workplace through training, from go-to safety training apps and automated test assessments to certificate approvals.
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5. Maintain a Clean Workplace
Cleanliness is essential in many workplaces, especially in industries like medical care, hospitality, and construction. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored how vital hygiene is to public safety – but cleanliness isn’t just about sanitizing surfaces. An organized workplace is just as critical.
Here’s how you align your practices with OSHA standards and make cleanliness a priority:
- Address spills immediately. For example, in a hospital, clean any spilled liquids promptly using proper disinfectants to prevent both contamination and slip hazards.
- Keep floors and work areas clear. In hospitality, ensure no food trays, cleaning supplies, or equipment block walkways. In construction, remove tools and debris after each task.
- Organize aisles and walkways. Always store carts, boxes, or bulky items in designated areas, ensuring pathways remain clear and accessible for both workers and clients.
- Assign storage for tools and supplies. In manufacturing, label and arrange tool stations so employees can quickly find what they need, reducing wasted time. Similarly, ensure first-aid kits are always visible and fully stocked, with locations clearly marked.
Sometimes it may feel like maintaining a clean workplace is a lot of effort, but remember that an uncluttered workplace means fewer accidents.
6. Conduct Regular Inspections
Regular inspections help you identify potential workplace safety hazards before someone gets hurt. And “regular” doesn’t mean occasional or only after an incident – it means consistent. Depending on your industry, regular might mean daily, weekly, or monthly checks. For example, a construction site may require daily equipment inspections, while an office might only need monthly checks.
Safety inspections work best when accountability is in place. A safety officer, supervisor, or department head should lead the effort, encouraging employees to report hazards during their daily tasks.
There may be different types of inspections at your workplace:
- Planned inspections: Formal safety audits to assess compliance with industry regulations and internal policies.
- Informal inspections: Less structured and can be done more frequently to maintain a safe environment.
- Incident-Triggered inspections: Following a near-miss or injury.
To conduct them effectively, as a safety manager you may need different tools. including inspection checklists and mobile apps, digital cameras, photo documentation, measuring instruments, documentation software, etc.
Regular checks, backed by the right tools and clear accountability will help you ensure hazards are identified, addressed, and prevented before they can escalate.
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7. Prioritize Reporting
Don’t underestimate the importance of safety reports, even those that describe events seemingly minor at first glance. And since it’s such a broad concept, industries with specific reporting need to customize them based on potential risks involved.
Take a look at the following example of a reporting flow for a construction site where falling debris from elevated work areas is a common near-miss hazard.
- You provide workers with a digital tool like a mobile app to write incident reports in real-time. (e.g. logging details of falling debris, including the time, location, and potential cause).
- The report template should include fields specific to the construction environment, such as the type of task being performed, equipment used, and weather conditions.
- During toolbox talks, you emphasize the importance of reporting near-misses and demonstrate how to use the app.
- Supervisors review the near-miss reports weekly, identifying patterns.
- You communicate findings and corrective actions back to workers during team meetings.
This approach may differ depending on your industry but the idea behind it remains unchanged – the easier the process, the more likely your team will embrace it.
8. Invest in Safety Documentation
Clear, accessible health and safety documentation always ensures your team has the resources they need to work safely and respond effectively to emergencies.
Here’s how you can make it a valuable tool:
- Have one source of truth. Store safety policies, training manuals, inspection checklists, and emergency procedures in a single, easily accessible location – preferably a cloud storage system with a reliable backup.
- Digitize your documents. Transition to digital formats to save time, reduce paper clutter, and streamline updates.
- Keep it up to date. Regularly review and update your documents to reflect the latest OSHA standards, company protocols, or changes in your work environment.
- Make it easy to understand. Use straightforward language, clear formatting, and visuals where possible.
- Ensure accessibility in the field. Equip field teams with mobile access to critical documents using tools like Fluix. This makes safety resources available anywhere, whether at a construction site or a remote facility.
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9. Create an Open Dialogue
By partnering with occupational professionals and fostering an environment where employees feel heard, you create a good approach to protecting your team and enhancing workplace functionality.
Occupational clinicians, physical therapists, and occupational therapists bring invaluable expertise to the table. Physical therapists specialize in ergonomic design, helping to create workspaces and practices that minimize the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. Meanwhile, occupational therapists focus on improving workplace functionality, assessing the impact of tasks on employees’ physical and mental well-being.
These people can offer tailored solutions such as preventive strategies, ergonomic adjustments, and rehabilitation plans for injured employees to support their recovery and reintegration into work.
Equally critical is maintaining open communication on safety topics with your team. Employees are often the first to notice potential hazards or areas for improvement. To encourage them to share their insights, make it easy and rewarding to do so.
Implement digital tools that allow for real-time reporting of issues and suggestions, and follow up consistently to show their input matters. Recognize and thank employees who actively participate in safety discussions, reinforcing a culture of collaboration and trust.
10. Make Safety a Shared Value
Your previous measures contribute to building a safety culture in the workplace. By consistently implementing these and other ideas, you foster an environment where safety is a top priority.
You can strengthen this culture by publicly endorsing and advocating for safe work practices. When individuals perceive your facility as a safe workplace, it not only enhances your public image externally but also uplifts morale internally.
Recognize and celebrate achievements related to safety, reinforcing the notion that safety is a collective effort. This proactive approach helps embed a culture where safety is not just a set of rules but a shared value embraced by all.
How to Improve Safety in the Workplace with Fluix
Understanding how to improve workplace safety is just the beginning. The real challenge lies in implementing changes effectively. That’s where Fluix steps in.
With the Fluix mobile app, you can improve your safety management in different ways:
- Perform inspections anywhere: Document findings with photos, notes, and timestamps directly on-site.
- Digitize safety checklists: Digitize essential checklists like equipment checks, hazard assessments, or emergency procedures.
- Automate reporting workflows: For instance, when a safety issue is reported, the app automatically routes it to the right person for review and action.
- Generate reports: Use trend analysis to identify recurring issues, measure improvements, and make informed decisions to strengthen safety measures.
With over 10 years of experience in safety-critical industries, Fluix is designed to help you create a workplace that’s not only safe but also highly efficient.
