Whether you’re a business owner or an employee; implementing health and safety in the workplace is of paramount importance. At the end of the day, it’s all about keeping people safe, but so many businesses neglect it and don’t treat it seriously. In the worst cases, bad health and safety practices can lead to death and/or a massive legal case. In the best circumstances, life-changing accidents can be prevented.
Archive for the ‘Healthcare Safety’ Category
5 Ways to Prevent Workplace Violence or Bullying
Your workplace is where you make a living and improve your trade. The last thing you want to deal with at work is someone who pushes you around or threatens you with a firearm. Statistics show that violence on the job is a big concern. According to OSHA, homicide is the fourth major cause of death among workers. Here are five ways to prevent violence or bullying at work:
4 ways healthcare leaders can create a culture of safety
Healthcare leaders–including board trustees–play a crucial role in creating a culture of safety at their organizations, but they don’t always know where to begin. Part of the problem is that board members are often more comfortable talking about and making financial decisions than they are overseeing quality and safety.
How Effective Safety Signs Helps in Workplace Safety
As the popular saying goes “A picture is worth a thousand words”, and I couldn’t agree more. But in the context of safety signs, the right kind of picture can better deliver the thousand words. Imagine if all you see in the street when you are driving are signs that are all made of square signs with a black text on a white background. I am sure you will agree with that it will surely increase the traffic accidents that’s been happening daily.
OSHA Whistle-Blower Investigation Guidance
Feb. 2 — The new OSHA Whistleblower Investigations Manual, issued Feb. 1, details the agency’s revised requirements for deciding if a complaint should be fully investigated. Also explained in the manual is when the agency may release or share investigative information. While the 290-page manual is written for OSHA’s staff investigators, the information is useful for anyone involved in a whistle-blower complaint.
What Did Workplace Safety Look Like Before OSHA?
Pre-OSHA, safety was strictly an inside, do-it-yourself job. Every company that cared to developed, complied with and enforced its own safety standards. Safety was promoted with signs, posters, streamers, paycheck stuffers and movies. Free coffee, free lunch, and prizes were safety rewards.
Let’s look at the safety job pre-1970.
What Your Workplace Violence Plan Should Include
1 out of every 6 violent crimes occurs in the workplace. These crimes include assaults, rapes, robberies, and—on rare occasions—homicides. Employees, customers, and third-party individuals are increasingly acting out and innocent bystanders around them should know how to protect themselves and what to do should an incident arise in their presence.
5 key components of a basic emergency response plan should include:
- Developing an anti-violence policy that all of your workers are aware of and have access to so that it is made very clear to them the precautions that are in the place and the ways in which these incidents will be handled.
- Having a crisis management team. This team should be made up of workers from every department in your facility , these workers are the ones others can look to if they have any questions.
- Training all managers to recognize and address behavioral factors that may lead to violence in the workplace.
- If working with outside vendors, make sure that they are in compliance with your policies as well, they should not get a pass if they are acting inappropriately.
- Implementing and practicing your active threat plan. It is difficult to know if something works until you actually try it out. When a situation occurs chaos usually makes people forget things so ensuring that everyone has a clear knowledge of what they are supposed to do is important to reduce danger in an actual situation.